HAMLYN'S MENAGERIE MAGAZINE. 



51 



"If what you wish to know is why I 

 cabled you instead of any other of the London 

 Zoological people, the simple explanation is 

 that you were the only one I had any exact 

 knowledge of, and that knowledge came to 

 me only very recently in newspaper cuttings 

 sent me by my wife in reference to a bit of 

 a controversy you had with another Zoolo- 

 gica Company. 



"As I expect to be home very shortly 

 when I will do myself the honour of calling 

 on you, it is unnecessary for me to enter deep- 

 ly into details concerning myself here. For 

 the moment suffice it to say that I have spent 

 best part of half my lifetime in the interior 

 of Africa as a hunter and trader, and came 

 out here in March last on salary and com- 

 mission. 



"For various reasons .... I was com- 

 pelled to resign and started business on my 

 own account. 



"My first deal was the purchase of ani- 

 mals given you in my first cable — Lions, 

 Ostriches, Hyaenas, Giraffe, etc. 



I left the animals with the Frenchman I 

 bought them from, while I went into the 

 Sudan after a pair of Giraffe that were there, 

 and while I was there the Frenchman I 

 bought the animals from sold them to an- 

 other party who had just arrived fiom Eng- 

 land. They had sailed for France just before 

 I returned to the Coast. 



"As I held the man's signed and stamped 

 receipt for the money I had paid him, I at 

 once put the matter in the hands of a local 

 lawyer. The case was settled out of Court. 

 I agreed to accept the refund of the money I 

 paid for the animals, plus 2,000 francs. 



" Sorry you cannot make an offer for the 

 full grown Giraffe. Must get a good price 

 for this one as he has cost me a good deal 

 more than I bargained for. 



" Lost the female Giraffe crossing a 

 large river up country. Shipping this one to 

 England or France first steamer, and will 

 sell him first reasonable offer I get after he 

 arrives in Europe. 



"In reference to your remark about pay- 

 ing £50 for a young giraffe in Senegal being 

 sufficient I may say that what one pays for 

 such animals affects the case but little, as the 

 real expense is the going inland after them, 

 and the long journey to the Coast after you 

 get possession of them. You will under- 

 stand they are not found along the sea beach. 



"Present giraffe is exceptional inasmuch 

 as he is a full grown specimen that has grown 

 to maturity in his natural bush. I have be- 



fore now been offered a young giraffe for 

 nothing, and had to refuse acceptance on 

 account of difficulties of getting it to a sea 

 port being more than it was wqrth, and at 

 other times had them offered me in places 

 where £50 was cheap on account of trans- 

 port facilities. I have led present giraffe on 

 the end of a rope over 500 miles to the Coast, 

 and he is by a very long way the biggest 

 giraffe ever I have had in my possession 

 alive. He is quite tame, but for all that 

 gives quite a lot of work in getting him to go 

 the way one wants him. 



" I will endeavour to bring you a few 

 thousand Senegal birds on my return. 

 Would also, be prepared to get you any other 

 animals you require. 



"Thanking you for your photo in which 

 I see you include our next of kin, the Chimp. 



" Yours sincerely. " 



This is one of the most interesting letters I 

 have ever received from the Coast. I only trust 

 Mr. will write . me again soon. 



WORLD'S ZOOLOGICAL COMPANY. 



My esteemed friend, Mr. W. T. Henning, 

 who landed the consignment of animals at Cardiff 

 takes exception to some of my statements in the 

 October number. He complains that my list was 

 not quite correct, that no valuable animals died, 

 and assures me that the cost of transport from 

 Brest to London was only about £100. He also 

 feels sure there will be a profit on this transaction. 



With the greatest amount of respect to this 

 gentleman — I still have my doubts. 



THE ADDO BUSH ELEPHANTS. 



By John D. Hamlyn. 



The following correspondence will, I am sure, 

 interest my readers, also the photographs which 

 are the first to be published shewing the Addo 

 Bush Elephant in its natural surroundings. 



I greatly appreciate the photographs, also 

 the interesting account of my representative's trip 

 with Major Pretorius in the Addo Bush. 



An American traveller for a world-famous In- 

 stitution paid me a visit the other day and blandlv 

 enquired whether the purchase was not "an im- 

 agination of my versatile mind." He now sees 

 for himself the actual baby elephant, and after 

 reading Shaw's account should apologise for 

 doubting my statement as to purchase, death, etc. 



