Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1880-12-01

went up to $50 and the cargo was 500
sold. Reiche returned TO New Yorl
rich man. About this time tn
menagerio became an American inst
tation. The "moral" show went abroa,
through the land and there was dc
mand for Asatic.African animals. Fo
years Hamburg, in Germany, had beef
a sort Of depot at which such animal
were gathered by incoming ships from
the tropics. Reiehe conceived the idei
of establishing house there, and sup
plying it steadily with all sorts o
beasts, TO be captured by bands o
hunters, working under his direction
in the deserts and iungles. Upto that
time tho supply at Hamburg had beer
casual, depending on what sailors OF
ship captains might bring over Mr.
Reiche went into Africa and Asia and
found that his best method was to de
pend upon native hunters, acting under
orders OF their Sheikh and directed by
few white men Of courage and ad.
dress His system was soon 30 organ.
lied that his beast depot at Hamburg
became the largest in the world. Ii
was supplied constantly with all sorts
of captures, from tiny antelopes up to
elephants, running through all the
gamut from leopard to rhinoceros.
From Hamburg he now supplies the
most of parks and gardens of Europe
and ships heavily to America. He i'm.
ports every wild animal sold in the
country, and keeps "large and assort.
cd stock on hand" Nine-tenths of the
animals in Central Park, New York,
and large proportion of those in other
parks are his property. When he re.
celves q consignment OF lions or hippo.
potami, or few rhinoceri and giraffes
are billed to him, he places them in
Central Park, where they await
purchaser. He keeps in his store only
u few of the smaller animals-and even
the aviary in Central Park is stocked
with his birds. He considers twenty
lions good average stock, with prob.
ably as many tigers, dozen elephants,
four rhinoceri, or rhinocerosses, and
other beasts IN proportion.
The most expensive animal he deals
in is the hippopotamus. A good hip.
popOtamus is worth (to man who
wants HIM from $4,000 to s12, 900.
They must be captured when they are
young and raised on goats milk. A
A caravan OF hunters returning across
the desert with captured animals is
strange sight. About one thousand
goats are brought with the caravan to
furnish the milk for the antelopes, hip.
popotami 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,
rigged with ropes and slung across the
backs Of the camels. From the coast
they are shipped to Hamburg, where
Mr.. Charles Reiche receives them and |
thence they are distributed according
to demand. Elephants are captured |
when young and usually by driving
them into immense traps that converge
rapidly until the beasts are cribbed |
into reach Of ropes. A fine elephant
vii! bring from 81 900 to $4,000. of
course, the price Of animals varies with /
the demand. You must get man
who wants beast before you can get |
any price for him-then the price de.
pends upon how much he wants him,
'"You see, said Mr.. Reiche, smiling,
''you wouldn't give $40 for that lion
there (for we had now drifed into
Central Park for your own use and
yet he is worth $4,000"
A good companionable tiger can be
bought for 81 1000, and nice leopard
is worth about S400. Monkeys sell in
the bunch by the dozen at about $50
each, and rhinoceros brings about
$4,000. A giraffe is very expensive
and very delicate, and zebra, striped
up to the regulation Of nnety.nine and
one, is worth about $1,000. Giraffes
die of indigestion the rhlnoceros, de-
spite his heavy evercoat, is frequent
victim to toconsumption, aud the monkey
dies Of emotional languor. The depot
for sea lions is San Francisco, where
man named MulIett superintends.
They are taken on the South California
coast and bring about S4OO each. Polar
bears come from the Artics, and are
worth about $4,000. They are 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 Mr.. Reiche buys
them is Hamburg, very few being
taken in our Artics. The snake trade
is one of the important departments.
The headquarters for snakes is Para,
in South America, though, of course,
the boa comes from the Nile and the
anaconda from Africa. There are vari.
GUS depots for rare fish, and Mr.. Reiche
is an enthusiast on this subject, being
owner OF the New York Aquarium.
The bright-colored fishes como from
the tropical waters and the dull.colored
from Arctic stations The ostrich has
less sense than any land animal and
yet is worth $1,000. Phey are caught
when young. Birds come from all
quarters. The most expensive is the
bird of paradise, which sells from 5000
to $500, according to plumage. Par.
rots, paroquets and monkeys are
brought in great numbers by sailors !
who come in on foreign ships.
The principal shipping points are
Alexandria, in Egypt, and Ceylon, off
Southern India. At the first point the :
animals from the Nile reign and the /,
heart of Africa are collected at the :
latter the tigers and lions from the ,
jungles OF India. The bed of the Nile a
is the best hunting ground, as it has !
been for years. Almost every wild /
beast OF the tropics may be found there ,
and in fine sample. The African elo. ,
plants are the smallest and most stu. /,
pid, but otherwise the beasts from /
Africa are larger and vigorous The a
amount of business done by Mr.. Reicho !
is wonderful. His standing order for |,
canaries is 10000 birds week. These !
arc imported from Germany and sent a
all over the continent. Ho has an 4
agent IN Savannah, and has sent ship.
ments to Atlanta, Frequently he re.
,eives $50, worth OF animals in one
manifest, There is growing demand I
rom circusscs and menageries and 7
geological gardens all over the country. '
No Gil Gus now travels without its men 9
lgeric, and no park is completed with !. !
,ut It's geological department There u
8 large sale Tor rare birds and ante
opes for private parks and grounds. u
VI Nnndurhlll anna ..nr.n Qknn L. |