Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1880-10-28

you can get any price for him-then the price
depends 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 drifted to Central Park) for your
own use, and yet he is worth $2500"
A good companionable tiger can be bought
for s., 200, and nice leopard is worth about
$4OO Monkeys sell in the bunch by the doz-
en- at about $50 each, and rbinoceros
brings about $4,000. A giraffe is very ex-
pensive and very delicate, and a zebra, striped
up to the regulation of ninety-nine and one
is worth about $1,000. Giraffes die of indi.
gestion; the rhinoceros, despite his heavy
overcoat, is frequent victim of consumption,
and the monkey dies Of emotional languor.
The depot for sea lions is San Francisco,
where man named Mullett superintends.
They are taken on the south California coast,
and bring s400 each. Polar bears come from
the Arctics, 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 Arc
tics. The snake trade is one ofthe important
departments. The headquarters for snakes
is Para, in Central America, though, of course,
the boa comes from the Nile, and the anaeon-
da from Africa. There are various depots
for rare fish, and Mr.. Reiche is an enthusiast
on this subject being owner Of the New York
aquarium. The bright colored fishes come
from the tropical waters, and the dull-colored
from the Arctic stations The ostrich has
less sense than any land animal, and yet is
worth $1,000. They are caught while young.
Birds come from all quarters. The most ex-
pensive is the bird of paradise, which sells for
5000 to $500, according to plumage. Parrots,
paroquets, and monkeys are brought in great
numbers by sailors who come in on foreign
ships.
The principal shipping points are Alexan'
dria, in Egypt, and Ceylou, off Southern
India. At the first point the animals
from the Nile region and the heart of Af-
rica are collected !; at the latter the tigers
and lions from the jungles of India. The
bed of the Nile 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 elephants are
smallest and most stupid, but otherwise the
beasts from Africa are large and vigorous.
The amount of business done by Mr.. Reiche
is wonderful His standing order for canaries
is 10000 birds week. They are imported
from Germany and sent all over the CONT
nent. He has an agent in Savannah, and
has sent shipments to Atlanta. Frequently
he receives s50,000 worth Of animals in one
manifest. There is growing demand from
circuses and menageries and geological gar.
dens all over the country. No circus now
travels without its menagerie, and no'park is
complete without its geological department.
There is large sale for rare birds and ante
lopes for private parks and grounds. Mr..
Vanderbilt once gave $500 for bird of par.
adise. A large number of parrots are sold
and trained to talk and sing, a good talker
being worth 800 or 5000. The supply Of
all birds and animals must be kept up by
importation, as few of them breed in captivity.
Lions and tigers are about the only animals
that breed in captivity, and they bring
ragged and puny cubs that are not salable.
The growing demand, therefore, and the loss
es by death must be supplied by fresh cap
lures and importations. Consequently, Mr..
Reiche's hunters are kept busy, and his ships
are always coming in. Frequently he re-
ceives special order from some circus or
park for certain animal. This order is at
once dispatched through various agents until
it reaches the hunters, who organize special
expedition and capture it. A pair of hippo.
potami are now being brought over for cir
Gus at cost of about $4,000.
A large business is done exporting Ameri-
can animals; this business, as we'll as the
importing, is controlled by Mr.. Reiche. The
grizzly bear is the typical American beast,
and is always in demand for European buy
ers. The buffalo, the moose elk, and carl
bou are the larger animals exported most
heavily, they being American types. The
opossum, the gray squirrel, the red fox, the
hedgehog, are the most popular Of the smaller
animals, while the puma is in great demand
as new type. The mocking bird is great
favorite among birds, and Mr.. Reiche rss
men who search the Southern forests for them
annually. The red.headed woodpecker is
exported heavily as a show bird, and the
robin is esteemed in English parks as quiet
but handsome fellow. There is very large
profit on the exchange. Mr.. Reiche once
bought pair of fine cranes in Scboharie, N.
Y, to fill an English order-giving $25 for
them and receiving $400. There is an inter.
esting story connected with the famous Lon.
don show elephants, showing some of the
points of the animal trade. A Mr.. Kelly,
a banker who drifted into the show business
by mortgage on the Van Amburgh menag-
erie, sent out ship to Ceylon. He loaded it
with a number of Yankee houses, all ready
for putting together. He had the sashes,
doors, locks, and everything complete. Ar
irving at Ceylon, be sold the houses at an
enormous profit, ballasted his ship with coffee,
and put thirteen elephants and a lot of ami
mails aboard. He made $4,000 clear money
by the trip, and had his elephants clear. Of
this herd five we're trained for the London
show, and one of them, "Baby," is the mother
of the first elephant ever born in captivity.
Of course, Mr.. Reiche has amassed huge
fortune in his unique trade. He is more than
a millionaire, and is certainly growing richer.
He has superb residence at Bergen, N. D.,
where he is surrounded by every luxury that
taste and money can command.
A CHOCTAW LAD KEEPS HIS WORD.
The execution of Chester Dixon, convicted
of murder at the last term of the Circuit
Court of the Choctaw Nation, took place
Friday at noon, in the presence Of but a
small number of people. Chester Dixon,
The murderer, was young full blooded
Choctaw, about II years Of age. He was
subject to fits, during which he often lost