42 
HAMLYN'S MENAGERIE MAGAZINE. 
for the capture of these unfortunate specimens. 
And then my troubles began,. 
Five hundred monkeys for one consignment 
may not appear many to the Anglo-Indian for 
they can always be seen in large numbers in and 
around Calcutta, but the collecting, boxing, feed- 
ing and shipping necessitated great care and at- 
tention. 
At the commencement every possible obstacle 
was placed in my way of supplying really neces- 
sary animals to the Government. 
Firstly, the shipowners did not want a deck 
freight of monkeys. Secondly, the Calcutta local 
officials regarded the exportation of five hundred 
monkeys with suspicion. And lastly, the officials 
on this side absolutely refused their entry to this 
country, fearing, I suppose, they would cause a 
famine of foodstuffs. They forgot to enquire 
whether the food accompanied the consignment, 
which is always the case. 
Then, to my surprise, and also to my great 
satisfaction, the monkeys and myself were 
dragged into a full blown Parliamentary debate. 
This will always be considered a great compli- 
ment to the business, the monkeys, and mv own 
self. 
That supposed intelligent body of men who 
rise and fall in the House of Commons, more by 
luck than by merit or reason, were horror-struck 
at the, very thought of an invasion of monkeys in 
these times. 
It was not my business, nor did I consider it 
necessary to announce to the world at large the 
reason of the import of monkeys. It concerned 
the Chemical Warfare Department and John D. 
Hamlyn alone, no one else, and when I read in the 
Dailv Papers of the howl of indignation which 
was emitted by the bipeds in the Commons at 
question time over my consignment, I, pitied their 
consumate vanity, ignorance and ill-breeding. If 
that Questioner had taken the trouble to ring' up 
Avenue 4360, I might have informed him that I 
was doing an important National Service for 
which I ought to receive public thanks instead of 
howls of indignation. 
Now all is altered. 
After untold worry andi trouble, they come in 
under special licence, the Scientists will have all 
the animals they require, and it will please my 
readers to know that they have produced a gas 
three times more powerful than the Huns, which 
gas has been the means of greatly assisting the 
forces in this great offensive. 
This abuse showered on me by certain 
Societies, some portion of the Press, has all re- 
coiled on those who, in their pompous ignorance, 
knew no better. 
I have not, I know full well, laboured in vain. 
And although many thousands of animals 
have paid the penalty with their lives, still it has 
been in the cause of civilisation, and I trust the 
whole world will acknowledge they have not died 
in vain, but in a great and glorious Cause. 
-©- 
ELEPHANTS IN ADDO BUSH. 
PROPOSED REDUCTION OF HERD. 
At the meeting of the Divisional Council 
in October a letter was read from the Provincial 
Secretary stating that it had been decided to en- 
list the assistance of the Uitenhage and Alexan- 
dria Divisional Councils in securing the services 
of experienced hunters or other reliable persons 
to kill 40 elephants of the Addo> herd. The Coun- 
cil decided to leave the matter in the hands of 
Mr. W. Harvey, and at the ordinary monthly 
meeting held yesterday the following report was 
submitted by Mr. Harvey : — 
" 1. — All the farmers in the neighbour- 
hood of the Addo Bush are of opinion that 
the only solution of the problem lies in the 
complete extermination of the elephants. 
2. — All those whom I have consulted are 
unanimous in the view that to reduce the herd 
as proposed, by the killing of 40 animals 1 ap- 
portioned between the two districts of Uiten- 
hage and Alexandria, would aggravate the 
present unsatisfactory position, because a 
large number of the elephants would inevi- 
tably be wounded, with the result that it 
would be more dangerous than ever for any- 
one to travel any of the roads through the 
bush, and, furthermore, the herd would be- 
come wilder and cause considerable damage 
when hunted from one place to another. 
3. — Your Council will remember that 
about a year ago a petition from a number of 
farmers, with supportmg affidavits, was sub- 
mitted to your Council for consideration, and 
in many of these affidavits these points were 
emphasized. 
4. — This petition w^as sent forward to the 
Administrator, and the Council supported the 
prayer for the complete destruction of the 
herds, and I gather that the Alexandria 
Divisional Council and the Uitenhage Sports- 
men's Association passed supporting resolu- 
tions to the same effect. 
