Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1875-08-27

safe from the attacks of the natives
They must first be separated from the
herd before there is chance of captur.
ing the young The elephant calf, like
the young of all animals follows its
mother wherever she goes. So The only
way to get the calf from the herd is to
entiee its mother away. The natives do
this by making feints at the herd on
horseback. Once separated from the
herd the greatest trouble is overcome.
While one man is attracting the moth
ers attention from the front, another ma
tive will ride up in the rear, hastily dis
mount, and by powerful slash of an
instrument made for the purpose, ham,
string the huge, unwieldy beast. There
is great danger in doing this, but when
VIloU N.NpI,ssIaU 40 i'ssi..su. s...s, u.1v
mainder is easy. The old elephant is
killed and the young one fastened with
ropes. The elephant calf feeds on its
mothers milk until it is about six years
old. 1t is therefore not desirable to cap
ture them under four or five years of
age, and by that time they reach pret-
ty large size and combine good deal Of
strength with their advoirdupois.
1t required the united strength Of
twenty-six men to overcome the last
baby Mr.. Schmutzer captured, after
its mother had been killed. Ropes are
tied to its legs and made fast to trees,
and the young monster is then left for
several days, and sometimes weeks, to
starve and get rid of his excessive
strength. In a few months he becomes
somewhat tame-so tame that it is posi-
BILE to drive and lead him across the
country to the coast.
A camel is caught differently. The
natives on horseback pursue the long
necked beasts as they flee in herds, and
lasso the young. The lassos used for
the purpose are made of the tough and
pliable inside bark of the bread-fruit
tree. The young camel is much more
easily captured, and is less troublesome
to keep than an elephant. 1t soon be-
comes tame and can be led about with.
out much effort. The hippopotamus is an
animal that has not been added to the
collections of any menagerie in Europe
or America. The reason for this is thai
no plan has yet been devised by which
it can be captured without injury. Mr.
Schmutzer says that his men have OIL
several vuvaaivlis disabled one oI Int
river horses by means of harpoon;
and then taken it alive. But between
its amphibious nature and the injuries
inflicted in capture, it soon afterwards
died. The first man who succeeds il
capturing this strange animal and land
ing him safely in an European Zoologi
cal Garden will be rich. Mr.. Schmut
ger had plan in his mind by which hi
intends to make another attempt to cap
ture one of the beasts on his next visi
to Africa. He has designs and traps
now being prepared in Europe, whicl
he will take with him on his return t.
the iungles next August
We asked the gentleman whether il
any of his travels through the forest
and plains Of the elephant country h
had ever encountered one of the famou
white elephants about which some tray
elers have written. He said he had not
and what was more he didn't believe tn
animal has or ever had an existence
Some elephants ON reaching extreme oil
age, become gray, pretty much as a ma
does, but while young he has never ye
seen one, nor had one of them. But,
said Mr.. Schmutzer, " if there are an
of them in Africa I'll fetch one to An
erica before many years, on that yo
may depend. - Cincinnati Inquirer, Ma
16.