Savannah weekly echo., 1883-12-02
AN ALLIGATOR AS A PET
ANEW xonx YOUNG xADx's rAvox-
TIE COKPAMION.

| xGG OOARAM1OM.
| Taking the Saurian vvith Her when
| She Drives Out-Thc Cost OF Me-
nngerfe CuriOsities.
A New York correspondent of the Chi
| cago Nesos writes as follows: Miss Virgie
Rensselaer,, Murray hill lady of many
attractions, possesses a pet that outshines
the pug dog as much as Maud 8. is faster
than Van Buren, street car. It is q
! Florida alligator, year old, and measur-
ing three feet from tip to tip. The
creatures name is sDarlie, "and it occupies
the other half of Miss Rensselaer's phae-
ton seat when she rides out. A strange
pet for menagerie owner, let alone a
delicate young lady; still, it is novel and
attracts attention, and its owner evi-
IDENTIFY feels she is in the swim when
thousands of persons stare at her outfit.
'Darlie" was raised by Charles Reiche,
professional animal importer of this city,
and he sold the thing for 5000. The
wife of well-known ex-judge
OF the superior court has a
carriage pet in the shape of beautiful
silver-gray fox, small in size, and very
atfectionate. "Oh, I sell lots of such
pets to fine ladies'" said Mr.. Reiche, as I
stood in the rear of his Chatham street
store teasing big baboon with my cane.
"The most expensive one / ever sold was
a gazelle to Adelaide Nelson, the En-
glish actress. The creature was wonder
fully beautiful and intelligent, and its
eyes were perfectly fascinating. Miss
Nelson gave me 81, 900 for it, and then
didn't make any great profit. I make
business of importing animals, and
supplying menageries and geological
gardens"
:" What is good, big lion worth 2"
asked, thinking of friend in Chicag
to whom intend sending a Christmas
present.
"Well, the price varies. I've got an
old menagerie lion that has been over
the road good many years, and you can
have him for $500. Then I've got nice,
healthy African, young and sound, that
/ will sell you for 81, 500, and he's worth
every cent of it. Don't you want to buy
pair of elephants2 I've got the dandy
team, and will let them go for $4,000.
Good tigers are worth from 1000 to
So, 900, but there is not much call for
them. They are difficult to manage and
keep, and very dangerous. Perhaps you
would like rhinoceros. Pve got just
one, two and half feet high, and the
only one now alive in captivity, and pll
sell him for $500, but am not anxious
about it. l love to look at the creature.
There's COW antelope over there, and
she is worth $500. Next spring she will
be worth $500; so you might speculate"
Are giraffes as scarce as the circus
men claim?"
''Yes, they are scarce, and ten times
more delicate than a newborn babe.
They must be kept in a certain tempera-
ture all the time, and keeper must sleep
with them. They cost from 81, 900 for
one fourteen feet high, to 81, 900 for one
eighteen feet high. l never keep them
on hand, and only take an order for
them to be delivered year after. Just
nov am deyotlng my attention to os-
riches, and last week sent six large ones
to Orange county, Florida, for Charlton
Jones, who will begin ostrich farming.
I got these birds in Nubia, after a great
deal of trouble, and think them the fin
lest specimens ever captured. They cost
dmo 5000 each laid down in New York.
They will be shackled when the farm is
feached, so as to prevent their killing
other animals. They are plucked once a
Wear when under three years old, and
twice a year when five years old
AND over. At each plucking every 4
lfird yields feathers worth from SO to
$50. By the way, Pve got nice
ostrich left over, which you can have for
$4OO. He is warranted to eat fruit cans,
holopskirts, old boots. and broken rr"cl
cry.
"Are those spotted animals leopardss"
"Yes, beautiful pair, and 1 will sell |
them for $500. That laughing hyena
over there is young one, very large and |
full of tricks, and he is worth $500. |
Monkeys2 Well, yes; I've got 'em in all |
grinders monkey in that top cage you |
can have for $12 and he will steal his |
cost ten times a day if given half
chance There is lots of difference in mon
keys, and they range in price from $40
to $3.50 That pair in the silver bar cage !
are my personal pets, and | won't sell |
them for any price. have had them
long time, and they are the animals
Henry Ward Beecher described last win
ter in lecture on evolution. Sea lions
sell all the way from $500 to $500, while
a good buffalo brings $3.50. Fond of
birds2 Well, there are six swans, and
I'll sell them for $100. Nothing in Cen
trail park to compare with them. If you
are thinking of buying pet let me call
your attention to this anaconda, thirty |
feet in length, weighs 200 pounds, and
sleeps wrapped in two of A T. Stew
arts finest wool blankets. No trouble
at all to keep him. Put half dozen
rabbits, pigeons and dogs in the cage oc-
casionally, and he'll manage to live like
a lord. lam asking to-day for thirty
foot aracondas 5000, and Vanderbilt
can't bull or bear the market single
point"