Rensselaer Republican, Volume 20, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 May 1888 — A QUEER KIND OF COMMERCE. [ARTICLE]

A QUEER KIND OF COMMERCE.

Trading in the Marvellous Beast that ' r Dive in Menageries. • 1 -j The expenditure of hundreds of thousands of dollars each year in the procurement of wild beasts, birds and reptiles seems like the wicked extravagance of some magnificent potentate, but when it is incurred in the course of trade it furnishes food for thought by the philosopher, talk by the moralist and amusement and instruction for the multitude. The story told to the eye by the picture on another page was pleat anti y prattled forth one day last week by Mr. Herman ReichaA Brother, who carry on a B‘upendoua business, reaching all over the world.

Mr. R-iche told his story in his dingy littleoffics in Pjrk R) v, seemingly oblivious of the barking and chattering of monkeys, the screaming of parrots, the warbling of hundreds of song birds, and the stench that seemed louder than all that arose from the numerous beasts and birds. He smiled pleasantly when his caller alluded to these things, and said that they were disagreeable to some people before they got used to them, “We send out some half a dozen expeditions every year,” he said, “to different parts of the sjorld. There are three points in Africa to which we send. This one that you have illustrated goes to the north of Africa and thence to the interior as far is circumstances may dictate. Another goes to Capetown and thence northerly by ox teams into the intenor as far towards Rider Haggard’s land of story as may be. The third goes to the west coast and through Liberia. Then we send one to Para and that goes to any point in South America that seems most desirable. Another goes to Australia and New Zsaland. Then we send parties out for walruses and sea lions towards the South Pole. They sometimes catch a polar bear, but not often. “It would be almost impossible to say what is expended in the pursuit. The entire capital invested is turned over as frequently as possiole. Sometimes we have money lying idle for a time, and sometimes it is all invested in the different consignmentsbhat are coming home. It would be equally hard to estimate the profits, for, of course, the business is full of accidents. We are liable to lose the beasts that have cost us the most, and may get very high prices for some that have cost comparatively little. There was one hippopotamus that our hunter, Cohse, bought for 160 from some natives on tne Setiti river in Africa. The animal was only a few days old when he bought it and it was kept for some time before it was sold for $20,000. Of course the difference between the two sums was not all or nearly all profit, but they are illustrative. “Necessarily our hunters run into all sorts of dangers, not only from the wild, beasts themselves, but from the natives in some of the wild countries they have to explore. They are trained men, though, and seldom come to utter grief, though some of the men they employ are frequently killed. In As riea they will have sometimes a party of 200 or 300 or even 500 natives employed in hunting the big game. Their stories of adventure are as thrilling as tho ein any book of travel, but the professional hunter is not often a professional story teller, and the stories that you find in books are generally told second hand. “Wbat do we do with duf goods when we get them? “Well, the picture gives you an idea. They are, the most of them, taken to Germany, to our headquarters at Alfeld. There they are kept for a time if they are out of condition in any way or if they have to be ecclimated. From Alfeld they are shipped to one of our distributing depots. We have several places in different parts of the world similar to this one. You may call them salesrooms. Then we send direct to our customers. “Who buy them? Oh, circus people, city governments and private collectors. Of course, the circus people are our largest buyers. They use up a great many animals. That is, their curiosities die faster than they would if it were not for constant travel. They are cared for as well as possible, but of course the life is bard on them. Then there are public and private zoological gardens which we supply, and multitudes of people buy all sor.s of pets.' Here, fcr instance, is a pet that would be appreciated by a great many.” And be reached down into a barrel, the bottom of which was covered with young alligators, which were squirming and straddling around in two or three inches of dirty water. Picking one of these up by the bead he held it in his hand and poked it to show that it was soft, being newly hatched. Then he tried to see if it would bite him, and finding it would not put it carefully back among its brethren.