The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-11-04
A Dealer In Menageries.

A, New York letter TO the Atlant'
(Ga.) Constitution says: One day I wa
walking down Chatham street, New
YORK, when my steps we're arrested by
queer sound, proceeding from store. /
was sort of chirping tumult, as if al
the birds in the world had met in a de
batting society. I had little difficulty iI
! finding the door from whence the chirpee
volume of music issued. It was, be
believe, No. S., handsome front and {
large store. I sauntered to the door .ano
looked in and saw sight that do mol
think can be duplicated in America. Or
each side of the store the walls were lineo
with bird cages, from top to bottom!
The ground work was of canaries, and
there must have been thousands of these
yellow tufts of fuss and feather. Under
meath the swarming tiers of canarie- were
large compartments, in which were
pheasants, cranes, and every rare bird
-sscred or profane-that ever heard
Of. Onithe higher shelves were smaller
song and show Birds. from Insane love
birds, or whistling finches, up to the
hoariest and hoarsest of parrots.
In this wilderness of cages, shortish
man, evidently of Tentonic build: was
walking leisurely. As he saw me he
turned aud came forward with that easy,
pleasant grace common to. .well-bred city
men. 7 saw atia glance that: he was of
the best type of Germans-+hearty, self
poised, intelligent and cordial: His face
was clear, thoughtful and strong the
face of. man who has seen the world,
has fought it and whipped it. : 7 am thus
special in describing him because I
found him one of the most agreeable and
entertaining men ever met, engaged in
the most unique business, and the Napo.
leon Of his profession. ~.
I don't. know how I came to know so
much .of' him so soon, except that he
displayed that engaging frankness that
the travelled man shows to the inquisi-
tive provincial At any. rate, / discover.
ed after an hours chat that I was talk.
ing 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 competitors.
In tie name of this firm there are organ"
lied bands of hunters: in all parts OF
Asia and Africa, engaged in capturing
elephants, lions, tigers, ETC., for shipment
totha branch house in Hamburg. From
this, point the animals are supplied to
England and the Continent.and shipped
to America. All the wild animals that
fill tire meuagefies and parks of this con-
tinena came through the: bright.eyed
German with whom T spent that delight
full dsy. His history is full of interest.
In 1874 or 1916 Charles and Henry
Reiche, two young Germans, having lit.
tie less than.the practical education that
seems to be natural to young Germans,
we're 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 Germany, where they
only cost ten or twelve cents each. They
did pretty fair business up to 1852,
when they made q daring stroke that
made them fortune and established the
enormous business they now control T., At
that time California wasin the flush of
gold finding. Gold was plentiful.there,
but lu1uries few. There was no trans.
continental road, and the Isthrnus route
was tedious and costly. Young Reiche,
I, knowing that. canaries we're unknown
there, and believing, they would become
the rage when once seen, determined to
carry over q cargo. He therefore, got
{, 900 of the yellow fellows together, and.
packing them in little cages, started for
the Isthmus. Arriving at Cartenaga, he
had his birds carried across the Panama
bay, by: natives, and caughta 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 illed with covered
boxes, thought it was belated mail mat
ter. When Reiche drew near, the cap
tain hailed him and asked him what he
had.
Canary birds,", replied Reiche.
"Canary birds I" shouted the Captain.
"IfId known it was birds, I'd ha' left
you long ago." ~
Reiche's first idea of the flush tide he
was to ride was caught from a homesick
Englishman, who, hearing the whistle Of
q bull finch that had beer accidentally
put in with the canaries.. offered to pay
the expenses Of the entire cargo for that
finch. As this amounted to 1888 Reiche
saw that he had struck,a rich lead, and
be put the price of canaries at S25 each
They did become the rage. Hotels, sa-
looms. private residences, all must have a
canary. The little yellow birds: made a
craze like the tulip mania. The price
soon went up to $50, and the cargo was
soon sold. Reiche returned to New York
rich man.
About this time the menagerie became
an American institution. The 9moral''
show went abroad through the land, and
there was demand for Asiatic and AT.
rican animals. For years Hamburg in
Germany had beensa sort of 6 depot at
which such animals were gathering by
incoming ships from the tropics. Reiche
conceived the idea of establishing a
house there, and supplying it steadily
with all sorts of beasts, to be captured by
bands of hunters, working under his
direction in the deserts and jungles. Up
to that time the. supply at Hamburg had
been casual, depending on what sailors
or ship captains might bring over: MIR,
Reiche went into Africa aad Asia, and
found that his best method was to de-
pend upon native hunters, acting under
, order of their sheikh and directed by o
few white men of courage and address
His system was soon SO organized that
his beast depot at Hamburg became the
largest in the world. 1t was supplied
constantly with all sorts of captures
from tiny antelopes up to to elephants
running through all the gamut from leo
pard to rhinoceros. From Hamburg ne
now supplies the most of the park, and
gardens of Europe. and ships heavily to
America. He imports every wild ami
NAL sold in this country, aud keeps 9
"large and assorted stock on hand,
Ninetenths of the animals in Central
park, New York, and large proportion
of those in other parks are his property
(Vhan he recaives a consignment of lions