The Portland daily press., 1898-02-02
TRADE in WILD ANIMALS.
New York Its Headquarters in This
Country.
A Dealers EvOIution-His Odd Place In
South Street-A Baby Rhinoceros-De-
mand and Supply in the Bird. Beast
and Snake Business.
New York Post. }

| New York Post.)
While London, Liverpool, land Ham,
burg are the chief points in Europe fol
that peculiar business, the trade in wild
animals, New York is now, as it always
has been, the headquarters Of that indus
| try in the United States. For many
years the principal concerniin thatsline In
/ this city, and, therefore, in the country,
| was the firm of Charles Reiche 81 Broth
| er, whose name and place of business in
Chatham street, now Park ROW, will be
| remembered by many readers. Charles
| Reiche was never resident partner here,
but lived abroad, attending to the Euro
pean end of the business. Both he and
his brother Henry, who managed the
| New York establishment, died some ten
years ago, and, as none of their heirs or
| employees undertook to keep their bust
ness going, that has been defunct for the
same period. The deanship of the Ameri-
can trade in wild beasts, tropical BIRDS
and imported reptiles is now held by
Donald Burns, whose store is in South
street, near the line of the East Rier
| Bridge.
| There is nothing in the exterior of the
building to indicate the character OF the
business conducted inside, except some
piles of bird-cages at the entrance and a
small sign bearing only the name of the
owner. The casual passer- by would sup
pose the place to be merely retail 'bird
| and animal store' of the kind scattered
along some of the uptown avenues, in
which no animal is to be found more
| fierce or formidable than a small
monkey. If he opens the door, however,
| hesfnds himself in small space which is
| separated from the rest of a large room by
a partition of iron bars, giving the place
the aspect of the entrance to prison.
Precautions have to. be taken against the
possibility that some of the "goods in
stock" may escape from their cages. A
grated door in the partition stands wide
open, though, in business hours, and on
the other side the visitor sees large part
of one wall lined with the cages of parrots
and other birds, while along the other
walls are the cages anL pens of variety
of wild animals, whose occasional growls
or snarls are added to the chatter and
screams of their feathered neighbors.
The ruler Of this stationary Noah's ark,
who occupies desk near the other in
mates on the first floor, is we'll preserved
man Of about sixty years. AS the voca-
ton of trading in wild beasts is sufficient
| ~ out of the common to arouse curiosity
| in regard to the causes which led any
individual to engage in it, he was asked
the other day how he came to get into the
business. The explanation showed a case
of natural evolution, the trapper and
hunter Of animals eventually becoming
dealer in them. AS boy in his native
Canada Mr.. Burns lived in a region still
wild enough to supply fur bearing ami
per, and he became trapper at an early
age AS he grew older, he made solitary
| winter excursions into Michigan and
Minnesota, capturing martens, beavers,
and muskratS, whose skins commanded a
ready sale at good price. In one win
ter. he said, he carried out of Michigan
81, 500 worth of furs, land that as good
money in those days. That winter, he
believed, was in 1859.
''There were plenty of furs to be got
| in that country Them said Mr.. Burns,
land fine ones, too. There was also
plenty of game, besides the animals
caught by trapping. Of course, | carried
provisions with me. such as salt meats.
| flour, etc., but always had abundance of
fresh meat. 1t was no trouble to shoot
fat buck and have venison steak :, for
breakfast; and grouse and other game
birds were plentiful. Fish, too. sswere to
be had for casting line. The wild ami
mails had been so little hunted that they
were not familiar with man-had not
learned to dread him-and so were easily
approachable. I never killed any more
deer or animals like that than I needed
for + BOD. In some places I was not the
only hunter, for the Indians sometimes
used to rob my traps did not see them
but saw their sign One time went
100 miles up the Muskegon River in a
canoe to Houghton Lake, a beautiful
sheet of water, where for the first time
found fresh water herring. Where 1
camped WAS then in the wilderness, and
now there is q good sized town, named
Houghton, right on its site.
''I really began trading in animals
when / was boy, selling wild cats,
coons, ETC., that had trapped, to travell-
ing shows in Canada, and even bartering
a coon for admission to the tsnt perform
ance. Then l captured pair of moose
calves, reared them, ard broke them so
that they could be driven to harness.
My father drove them to Montreal when
they were full grown. and sold them for
me there, getting 5000, which was big
money for boy"
Mr.. Burns5came to.Newss ork just after
the war, and soon turned his general
knowledge of natural history TO account.
He used to pick up rare birds and ami
mails from sea captains or sailors along
the river fronts, reselling them at profit
to Henry Reiche or TO the brothers Ar
chibald and John Reeves, Scotchmen,
whose place of business was in Church
street. The Reeves brothers, Mr.. Burns
says, We're the original wild-aniInal deal
ers in this country, having established
themselves in this city some time in the
sos He began regular business for him
self in 1866, opening place at No. 428
Broadway, between Howard and Canal
streets. This was place for retail ktrade
only, the stock consisting of birds, chick
ems, dogs, and various small animals.
The business was soon removed to No. 612
Broadway, corner of Houston street.
Then removals followed to Front street.
to Roosevelt street, and, about three years
ago. to South street. In Roosevelt street
the business was carried on for about
twenty years. 1t was when he moved
| L - 4t.a+