70 
HAMLYN'S MENAGERIE MAGAZINE. 
Dr. John K. Butter, M.D., Cannock, Stafford- 
shire, with " Antony " and " Jack." 
The genial Doctor writes as follows : — 
" I enclose a photograph of my male 
chimpanzees, Antony and Jack. The former 
is nine years old. He is out in the garden 
summer and winter, and has no artificial heat. 
He is very good tempered, especially so with 
strangers. He is as hard as nails. I will 
write a paper for your excellent Magazine 
soon after my busy time is over. Best 
wishes." 
THE LIVE-STOCK TRADE AND 
EXTERMINATION. 
By F. Finn, B.A., F.Z.S. 
All our ether birds are just as much continen- 
tal as British, and most even extend into North 
Africa and Western Asia; in fact, there are hardly 
any birds in Europe which are not found in some 
other continent as well, many even reaching 
America. It is quite true that British-bred birds 
can generally be distinguished from foreign speci- 
ments of the same species, but unfortunately the 
difference generally is that our specimens are less 
handsome, the colours being less bright and the 
size often smaller. This is strange, as the British 
race of mankind is certainly not inferior in aver- 
age looks and stature to continentals — rather the 
reverse, in fact; but it must be remembered that 
we are the result of a blending of various nation- 
alities during the last two thousand years, and 
have also been well fed and not suffered much 
oppression, so that there is everything in our 
favour, crossing and good feeding being much to 
the benefit of a race. 
Of course the birds get some fresh blood by 
emigrant individuals of our resident birds coming 
•over, and by this means, and by the artificial re- 
introduction of such few species as never migrate, 
we could get all our birds back again — except 
perhaps the grouse — if they were lost. The great 
auk, indeed, is gone for good, but its final extinc- 
tion did not take place here, and had nothing to do 
with the live-bird trade, but was the work of col- 
lectors for museums. The capereailzie, however, 
was once exterminated, and has been re-introduced 
from abroad. No doubt the great bustard could 
also be so treated, but it would be a more difficult 
subject, being a bird of open ground and used 
to flying long distances. 
With regard to foreign beasts and birds, the 
animal trade cannot be. accused of exterminating 
anything, extremely ancient though it is, while it 
has done splendid work in distributing useful and 
beautiful creatures. The Roman fanciers before 
the Christian era were well acquainted with the 
Indian ring-necked parrakeets, still a peace-time 
staple of the trade, and in the arena under the 
emperors were exhibited not only lions from 
Africa, but also bears all the way from Scotland 
and the babirussa from Celebes, an island no doubt 
cuite unknown to the Roman public; but the 
"horned boars" could hardly have been anything 
else, and must have reached Rome by way of 
the Indian and Persian or Arab trade routes. 
Tigers were allways rare, but elephants, both 
African and Indian, were well known long before 
the opening of the Christian era. In fact, the 
Roman and Greek animal trade was probably a 
bigger affair, having in view the difficulty' of 
transport in those days, than has ever been seen 
in this line since. Even giraffes and rhinoceroses 
reached Rome, to be used up for the proverbial 
"Roman holiday," which consisted in letting loose 
a zoo in the circus and then killing it off. 
This, however, did nothing to exterminate 
the species concerned, which have all lasted down 
to our time, and the existence of the porcupine 
as a wild animal near: Rome is believed to have 
been the result of early acclimatization experi- 
