WILD ANIMALS IN CAPTIVITY 



College of Surgeons, but I afterwards received a cheque 

 for the sum of £25 for the soft parts of this elephant. 

 Another rather amusing occurrence took place in regard 

 to this animal. After the skin and bones had been 

 removed there remained a large quantity of flesh of which 

 it appeared to me somewhat difficult to dispose. At 

 this moment a cat's-meat man made his appearance and 

 offered to remove it. I felt a little in doubt whether he 

 would carry out his offer, and to make sure I asked him 

 if he would give me a sovereign for it, which he readily 

 did and at once carted it away. 



Some time afterwards I met him and asked him how 

 he got on with the elephant meat. His answer was, " Oh, 

 pretty well at first, but there was too much of it, and I 

 was obliged to salt it, and then I found I should lose my 

 customers, for the old ladies told me the cats would not 

 eat it. I said there was nothing wrong with it, they 

 could smell it and it looked very nice ; but none of them 

 offered to taste it, or they would have found out how salt 

 it was, and this was no doubt the cause of the cats 

 declining to eat it." 



The death of my third elephant occurred after I was 

 appointed taxidermist of the Crystal Palace Company. 

 This animal belonged to a travelling menagerie and died 

 miles from London. With the assistance of my friend, 

 the late Charles Jamrach, I secured the dead body of this 

 animal, and it was conveyed to London by railway on a 

 low trolley. I was much amused on going to the railway 

 goods-station to find the officials very obliging and 

 condescending, offering every possible assistance and 

 agreeing to everything I proposed. The cause of this 

 was, I found afterwards, due to these people having mis- 

 taken my friend Jamrach for Prince Albert. I might say 

 that it was well known to all persons acquainted with my 



54 



