HAMLYN'S MENAGERIE MAGAZINE. 
The trade in birds is one of the best-developed 
among our friends across the Channel, and one 
only needs to glance at the contents of the "Avi- 
cultural Magazine," or of the popular weekly 
"Cage Birds," to be convinced of this. Not only 
do the English import the rarest of birds through 
their dealers, but enlightened amateurs do 1 not 
hesitate to undertake very long voyages to procure 
them, or to commission competent people to seek 
the tenants of their aviaries in their native coun- 
tries. Amateurs of foreign Mammals are equally 
common, and the "Amateur Menagerie Club" has 
been founded with the particular idea of writing 
these. We may congratulate ourselves on estab- 
lishing the fact that England imports as many 
animals as the enemy, and even more, which gives 
us the advantage, meanwhile, of allowing us to' 
supply ourselves from her. 
France, which in past centuries, was at the 
head of the countries which imported the feathered 
and furred denizens of foreign lands, is now, un- 
fortunately, no- more in the same rank. The ani- 
mal dealers of Marseilles, Bordeaux and Havre, 
are few, andi have in many cases been disheartened 
by German competition. Nevertheless, during 
these last few yearsi, there have been some inter- 
esting importations into Havre, among which I 
may mention great quantities of aquarium fish — 
not very rare, it is true — and some wild animals, 
such as Brazilian Tiger-cats (Felis mitis), Russian 
Bears (Ursus arctos), etc. But on the whole the 
arrivals are becoming less numerous. This is a 
gap which wants filling up, for it is in France that 
the Italian and Spanish bird dealers buy their 
stock, the ports of Genoa and Barcelona only im- 
porting very little, and the language being a diffi- 
culty between them and the German dealers. 
Nevertheless, this state of things was about to 
change just before the war, for the bird dealers 
from beyond the Rhine were beginning to send to 
Italy and Spain price-lists in the lang'uage of those 
countries. 
In this survey we have only noticed the Ger- 
man firms to show how strong and well-established 
was their position in the market in question. It 
goes without «saying that the war will alter all 
this, but we ought, from now onwards, to look 
at what must be done so that our patrons may 
leave them after peace is concluded, and only deal 
with our own country's dealers. The Germans 
keep a tight hold on their trade. Here is a case 
in point. Recently one might have read how the 
British Consuls in Holland were instructed by 
their Government to' make quite sure that the 
Canaries exported to England from that country 
were stock raised by Dutch breeders and were not 
imported from Germany for the purpose of re- 
exportation ! This seems a trifle at first sight, 
but our enemies ought not to pocket our money, 
and besides, the imports of Canaries from Holland 
into the United Kingdom amount to the value of 
about 3,000 francs a week, in spite of the war and 
the submarines' blockade. 
Which are the animals which constitute the 
main support of the trade we are considering? In 
the main, Vertebrates generally, some groups 
excepted, and, among the Invertebrates, Insects 
and some others of the lower animals of land and 
water, so interesting to observe in captivity. Of 
these last, we may recall those which are most 
often on sale with the German firms : — Sea-Ane- 
mones (Actiniae), Star-fish (Asteriae), Sea-urchins 
(Echinidae), Lymnaeae and Planorbes, among the 
inhabitants of the sea or of fresh-water; tropical 
Millepedes and Snails, among the land forms. 
(To be continued.) 
PATAGONIAN CAVIES. 
By Pierre Amedee Pichot. 
The importation and acclimatization of foreign 
animals in our country may have different objects 
in view. They may supply a new staple of food 
stuff as game or domestic inmates of the home- 
stead, or be simply ornamental. The Patagonian 
Cavy, the giant Guinea Pig of the South American 
pampas (average weight 18 lbs.), answers to 
several of these requisites. They were first prac- 
tically introduced in France in 1884 by a well- 
known Dutchman, correspondent of the Zoological 
Society in London, Joseph Comely, who resided 
at Tours, and who kept a very large collection of 
animals and birds. He was a long time before 
securing a reliable breeding pair, and now they 
are bred successfully by several fanciers who have 
introduced them in their parks. 
I purchased a pair in 1891 from the Acclima- 
tization Gardens, and they have been doing re- 
markably well in a small park of a few acres in 
which they were let loose. I have had, at times, 
as many as fifteen couples making a very showy 
display on the lawns on which they graze in little 
herds of six or seven individuals. Thoug-h keep- 
ing together in numbers, they generally associate 
by pairs, and the male is very jealous of any in- 
trusion on his family affairs. Chasing any sus- 
pected rival, he can inflict deep gashes with his 
sharp incisor teeth if he catches him. Then they 
have another nasty mode of defence when turning 
their back on the intruder they can squirt their 
urine at two or three yards distance in the face 
of their aggressor. 
The young are born fully developed like some 
other allied rodents : guinea pigs, capybaras and 
agoutis, and a few minutes after birth they are 
able to> stand and to scamper about, but thev want 
