Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1875-06-29

Mr.. Schmutzer, to give US an idea of
what:it really costs in the long run to
bring one of the these animals to
America, took for an example the
the expense of importing the giraffe,
which lie just landed safely In CincinHa-
ii. From what we have already told of
the money paid out among thenatiyes, it
may be fairly said that it cost at least
800 to get it to Suakin the freight by
vessel from there to Suez was $50, and
$40 duty was paid before il could be
transferred to the English vessel at that
point. The freight from Suez TO Lon
don was 9162, after which it cost s32 to
transport him to Southampton. The
trip across the Atlantic cost $50, and
from New York to Cincinnati per ex-
press, 800. Foot up those sums and it
will be discovered that the shipment
that the shipment alone of an African
giraffe to America costs over 81 900.
This, of course, does not include Mr..
SehmutZer's individual expenses, nor the
recompense for his perilous services. Ii
will, therefore, be perceived that if isn't
every man who is able TO keep his team
of giraffes.
As may be imagined, it is not as easy
TO catch an elephant as it is to catch a
rabbait. Even baby elephant is a
''big thing" on legs and combines as
much strength as bodily bulk. Mr..
Schmutzer's description of how various
animals are caught was interesting, and
viii well pay TO recount. The African
elephants go ia droves Of from twenty
to fifty. While thus headed together
they were safe from the attacks of the
natives. They must first be separated
from the herd before there is a chance of
capturing 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
entice 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 mothers
attention from the front another native
will ride up in the rear, hastily dismount,
and by powerful slash of an instrument
made for the purpose hamstring the huge,
| unwieldy beast. There is great danger
| in doing this, but once the elephant Is
| hamstrung the remainder 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 6 yesrs old. 1t is therefore not de-
sirable to capture them under or
years of age, land by that time they reach
pretty large size aud combine a good
deal of strength to their adveirdupois.
1t required the united strength of
twenty six nen 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
to starve and get rid of his excessive
strength. In few months he becomes
| somewhat tame-so tame that it is pos
sible 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 the flee in herds and
lasso the young. The lassos used for the
purpose are made of the tough and pill
able 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 becomes tame
and can be led about without much
effort. The hippopotamus is an
animal that has not been added TO
the collections of any menagerle in Eu-
rope or America. The reason of this is
that no plan has yet been devised by
which it can be captured without iniu-
~. Mr.. Schmutzer says that his men
have on several occasions disabled one
of the ''river horses" by means of har-
poons and then taken it alive. But be-
tween its amphibious nature and the in
juries inflicted in capture, it soon after
wards died. The first man who sue
ceeds in capturing one of these strange
aniulais anu idhu1ng MN sareIy IN
a European Geological Garden will be
rich. Mr.. Schmutzer had a plan in
his Eind by which he intends to make
another attempt to capture one of the
beasts of his next visit to Africa. He
has designs and traps, now being pre-
pared in Europe, which he will take
with him on his return to the jungles
next August
We asked the gentleman whether in
any of his travels through the forests
and plains of the elephant country he
had ever encountered one of the famous
white elephants about which some traV-
elers have written. He said he had not,
and what was more he didn't believe the
animal has or ever had an existence.
Some elephants, on reaching extreme
old age, become gray, pretty much as a
man does, but while young he has never
yet seen one, nor had he ever yet met a
native who had seen one of them. but, +"
said Mr.. SchmutZer, 'if there are any of
them in Africa I'll fetch one to America
before many years, on that you may
depend.