The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-06-18


and two of the local papers, to see the
elephant He was Juggling away at his
! chains with all his strength, and a mo-
ment later broke loose from the tre-
| mendous chains and started out, up
roofing big cocoanut tree twelve feet
IN circumference, and rushing through
one Of the lightly built houses pecul-
lar TO that country, which fortunately
happened to be unoccupicd. He went
to a pond and lay down as though he
wanted a bath, but when he came out
he stretched himself on the earth and
In five minutes was dead. From an
autopsy | found he had been poisoned
by some medicine made from the sap
Of one of the native trees. Twenty
one hundred men were employed to re-
move the body to a point eight miles
from the city. where the law required
that it should be buried
Tigers are caught by natives who
know their hannts and habits. About
midway between the place where the
tiger rests during the day aud the wa
ter to which he goes at night, a pit is
dug. twelve or fifteen feet square, six
teen Or eighteen feet deep, and sloping,
so that the bottom will measure about
eighteen feet square. This pit is dug
during the daytime when the tiger is
asleep. and every particle of that dirt
is carefully carried away by hand. The
tigers sense of smell is very acute,
and not the smallest quantity of fresh
dirt must be found near the pit, which
is then covered with branches and
leaves. Over this a tripod is erected
from which is suspended live goat
At night, when the tiger comes forth
and nears this spot. he sneaks up to
certain distance and then, as is his
fashion, springs upon his prey. He
falls into the pit, from which he
makes the most frantic but ursuc-
cessful efforts to escape, but in few
days his strength is exhausted
In the meantime the natives have
built bamboo cage which is let down
over him. and, afterwards, big pieces
of rattan are gradually worked under
him to make the captivity complete
But when this last operation is per-
formed the tiger is nearly dead from
exhaustion, covered with blood, foam,
dirt and altogether looking very miser-
able. An immense tiger at present
with large travelling show, captured
last June, is very large specimen,
and was a man-eater. Three months
before his capture, he had eaten a
woman and child, and on this account
we received one hundred dollars
bounty from the government. Loop
ards are captured in the same way as
tigers.
Ourang outangs are often captured
by first woundihg them. They are
watched for in the rice fields which
they frequent, and sometimes they are
caught in fields in nets which are
gradually closed round them from
every side. Then they are placed in
big boxes or bamboo cages. When YOU
first get them they will fight desperate
~ and the largest sort can kill q man.
Travellers are apt to unconsciouslv
exaCgerate the size OF ourang outanrs
and gorillas. The first time man sees
one of these animals IN the bush he is
quite apt to think they are five or six
feet tall but they are not as large as
that
Hippopotami are obtained when they
are young; the mother IS shot and the
little ones are caught. especially if
they can be obtained away from the
river where they cannot run fast. The
same course is pursued with the rhi-
noceros. The mother is shot, and the
little ones are captured. This is done
IN the wet season, when the ground is
soft. and the animals show their
tracks. They run in circles. and it is
curious TO note that nearly all animals
do so. Elephants viii run four or five
miles and come back 10 the same spot,
and so will man when he is lost in
the snow. or out on the prairies. 4
knowledge Of this fact aids the na-
tives who are engaged III this industry,
If it may be so called The largest
shipments are made from Singapore:
and II may be interesting 10 note that
natives o. that region who are en-
pioyed TO capture these dangerous ami |
mails receive annual salaries ranging |
from seventy-fve 70 two hundred dol |
lars in addition 70 a small bonus for |
every animal taken and the little that
they require in the way of clothing |
and food j. &. GAYLORD.
MYR!ADS OF WILD MONKEYS. |
Tae Curious Awakening Experienced by |
an Austrian Engineer in Ceylon.