Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1864-02-06
How TO Keep a usna gsrls

We have taken pains TO acquaint ourselves
with some part OF the history aud manage
ment Of the Van Amburgh collection, which
Is the Oldest and we believe the only complete
meusgerie in this country. The capital invest
ed 10 this establishment, which many OF our
citizens have visited, is not less than Sl50,O00.
II contains two nuudred auimals. 1t employs,
when OH its travels through the country, not
less than Dinety four men, aud one hundred aud
thirty four horses. When in travelling order,
the whole conn ction eau move at an average
rute Of IL miles per day, and on summer
tour makes u circuit OF not less than three
thousand miles. The daily expenses, when
travelling, are not uUder $1,000
| Few people know the care aod energy re-
| quired to keep such collection Ia order. The
| ANIMALS are subjected TO various diseases; they
| die, aud AT such rate, that in the present col
| lee tion there ure but six animals which we're
| 10 IL six years ago. With some few exceptions
the meuagere iS entirely renewed once 10 five
years. The proprietors are constantly purcha-
sing some uew ANIMALS; they have agents IN va
rous pats of the world aud the expense OF
such renewals may be guessed, when we say
that the beasts added 10 the menagarie now 10
Broadway, since last spring, cost Thirty thou
sand dollars. 10 speud such sums judlclOusly,
to buy ouly healthy animals, likely to live. aud
to keep them in good condition, requires ex-
perieuce ouly gained in many years.
Tue price of lIou, or any other animal, va
ries greatly. Sometimes the lion market is Hut
ted. dne Bengal tiger has been sold iu Lun.
don for $4,000. but the common price for u
healthy palr of young lions is $500. The three
polar bears now in the Broadway collection
cost the proprietor $4,000. Most of the aui.
mails first caught for meuageries are first taken
n Euul4nH In Landau fhpra ora tyn or thrpa
animal brokers who make it their business to
receive aud sell ou commission anything from
40 elephant to ring tailed monkey. The d.
pest giraffe ever brought to this country was
caught by man uamed Clayton, an American,
who went to Africa for the purpose, aud was
gUue 10 mouths ou that business. Hannibal,
| the largest elephant ever exhibited, has been
| lD the country thrty-lhree years. When he
| was first brought hlher ne was bought by an
euterprIsng butcher in the Bowery, who kept
him III u horse Stable for year before he was
exhibited. He was bought on speculation, and
we have heard that the uUucky butcher lost
| by him. He was afterwards purchased by
Van Amburg, aud has been 10 this collection
many years. We may add here that several
pairs Ut buffalo aud some iue tks are now on
the way here from the West, aud will be ad-
ded 10 the Broadway collection.
Lions aud all other animals of the cat kind
suffer when imported TO this county, from q
kiud OF consumption. They wheze, lose flesh,
their lungs become diseased, aud they finally
waste away uud die. When one of these great
| beasts dies, he is submitted to the Facu.ty and
il is u pleasant evidence that the proprielors
are not merely showmeu, but hare au luteli-
| geut interest III these wonders of nature, that
they have for many years contributed their
| a cf N ha pnIlartion # thu
| Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences iu
whose halls at this day may be found some
skeletons Of lions, tigers aud other animals ia
nous III their day.
| lr the Subdivision of labor one man take:
charge of four cages. to clean, feed and atteLe
upon the wauts OF lhe occupants. The flesh
eating animals are fed but ouce day, and no
al all Oh Sundays. The monkeys aud otbe
small animals are led twice day, The ele-
phanls seem to browse all the day long. None
but good bee. is fed, audit must not have the
slightest grain of salt on it. Water is giveI
tour or five times u day. A full grown liol
eals from Is 10 l8 pounds of meat per day
un elephants ralions are three hundred pound,
OF hay aud TWO bushels OF oats per day wbel
he is travelling; when standing still he gets NJ
oats, but an additional hundred weight OF hay
The elephants lie down when they go 10 sleep
rwO barrels OF water uoistens each elephant
daily hay.
When an animal falls i'll it is doctored. Tht
mysteries OF lious physlc must be sacred here
they beioug TO his faithful master aud attend
ant, who knows, by the experiences OF NOR
than seventeen years, what will best reslor
his rounded form, his glossy coat aud his eas
breathing.
Not uuirequently animals bring forth young
Some dozen OF lious have beeu born 10 TIL
country, but ouly very few live to cut thel
second set of teeth. There is now in Gag
on the right hand side, lion of good size bor
three ar iour years ago 10 Georgia. lie is
very savage aud ntractibe beast, who submit
to but one master, Mr. Frost, who nursed hir
leuderly when young, aud whose voice 10 tbi
day viii quell him even when he is most furious
Lions generally produce three or four at lii
ter. Two cunning little leopards, on the iel
are natives oil Wisconsin. They are no bigge
than cats, but already scratch aud fight as ii
their nature 10. They even quarrel with thei
mother for her raw meat. They receive onl
cooked meat, aud occasional rations OF bet
broth.
Until the young are two months old they car
not be exhibited on accent OF the Jealousy
be mother, who sometimes kills her young
her frantic efforts to get them out OF the wa
when strangers are stariug at them; she WI
pick them up 10 her mouth aud fling thei
against the back of the cage TO get them OF
oil sight For this reason, when lioness o
tiger mas young fanily she Is shut up lroI
the outer world aud kept IN wholesome que
till her nerves acquire some tone. aud she
able TO receive visitors aud exhibit her cut
without too great agitation.