The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-06-07
TRADE IN QUEER CREATURES.
Prices of Curious Animals In the
Worlds Big Markets.
(From the Philadelphia Pos

! There is no branch OF the animal king
| dom, nor any corner OF the world, that Is
| not ransacked and explored nowadays for
| the purpose Of collecting natural history
| curiosities to supply the commercial de-
| mand. Special expeditions are sent to re-
mote and almost inaccessible regions to
| gather strange and rare animals, for which
| the market is as unfailing as for any staple
| product OF the soil or the factory. Firms
dealing in such merchandise in a large
way are located in most big cities both in
| this country and abroad, and. judging
| from the comprehensiveness Of their cata-
| logues. it would seem as if there was
nothing that flies or walks or swims that
| they are not prepared to furnish on short
notice at list prices.
| One Of these catalogues advertises a
| large assortment Of live material" as 1t
| is termed. From this document one learns
| that he can obtain large bullfrogs at 81
a dozen. alive and kicking; medium sized
bnllf-ogs are cheaper. costing only sl.15
| for twelve. Turtles are 81 dozen for
adults and small ones for aquara are
| offered at - cents each. Pond snails, lin
assorted lots" are listed at % cents
dozen; crayhsh cost 81 dozen, and nevis
| are Is cents each. In ordering crayfsh 1t
is requested that a few days notice be
given in which to secure them, in case the
stock should be low. No such reservation,
however is made in the case of earth
worms. which comes at 60 cents a dozen.
1t is safe to say that any small boy will
furnish earthworms under this rate.
1t will be understood that all the above
animals are shipped alive. The catalogue
quotes small alligators at so to 10 cents
/ apiece. Live rattlesnakes come higher
especially the diamond rattesnake wnics
costs from S. to sl2. Economical persons.
however. may prefer ground rattlesnake
at ST. The copperhead is supposed to be
about as deadly as the rattlesnake. and
may be obtained for 81. while chicken
snakes, king snakes. and garter snakes sell
as low as 30 cents each.
Crabs are not offered alive. but in alco
hol, end in this shape one can buy sand
crabs, blue crabs spider crabs. fiddler
crabs. mud crabs. and hermit crabs at
prices running from 10 to 10 cents apiece.
spider crabs being the dearest. Insects,
similarly preserved. are so cheap as TO
tempt purchase. Squash bugs cost only 30
cents a dozen. while giant water bugs
come at only half that price. Earwigs are
quoted at 80 cents a dozen. ant lions at 10
cents each, crickets at so cents Dozen
seventeen year locusts at 10 cents apiece,
and June bugs at so cents dozen. Hors-
flies invite the buyer at only 10 cents the
fy. true wasps' may be obtained for the
same price, and bumblebees foot the list at
cents.
In London. which is the great bug mar
ket of the world. auctions of insects are
held every year, and startling prices are
paid sometimes for rare specimens. AS
much $500 has been brought by single
butterfly. while an cut of the way beetle
may be valued at many times its weight in
gold
Hamburg is a great market for wild
animals, largely from Africa. that city
having important Trade with the Dark
Continent. To London came much mater
ial Of the same sort from Australia and
New Zealand. and many rare creatures
are obtained from sailors who fetch them
from various parts of the world. An
American dealer not very long ago made
special trip to White Bay New Zealand
for the purpose of procuring a kind of
lizard called the "sphenodon," which is
regarded by scientists as wonderful cur
iosity, inasmuch as ii is the only sur
vivor of an entire order of reptiles, all the
other genera and species having long since
become extinct. This lizard, which is
known to the native Maoris as the 'tua
terra Is about a foot and q half long, and
oddly enough, seems to have aflinites with
the crocodile. OF course. all the kanga-
roos. wombats. and Eighties birds come
from Australia. or New Zealand A while
ago the American dealer above referred
10 made special trip to South America
for the purpose of obtaining guanaco skel-
etons and steamer ducks. The guanaco
is chiefly interesting because. like the
llama, 1t Is representative of the cam
el tribe on this continent. The steamer
duck is particularly odd. nasmuch as 1t
flies when 1t is young. but cannot do so
after II has matured. The adult bird
beats the water with its wings as 1t swims
and this suggested the name given to the
species at period when all steamers
were side wheelers. II cannot rise in
flight, for the reason that. as 1t gets old
er. Its wings. do not develop in propor-
tion to its increase in weight.