HAMLYN'S MENAGERIE MAGAZINE. 
89 
THE REAL HEIGHT OF JUMBO. 
In the "New York Zoological Society Bulle- 
tin," January, 1912, the following is given which, 
I feel sure, will interest my general readers : — 
"Inasmuch as Jumbo, the great African 
elephant brought to! America by Mr. P. T. 
Barnum in 1882, was probably the tallest 
elephant that ever lived in America, his stand- 
ing height has been a question of more than 
passing interest. When Jumbo was shown 
in Washington, D.C., in 1S83, the writer 
secured from Mr. Barnum a card of permis- 
sion to measure Jumbo, 'provided Mr. Bailey 
consented.' When that card was presented to 
Bailey, his indignation was as colossal 
as the great pachyderm. 'Measure, Jumbo? 
[n-deed!' 
So far as we know, Jumbo went to his 
death, in front of a locomotive, with his exact 
height unknown. Professor Ward's men 
measured him dead, and declared his height 
to be eleven feet four inches; and for twenty 
years the matter rested there. 
Recently Mr. Robert Gilfort, of Orange, 
X.J., has given me Jumbo's exact standing- 
height. In the year 1883' Mr. Gilfort was a 
performer in the Barnum Show, in which 
there was also a 'pole-jumper' named Elder. 
The chief stage property of the jumper was 
the long, straight pole with which he did his 
leaping. 
While the show was at Madison Square 
Garden, New York, Mr. Gilfort and his col- 
leagues decided that they would ascertain the 
actual height of Jumbo. In the course of his 
free exercises between the acts, the pole- 
jumper casually leaped to the side of Jumbo, 
and carelessly stood his pole up close beside 
the animal. Mr. Gilfort, being quite ready, 
carefully noted the point on the pole that 
corresponded with Jumbo's highest point at 
the shoulders; and when measured it proved 
to be ten feet nine inches. — W.T. H." 
C2P 
THE LIBRARY. 
■-*■' AFTER BIG GAME." 
By- R. S. Meikle, F.Z.S. and Mrs. M. E. 
Meikle. Published by T. Werner Laurie, Ltd., 
Strand, London. One volume, 327 pp., 64 illus- 
trations, 16/- net. 
This is a record of a journey made in British 
East Africa bv Mr. and Mrs. Meikle durine the 
and shews that 
winter before the war began, 
Colony under many aspects. 
Mrs. Meikle's vivid description of Zanzibar, 
Mombassa, the Uganda Railway, Victoria Nyan- 
za, the Ripon Falls, and other places visited, as 
well as of many scenes and episodes of ramp life, 
show- keen observation and a happy zest, 
Mr. Meikle writes with some authority about 
the agricultural future of East Africa. I lis Part 
HI.- — "Some Races and Customs" — also deserves 
every praise. He appears to have acquired a won- 
derful inside knowledge of the habits and customs 
of the various African natives with whom he was 
brought into contact with. I cannot, however, 
agree with him at page 227 in his remarks on the 
Somali, that these natives are little good as hun- 
ters or I rackers. 
late Menges of Hanover, traveller and 
wild beast dealer, made Berbcra, Somaliland, his 
headquarters for the collection of wild animals for 
many years. He always spoke very highly of the 
hunting capabilities of the Somalis. They were 
wonderful men with animals, entirely devoid of 
fear. And from his wonderful collections which 
he yearly brought to Europe for sale the}' proved 
themselves successful hunters. The Somali is a 
highly intelligent native. 
I do, however, take exception to Chapter V. 
— "On Safari" — pages 93 to 255. These p;' 
are a faithful record of six weeks spent in the 
wilderness of country beyond Nairobi. They are 
entirely devoted to the slaughter of the harmless 
Zebra, Rhinocerus and Antelopes of countless 
varieties. It seems an utter waste of animal life 
to destroy Grew Zebras, Giraffe, Rhinocerus, with 
the beautiful Impala and Gemsbuck. I hold no 
brief for Lions, Leopards, Hyaenas, and Wild 
Buffalo, but the photograph, "One Night's Kill," 
of a group of Lions is absolutely pathetic. 
In conclusion, "After Big Game" is well 
worth reading. — J.D.H. 
" VANISHING BIRDS." 
In the "Scottish Naturalist," Mr. Osgood 
Mackenzie gives a curious and disquieting' account 
of the extraordinary falling-off in bird-life on the 
West Coast of Ross-shire. This is seen not to be 
due toi any exceptional winter, but is clearlv the 
result of some unexplained cause that has been in 
operation for at least fifty years. The writer has 
not only made careful notes of the status o'f the 
various species, in different years, but has also 
fallen back on the record of all the game killed 
on his estate on the West Coast from 1866 to 
1916. In 1832, 1,839 grouse were shot, the num- 
bers declining to 1,244 in 1890, and to 31 in 
1924. Black-game, once averaging 80, now run 
to one or two birds in the season, and ptarmigan, 
from 59 to nil; partridges, once averaging 50 
