The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-23

One end Of each box IL boarded up loosely
and behind the boards are bars 30 that
the animal inside can get air and food and
drink. Each box holds an animal and II
has lust room enough to turn around.
The biggest lion landed the other day In
Hoboken had travelled all the way from
Calcutta in a box about ak feet long, four
feet wide and four feet high. The sides
Of the box we're good strong boards; that
was all. Blu there wasn't the slightest
chance Of Mr.. Lions getting out and eaus-
ing any trouble.
In shipping wild beasts the animal dealers
40 on the principle that the less room you
dive a king Of the jungle the less dangerous
be becomes as freight Deprive tiger
or q lion Of his chance TO get good spring,
say the animal men, and he becomes as
harmless as a cat. What is more, the ami
NAL men say, II doesn't hurt lion parti-
Gle to spend three months in such box.
On the pier il is hard to distin guish the
animals from other freight Trucks drive
up and the truckmen put the boXed-up
tigers and lions on them like so many barrels
of imported beer. In this way they are
odrted through Hoboken without disturbing
the equanimity Of its citizens. Some are
taken to the railroad terminals to be put
on freight cars. Others are brought over
here on ferryboats whose passengers
never dream Of their proximity to lot OF
man killers.
There aren't many ships that bring over
30 many snakes as the one with 800 in it's
hold. Snakes don't give any more trouble
in shipping than 90 many bananas They
don't have to be fed and they don't need
attention from the time they leave Calcutta
until they land in New York. Pythons
have gone a year without food, and fast
Of three months is nothing TO them.
All the pythons come from India, and they
are about the only snakes imported now
for show purposes, which IL the only thing
that a snake seems to be wanted for com
mercially. When the snake wholesaler In
Calcutta gets ready TO ship an order around
the globe, he gets together some boxes
about the size Of those seen outside the
wholesale houses in Worth street.
Each python Is put into large cloth bag
and tied up In II, Just TO make 1t q little less
troublesome. The bag Il put into the box,
a hole IL cut In the top Of the box and piece
OF cloth Is nailed over Il. Nobody pays
any more attention TO Mr.. Python until he
gets TO his destination. The snake man
there feels around In the bag for his head
and hauls him out. That Is the way little
and big snail are brought TO this country
Many Of the beasts and reptiles that ar
rive nowadays are imported by regular
animal dealers. They are carted to the
warehouse Of the animal importer where
they wait TO be sold. There are sometimes
5000 animals In such a warehouse, but
people who pass It would never know L..
There are a few birds in the window-that IL
all. Inside the warehouse has the appear
anoe Of any other wholesale place filled with
cases Of goods awaiting shipment.
A reporter who went 10 an animal dealers
store In Grand street the other day TO find
out what had become Of all the lions and
tigers and monkeys saw nothing but boxes
on the first floor. Behind the boxes was
the once. where clerks were busy making
out bills for the animals Most Of them
were going to shows and parks out West.
The only sound was the singing Of many
birds In ages around the walls.
The ends Of some Of the boxes were Cd
disclosing a row Of bars that looked none
too strong Bending down and looking In
one the reporter met the glowing eyes Of a
black panther, one Of the recent mporta-
tions.
The head Of large lion with magnih-
cent name appeared at the barred end OF
another box. Men were busy bringing In
great chunks Of raw meat which they
pushed into the boxes between the bars.
Nearly all lions sold nowadays are cage
bred. Forest bred lions are very rare,
because Il is almost impossible TO catch a
fun grown lion. They are worth from
81, 900 up.
With the tigers Il is different. They are
nearly all forest bred. They are much more
plentiful than lions and get tame much