HAMLYN'S MENAGERIE MAGAZINE. 
37 
ELEPHANT HOUSE. 
We cross over to the red brick Albert House, 
where the elephants are domiciled. We are re- 
minded of a tragedy that happened here on June 
9th, 1903'. An elephant known as Tita crauhed 
the head of his keeper, named James M'Nally, 
under his ponderous foot. This "rogue" ele- 
phant was found guilty of murder and sentenced 
to be shot. 1903 was a year of misfortunes for 
the Zoo. The great storm of that} year did im- 
mense damage to the houses, and the following- 
animals died — a magnificent giraffe, a young ele- 
phant, a chimpanzee, 21 orang-outangs, 21 zebras, 
and a camel. The house is now occupied by two 
young elephants — Roma, purchased in 1912, and 
Sandari, presented by the Maharajah of Mysore in 
the following year. Sandari is six years old? 
Elephants are characterised by their silence and 
restlessness. Despite its massive corpulency, the 
elephant is full of vitality. Just watch it for a few 
moments. Trunk swinging incessantly, flapping 
its great ears, switching its tail to^ and fro, and 
continually shifting from one foot to another. 
I never see an elephant but I think of Kipling's 
famous story — how the elephant got his trunk— 
the finest piece of animal lore in the language. 
He tells how an inquisitive young elephant went 
down to the Limpopo River to inquire from the 
crocodile what he had for dinner. "Come hither, 
little one, and I'll whisper," said the reptile, but 
the crocodile gripped him by the snout, which 
was then "no bigger than a boot," and said], "I 
think to-day I will begin with the elephant's child." 
Then the little elephant sunk on his haunches, 
and pulled with all his might), and his nose began 
to stretch and stretch. When he got free he 
waited, but the swelling never went down, and 
the trunk remained for ever. 
THE BIRDS. 
Now a short visit may be made to the zebra 
compound, to admire one of the handsomest of 
animals, Burchell's zebra. The Romans called 
him Hippotigriss, or the tiger horse, an appro- 
priate name. The zebras come from equatorial 
Africa. Miss Nesbitt's aviary now attracts us tto 
the birds. In the year 1877 this lady expended 
£350 in the erection of the aviary, because she 
disliked beautiful tropical birds living- in the same 
house with monkeys.. The birds have now put on 
thier most brilliant plumage, and all the enclo- 
sures are full of unwonted life and sound. The 
gorgeousness of the colours, the rich iridescent 
hues of parrots, cockatoos, macaws, and parra- 
keets are simply indescribable. Across the lake 
there is an immense open air aviary erected in 
1906, 90ft. by 50ft., projected into the lake, which 
contains a cosmopolitan co flection of geese and 
other birds. Beyond that again is a dismal pile 
of rocks, streaked white with droppings; on them 
are perched some pinioned vultures, so motionless 
that they might be stuffed specimens. The bald 
crown, the horrid wattles, and the mangy-looking 
feathers of these horrid carrion eaters make us 
tremble with disgust. 
The flamingoes preening their pink feathers in 
the lake, the stately swans, and the diving ducks 
add lustre to the scene. On the daisy dotted lawn 
and the sanded paths a continued parade of beau- 
teous birds pass hither and thither. There is a 
lovely Saras crane from India, just like a fashion 
plate. Its dove plumage, its flexuousi bending's, 
mark it a dandy among birds. Dazzling is the 
golden pheasant when it spreads its nape plumes. 
But nothing in all Nature is more sumptuously 
grand than the peacock when it spreads its glori- 
ous train and sets all its hundred eyes shimmering 
in the sun; but 1 stand in front and shun a back 
view. If we want a comic relief we will find it in 
the long-legged stork and the foolish flamingoes. 
The Zoo' is a delightful place to while away a 
summer's afternoon. 
THE AMERICAN LIVE FISH TRADE. 
"The National Humane Review," March, 1916, 
It will be " news" to- many of the readers of 
the "Review" to know that carp are caught in 
great quantities in Lake Erie and shipped alive 
to Philadelphia and New York, where they are 
bought almost exclusively by the Hebrew trade. 
How this industry is carried on is told in a recent 
issue of the Wells Fargo "Messenger." The fish 
are caught with large seines, which bring in from 
500 to 20,000 pounds at each haul. The fish thus 
caught out in the lake are brought in from the 
fishing grounds in large carp "cars," which are 
floated on scows and keep the fish all of the time 
in the fresh water. The principal shipping points 
of this industry are Sandusky, Port Clinton and 
Toledo. At these and other places along the shore 
of the lake huge "ponds," holding as many as 
100,000 fish, are made, where the carp may be 
kept and shipped out as wanted. This system ena- 
bles the dealers to supply the trade during- the 
winter months when the lake is covered with ice 
and fishing is impossible. In order to keep the 
fish healthy the water is changed very frepuently, 
and large quantities of whole and cracked corn 
are dumped into them every other day. 
The safe trasportation of the carp to the 
markets was a feat that baffled transportation men 
until the tank car was designed. Now the dealers 
can start their shipments on Wednesday and 
have them ready for the Thursday night and early 
Friday morning fish farkets in New York and 
Philadelphia with a loss of less than one per cent. 
