Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-10-02
n DEALER IN MEEA0ERIRS.
HOW He MADE FORTUNE OUT OF cANARrEs-IN
yEsTAEN1s In RHfSoCERI AND HIPPoPurAMI.

THE Atlanta Constitution.
one day was walking down Chatham street
New York, when my steps were arreStet by a
queer sound. proceeding from a store TWAS
a sort OF chipping tumult. as II all the bird, In
the world had met In debating society. had
little difficulty In finding the door from whence
the chopped volume OF music issued. It was
believe. No. IS, handsome front and a large
store. sauntered to the door and looked in,
ana saw sight that do not think can be dtI-
plicated in America. On each side OF the store
the walls were lined with bird cages from top
to bottom. The groundwork was Of canarie;.
aud there must have been thousands OF these
yellow tufts OF fuss and feathers. Underneath
The SWarming tiers OF canarieS were large COM
paTtmentS, IN which were pheasants cranes,
and every rare bird. sacred or profane. thar
ever heard OF. On the higher shelves were
smaller song birds and show birds, from inane
love birds, or whstltDg tlnches, up to the boar
lest and hoarsest OF parrots.
In this wilderness OF cages SbOrttsh m an,
evidently OF TeutOnic BULL was walking l4S-
urely. AS he saw me he turned and came for
ward with that easy. pleasant grace common 10
weli-bred city men. saw at glance Int he
poised. Intelligent, and cordial. His face was
clear, thoughtful, and strOng-the face Of a man
who has seen the world. has fought IL. and
whipped it. am thus special In describing him
because found him one OF the most agreeable
ard entertaining men / ever met, engaged IN
The most unique business, and The Napoleon Of
his profession.
l don't know how came to know so mich Of
him so soon, except that he displayed that en-
gagiDg frankneeS that the Travelled man shows
TO the inquisitive provincial. At any rate dis
covered after an hours chat that was talkiUg
to Henry Reiche, Of the firm OF Reiche & Bro,
dealers in birds and Wild animals. This firm is
famous the world over, and stands without CON-
petitors. In the name OF this tirm there are
organized bands OF hunters in all parts OF Asia
and Africa engaged In capturing elephants,
lions, tigers, &C.. for shipment to the branch
house In Hamburg. From this point the anil
mails are supplied TO England and the Continent
and shipped TO America. All wild animals that
ill the menagerieS and parks CT this continent
came through the bright-eyed German with
whom spent that delightful day. His history
Is full of interest.
In 1874 or As Charles and Henry Reiche, two
young Germans having little less than the prac-
teal education that seems to be natural to young
Germans. were bird peddlerS In New York.
They went about from street to street selling
birds from stands. Their trade was principally
In canarieS, which they had sent over from Ger
many, where they only cost ten or twelve cents
each. They did pretty fair business up to
1862, when they made daring stroke that made
them fortune and established the enormous
business they now control. At that time Cali
fornia was In the flush OF gold finding. Gold
was plentiful there, but luXurieS few. There
was no tranScontinental road, and the Isthmus
route was tedious and costly. Young Reiche,
knowing that canarieS were unknown there
and believing they would become the rage VIII IN
once seen, determined to carry over a cargo.
de, therefore. got 5000 OF the yellow fellows TO-
gether, and. packing them In little cages started
for the ISthmuS. Arriving at Cartagena, he had
bis birds carried across 10 Panama Bay, by ma
tives. and caught ship there, and soon reached
San Francisco. He was late in reaching the
SHIP and the captain was about to sail without
him, but. seeing his boats filled with covered
boxes, thought it was belated mail matter.
when Reche drew near the captain hailed him
and asked him what he had.
Canary BIRDS" replied Reiche.
Canary birds be ID" shouted the Cap
tam. If ia known 1T was birds. I'd ha' lett
you long ago.
