Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-04-25
The Wild Beast Market.

Has that eminent statistical parsonage who,
under government auspices, gives us yearly
tabular statements of the horses, mules, oxen,
cows and sheep raised in the country, ever pre-
sented to us the value and number of rare and
strange beasts which are reared in our midst?
If horses and COWS, colts and calves have a
market value, so have lions, tigers and their
whelps for whelps of both these families of car
nivora are born in the United States every year
An event Of this kind is of course duly heralded
by the public prints. No infant of Spain nor
its royal mamma could receive greater attention,
Daily bulletins are given to the anxious public,
and general curiosity can hardly be satisfied,
During the last four years some twelve little
lions have seen the light, but only one-half of
them have reached years of maturity.
Details OF their nursing are peculiar. Mr..
Chicks idea of the apparatus necessary to little
Paul Dombeys nutrition, and that unfortunate
suggestion "of doing something temporary with
teapot, would be equally out of place. The
fond parent, in addition to the natural maternal
solicitude, always combines her inherent nat
ura terocity. If at all times she is more danger
Gus than her royal consort, just then she is of
an exceedingly Jealous disposition, and any at
tempt at familiarity with her little darlings is
followed by leonine pat. Weuse the word pat
in Mr.. Frank Buckland's acceptation of the term,
as expressing that peculiar side movement Of
the paw peculiar to the whole feline race. In
the domestic cat it is jus: strong enough to
knock over rat, but with the lion it means the
crushing Of arm and leg bones and the dsloca-
ton of the human frame generally. The lion
ess is not approached until the cubs are fully
three or four months DID, They are then care
fully separated by stratagem, and their weaving
commences. About quart of milk is given per
diem. with small quantum of animal fond in
the way of nice juicy outlets and tit-bts, all
bone being carefully excluded. The seventh
month seems to be one of trial. If they Get over
that they stand fair chance Of hfe though the
period of their tooth shedding, when they are
a year old, is attended with danger. Dentistry
being rather hazardous for the operator they
sometimes swallow their own teeth which often
kills them. 1t seems strange, but the filters
born III travelling menageries appear to have the
pest chances OF lite. 0f large number of
whelps bred in the London geological gardens,
most of the little things were born with some ir-
regularity of the palatal bone, and the roof of
the mouth being defective, the whelps could not
suckle
1t is certain that lions attached to a travelling
van, under proper care, are the most lively and
healthy, and thrive better than those which are
stationary. In the United States, a lion has
been exhibited during period Of thirty-fiye
years. As far as could he Judged he had been
fifteen years before that in captivity, so he was
certainly fifty and over when he died. The
general disease which carries them off is con.
gestion of the lungs. The amount of food given
a lion is less than one would suppose. About
thirteen pounds of beef per diem with bones nd
HbitUn1, is fair allowance When fed regularly,
Lubl oUOH lllttG ulopUSltlDU 10 9lut themselves.
and will rarely exceed fifteen to sixteen pounds
when given all they will cat. When horse meat
is procurable they are fed in part with it, This
cost of feeding is no small item, as il takes
rather more TO feed lion than it does to feed
a man. Great care is necessary in keenino
their cages clean As they are constantly she'd
ding their hair, an accumulation of this adj
herring to their food, and being swallowed bv
them, is apt TO sicken them Occasionally, as
did Mrs. Wackiord Squeers, sulphur is sprinkled
on their meat, and mild purgatives given them
in their water The largest proportion of these
animals come from the French province of
Algeria, and Marseilles mostly has one or two
lions on the market. As to character and dis
position, prone as we may be to treasure up all
the nice little stories of their affection and CRATE
full remembrance, notably the thorn in the foot
story, and the yarn of the jolly Jack Tar and
the ierocious lion-Nero by name-who, as soon
as he sees Jack, his long lost ship mate be-
comes as docile as kitten, we regret to say that
they must be accepted with the utmost sus-
picion. OF course the lion knows his keeper
and is afraid of him, and will obey him, but
there is no affection between the parties
They are not to be trusted said to us Mr.
White, perhaps the ablest keeper and trainer of
Wild animals now in the United States, and who
Is at present attached to Mr.. Barnum's museum
The best evidence OF the truth of this is that
can't lift up my arm from the shoulder. had
charge of lioness; she wasn't, thought, at
an ugly. felt quite at home with her. was in
her I cage, and she was jumping around, and l
qiuh watch her close enough. The first thing
knew she had me by the shoulder; her fangs
went clear through my collar bone. 1t was a
wonder my life was saved. 1t was always risky
l0ollng with them. The lion amt TO be trusted,
though II you watch him close, and ger him well
uuuer. he is not likely TO give much bother, but
tnere Is no counting on a lioness. There never
was llon-tamer who did not get scratch now
ana tnen. Of course in the business, many
Stories are anoat which are not true. It's pay
M business when lion chaws up somebody;
not OF course, to the man, but to the propri-
etors. The public dotes on that kind of an
animal, and he draws wonderfully only some
tlmes very serious accidents occur, and hair
anything about"
good pair of lions are worth $4,000, and will
command that price at almost any time. The
demand for rare animals is constant one, the
various geological institutions on the continent,
and the exhibitions, always wanting new speci-
mems. A Mr.. Gross of Liverpool, deals largely
10 this strange merchandise. Perhaps of the
three large dealers in London Messra Jamrach