The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-01-17

-, HERE IS always. except on the very |
az stormiest kind of a day, an inter |
,SASS ested group standing in front of
hirdstore wind ow. Sometimes it is a
monkey, with the pre- ternaturally solemn
countenance of his tribe and phenOme-
nal vivaclty OF demeanor, which is the
center Of attraction, and sometimes 1t is
4 family of 'iust-too- Cute-for-anyt thing"
puppies, or some Angora kittens-ani-
mated punches of swans down. Another
day it may be some self important
and top-h heavy Poland fowl, some tiny red
birds looking as they sit crowded close
together on their perch, like a string OF
coral beads, or a miniature aviary full Of
brilliantly plumaged little creatures
whose pretty wings find little exercise III
the narrow confines OF their prison home.
Occasionally, too, a baby alligator
stretches his length of infantile ugliness
across the window-seat, or some glddy
little Javanese mice waltz wildly all day
long, presumably for their own amuse-
ment, but incidentally for the amuse-
ment of all beholders. The position of
window-dresser in any of these establish
ments is indeed a sinecure, for what
ever speclm ems from the vast mu-
scum of animated nature are placed
on view, they are mere certain to
attract The at'en ton of a large percentage
of the passers-by than is the most elab-
crate and ornamental combination of ele-
CANT goods to be seen in the show
windows of our finest stores.
Interesting and fully appreciated as
these various exhibits OF animal life are.
IL borrower, it is an open question if more
how i'm portant is the industry of which
these bis Of fur and feather are the out
ward and visible sign. Few private indi-
viduals buy more than one canary; ona
monkey can, If in good health and Spirits
usually devastate an entire neighbor-
hood; and one lively and vociferous
parrot can make day hideous for
the residents of several blocks on both
sides OF his abiding-place. Dogs, of
course, people buy occasionally and now
and then some one yields to the fascina-
lions OF the aristocratic and high-priced
pIumy-taied or slate-colored kittens.
Viewed from the outside, however, it GER
tainly does not seem as though the trade
in pet animals and birds, as exemplted
here in our City, could be either very ex-
tensive or satisfactorily profitable. That
it is both is a fact, and fact upon which
we San Franciscans should specially con-
cratulate ourselves. since every success
full industry within our borders helps to
build UP that greater San Francisco" for
which all our CitYs loyal sons .and
daughters are so proudly planning.
In direct comm unication as we are with
South America, Australia, China, Japan
and the tropics generally, our facilities
Tor importing birds and beasts are un-
equaled. and were this Western land as
tnicklv settled as the East the trade in
this line would be enormous. AS it is
even now scarcely steamer comes into
port that does not have on her NANTES a
list of capuve creatures which appear
vaguely in the official reports under the
general head OF animals not elsewhere
specified, including fowls" and ready
market is found for all of them
Pleasant as is a voyage across the Pacific
in one of the elegant steamers which
modern taste and skill. combined with
I lavish expenditure, have made almost
Z D ERECTION in their special line, there is
rarely a passenger on board who does not
welcome the end OF the journey ana the
sight of San Francisco's teTraced hills.
To the poor little prisoners who have ex-
perienced all of the discomforts and none
of the pleasures of the trip the change
from their cramped quarters on the con-
tinuaily shuddering, rolling and noisy