58 
HAMLYN'S MENAGERIE MAGAZINE. 
We are now cultivating the exportation of 
British canaries to America. This also' has caused 
some excitement in the fancy, for even one of the 
leading Trade Journals came out with startling 
headlines: "A Canary Famine"; "Why breed 
canaries and allow them to leave the country," 
so and so forth 
It would interest me greatly to know what 
would have become of the twenty thousand canar- 
ies if I had not sent them to New York, and 
Whether the thousands of pounds paid to the 
various breeders has not greatly benefited the 
entire trade and the public in general. 
Just to give one instance, the sum of £1,470 
(one thousand four hundred and seventy pounds) 
was paid in ten days, November 17th to Novem- 
ber 2l7th. The consignment leaving on the " Man- 
churia," December 16th, will number 4,000 birds, 
value about £1,500. All good American money 
left in the Old Country. After December the 
demand slackens, prices — if we are to continue 
buying — will be greatly reduced and our canary 
season will finish in March, 1917, much to our 
regret. 
Before leaving the Canary subject, I wish to 
refer to the peculiarities of two country dealers 
out of some fifty who have supplied us. 
One gentleman was very successful in pass- 
ing off hens for cocks, the other added insult to 
injury in not only sending hens for cocks, but "fak- 
ing" them up with a well-known colouring matter. 
For their special benefit they must know that 
we have an expert who examines and reports on 
every bird received. 
Regarding the animal trade this, for the time 
being, is centred in London. The Americans who 
formerly obtained their supplies on the Continent 
now purchase in Great Britain. 
It is a very long time since any carnivora 
arrived in London. We received last month two 
Bengal Tigers, being the first to arrive here for 
years. 
On December 16th we receive 400 Monkeys, 
1 Tigress, 2! Zebras, with other stock, and at the 
end of December 2' Elephants, 21 Tigers, Monkeys, 
Bears and Leopards, all of which are for the 
American market. 
The Authorities, in their wisdom, have pro- 
hibited the importation of live birds, this has been 
done with a view to "freight space," but consid- 
ering all live stock is shipped on deck at owners 
risk, this hardly applies. I am assured that this 
prohibition is only temporary. 
In conclusion, I thank my patrons for the 
support given to this Magazine, and sincerely 
trust that when writing this article for December, 
1917, that peace will have been declared with a 
glorious victory for the Allied Forces. 
JOHN D. HAMLYN. 
Interesting Animals at Victoria British 
Columbia, Canada. 
By James G. French, F.Z.S. 
Thinking that the readers of your Magazine 
might like to hear something of the Zoological 
activities in this rather remote portion of the 
British Empire, I have sent you some account of 
the latest arrivals of wild animals., birds and rep- 
tiles at this port. Victoria may seem to be an 
out of the way place for the reception of many 
specimens from foreign countries, but in reality it 
is favourably situated for\such operations, having 
several steamship lines operating monthly boats 
to Japan, China, and other Oriental countries, as 
well as boats to' Australia, California', and Alaska, 
not to mention the furred and feathered inhabitants 
of the forest clad mountains of our own coast 
region, and the rolling grassy hills of the dry in- 
terior of this province, manyof which, when ob- 
tained, are generally welcorffed to comfortable 
homes in the Zoological Gardens of many distant 
countries. 
On the 24th of August of this year, the s.s. 
"Niagara," oft the New Zealand Steamship Co., 
brought over a large and varied collection of speci- 
mens from Sydney, Australia, consisting of ninety 
three species of mammals, birds and eptiles, the 
property of Mr. Ellis S. Joseph, a cosmopolitan 
collector of wide experience and much ability. As 
this collection arrived from Australia, we naturally 
give the Marsupials our first consideration, and 
their boxes contained not only many specimens, 
but were rich in species of great interest rarely 
represented in our public Zoos. Taking the poly- 
protodonts first we have two fine examples of that 
now almost extinct animal, the Thylacine, or 
marsupial wolf of Tasmania, male and female, 
and ten specimens of the Black Dasyure, common- 
ly known as the Tasmnian Devil. In Diprotodonts 
the collection contined some really fine specimens 
of Kangaroos, eighteen large greys and seven 
reds, also Wallaroos, of which there are ten ex- 
amples. Two Black Kangaroos from Kangaroo 
Island are looking remarkably well after their 
long journey, and the fifty-two Wallabies are 
made up by the following specimens : — two Parrys 
Wallaby, two rufus necked, two Parmas, two 
Rufus bellied, four Agiles, four Black Swamps, 
two Nail Tails, eight Bennetts, and twenty-six 
Rock Wallabies. 
Mr. Joseph also has two male specimens of 
the Queensland Tree Kangaroo, which appear well 
kept hardy animals, and are standing- confinement 
well. 
Wombats are very seldom brought to any 
part of America, but we can now boast of ten 
specimens of which three show melanistic tenden- 
cies, one large female, who carries a big- baby in 