Reiche's first idea of the flush tide he was to
tide was caught from homeSick Engltshman
who, bearing the whistle Of 6ull1n:h that
ohered to pay the expenses of the entire cargo
for that finch. AS this amounted to 1858,
Reiche saw that he had struck rich lead and
ne put the price OF canaries at s25 each. They
did become the rage. Hotels, saloons private
residences. all must have a canary. The little
yellow birds made craze like the tulip mania
was soon sold. Relche returned to New York
rich man.
About this time the menagerie became an
american ahne6 institution The moral show went
mand for Asatic-Afr1can animals. For years
Hamburg, In Germany, had been sort Of depot
at which such animals were gathered by incOm-
ing ships from the tropics. Reiche conceived
the idea OF establishing house there and sup
plying 1t steadily with all sorts of beasts to be
captured by bands of hunters, working under
that time the supply at Hamburg had been
casual, depending on what sailors or ship cap
tains might bring over. Mr.. Reiche went into
Africa and Asia, and found that his best method
was TO depend upon native hunters acting
under order of their sheikh, and directed
by few white men OF courage and ad-
dress His system was soon 50 organized
came the largest In the world. 1t was sup
piled constantly with all sorts of captures,
from tiny antelopes up to elephants. running
through all the gamut from leopard to rhiHoc-
eros. From Hamburg he now supplies the most
OF the parks and gardens OF Europe, and ships
heavily TO America. He imports every wild
apmal sold IN this country and keeps large
the animals in Central Park, New York, and
large proportion Of those In other parks are his
property. When he receives consignment of
gtEaffes are billed to him, he places them In
Central Park, where they await a purchase
lie keeps In his store only few of the smaller
anlmals-and even the aviary in Central Park
is stocked with his birds. He considers twenty
lions good average stock, with probably as
many tigers dozen elephants four rhinOceri
lor rhinoceroSses), and other beasts In proper
ton.
The most extensive animal he deals In Is the
good hippOpOtamus is worth
lto man who wants him) from $40, 900 to
$4,000. They must be captured when they are
young, and raised on goats milk. A caravan of
hunters returning across the desert with CAP
tured animals is a strange sight. About one
thousand goats are brought with the caravan to
furnish milk for the antelopes, hippopota mi, and
other milk drinkers. As the goats cease giving
milk they are killed and fed to the flesh eaters
The animals are carried in bamboo cages
rugged with ropes, and slung across the backs
OF the camelS. From the coast they are Shippei
TO Hamburg, where Mr.. Charles Reiche receives
them, and thence they are distributed ACCORDING
70 Cemand. Elephants are captured when
young, and usually by driving them into in
mense traps that converge rapidly until the
ne aSlS are cribbed into reach of ropes A fra
elephant will bring from 81 900 to 5000 or
course. the price OF animals varies with the de-
mand You must get a man that want, a
beast before you can get any price for him
then the price depends upon how much ne
wants him.
You see," said Mr.. Reiche, smiling. .you
wouldn't give 80 for that lion there for we ha.
now dr1fted to Central Park for your own use
and yer he is worth 81 5OO."
good companionable tiger can be bought
lot 81, 2nO, and nice leopard Is worth ab0ut
500. Monkeys sell In the bunch by the dozen
AT ABOUT $50 each, and Ihinoceros brings
ABOUT 5000. A giraffe is very expensive ana
very delicate, and zebra, striped up to the
regulation OF ninety-Dine and one IS worth
ABOUT 81 900. CRATES die of Indigestion. the
despite his heavy overcoat is a fire.
quent victim to consumption, and the monkey
dies or emotional languOr
The depot for sea lions Is San Franci sco where
man named Mullett supertntend5. They art.
taken on The south California coast, and bring
ABOUT 800 each. Polar bears come from the
Arctics, and are worth about 81 900. They ar
kept In deep caves that are damp and sunless
or In dens set IN ice and with huge blocks of
ice dripping from the top. The point at which
Mt Re1che buys them is Hamburg very few