-OF- EUROPE
EN
aA
HARVARD UNIVERSITY.
LIBRARY
OF THE
MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY Reig
GIFT OF
Neer Maly as. 0s
WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR.
SOMALILAND.
Loyal 8vo., cloth extra, gilt top, 18s. net.
A thrilling story of sport and adventure met with in the course of two expeditions into the interior of the country. Profusely illustrated from photographs by the author and with original full- page drawings by that-great portrayer of wild animal life, Edmund Caldwell.
This standard work on Somaliland, which has taken upwards of four years to compile, concludes with descriptive lists of every animal and bird known to inhabit the country. The book contains an original map, drawn by the author, showing the heart of the Marehan and Haweea countries previously untrodden by white man’s foot.
Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News.—-‘ Readers will find this a capital book of sport and travel, in which the life of the hunter in Africa is depicted in graphic and straightforward fashion. Mr. Caldwell’s illustrations are excellent.’
Spectator.—‘ Mr. Peel’s two hunting trips in ‘‘ Somaliland” will make many a man’s mouth water, though the trying experiences of the desert journey will as probably parch their throats in anticipation.’
Saturday Review.—‘ This is a pleasant book of sport, natural history, and adventure, rendered additionally interesting by an excellent list of the fauna of the country.’
WILD SPORT IN THE OUTER HEBRIDES.
Demy 8vo., cloth gilt, gilt top, Ts. 6d. net.
The experiences of a sportsman who has made a close study of the habits of all the animals and birds which are to be found in the Outer Hebrides. The illustrations consist of a photogravure frontis- piece from an original drawing by Mr. G. E. Lodge, and repro- ductions of numerous photographs taken by the Author. In an Appendix is given a list of all the animals and birds which have been actually observed by the Author in these islands.
Daily News.—‘ A breezy, sportsmanlike book, well illustrated.’
Dundee Advertiser.—‘ His book gives a clear insight to the country and the sport it provides. He writes in a graphic, straightforward style, and his experiences leave the reader impressed that he has read the truth and nothing but the truth. The illustrations are very fine.’
Glasgow Herald.—‘ Will be found exceedingly useful both by the sportsman and the naturalist who may visit the Western Isles.’
Scotsman.—‘ A book which every lover of sport will peruse with interest and profit.’
Times.—‘ An exciting book.’ E
Pall Mall Gazette.—‘ Snap-shooting with the camera is Mr. Peel’s last word. He finds it so attractive that he threatens to discard his gun altogether. We hope he will neither discard his gun nor his pen. He has the right way with both.’
F, E. ROBINSON & CO., THE RUSSELL PRESS, 20, GREAT RUSSELL STREET, LONDON.
THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF EUROPE
‘S MOWANUOVH THVO LV SIVAINV DSNINUOAUHd AO dNoUuy
ee ee
, lk
THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF EUROPE
Their history and Chief Features
BY
Oy Wa Ne TAOS Wooten, leyseis rts)
Author of ‘Somaliland, ‘ Wild Sport in the Outer Hebrides,’ ete.
LONDON F. E. ROBINSON & CO. 20, GREAT RUSSELL STREET, BLOOMSBURY 1903 C
PREFACE
Tuts book is intended chiefly as a work of reference. As most Zoological Gardens are much alike, it is im- possible to avoid a certain monotony in describing them. And yet each Garden has generally its own distinctive features. These I had the opportunity of observing in a tour which I made early this year, and I have tried to recount them in the following pages, after first giving the main facts connected with the foundation and development of the respective Gardens. In my descriptive walks round I invariably turned to the left on entering, and made my way round the Gardens back to the entrance again.
The chief thought that has occurred to me as the result of my tour is that we in England take little interest in the breeding and acclimatization of wild animals as compared with the Germans, or even Americans. Almost every large town in Germany has
its Zoological Garden, and, as it usually contains a
Vill PREPA CE
concert-hall and other similar attractions, people flock to it, and are insensibly led to take an interest in the wild animals which they see around them. It seems to me a pity that we do not make our few English Gardens equally attractive. The result would be, I feel sure, that more people would become interested in wild animals, and probably many of our large towns would start Gardens of their own.
Tt is not generally known that most wild animals can be easily acclimatized, and, if properly treated, will breed well in captivity. The ereat secret is fresh air: animals which come from the equator do not require heat when once acclimatized. Just as human beings die of consumption through the want of fresh air, so do our anthropoid apes and other animals often die in captivity through being shut up, winter and summer, in hot-houses devoid of fresh air. We are far behind Germany and America in our knowledge of the breed- ing and cross-breeding of wild animals, and yet there must be many influential men in England who would assist in the formation of a National Park for such a purpose, thereby furthering the cause of science and conferring a great benefit on the nation. Our cousins in America have the Yellowstone National Park ; we
ought to have a similar place.
Cc
INGA DI Za (CLO ix
My thanks are due to many gentlemen who have kindly favoured me with histories, guide-books, photo- graphs, and general information about the Zoological Gardens of Europe. And especially do I owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. P. L. Sclater, the learned Secretary of our own Zoological Society in London ; to Herr Carl Hagenbeck of Hamburg, Dr. C. Kerbert of Amsterdam, Dr. H. Bolau of Hamburg, Dr. Seitz of Frankfort-on- Main, Mr. E. W. B. Villiers of Clifton, Professor D. Cunningham of Dublin, Herr Schoff of Dresden, Herr Meissner of Berlin, Dr. Hagman of Basle, Dr. Wiinderlich of Cologne, and to Messrs. J. Jennison and Co. of Manchester. The photographs of Berlin are published by kind permission of the Berlin Zoo- logical Society.
In some few cases it has been found impossible to give historical details, through my appeals to the Directors eliciting no reply. The sketch of the London Gardens is a concise summary, with additions, of the history written by Dr. P. L. Sclater, that of Dublin is taken from a pamphlet written by Professor D. Cun- ningham, whilst the history of the Manchester Gardens is based on materials furnished by Messrs. J. Jennison and Co.
In conclusion, my best thanks are due to my sister,
xs IPRIBID ACEI E,
Mrs. Harry Duff, whose knowledge of foreign an- guages has enabled her to give me much valuable help in the translation of letters, guide-books, and cata- logues of animals. Indeed, without her kind assist- ance I could scarcely have attempted this work.
C. VV. Aj BER
OXFORD, October, 1902.
CONTENTS
ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS IN FRANCE.
CHAPTER
I Il. Ill. IV.
VIII.
JARDIN DES PLANTES, PARIS = = = - JARDIN D’ACCLIMATATION, PARIS = - 2 JARDIN ZOOLOGIQUE, MARSEILLES = - - JARDIN ZOOLOGIQUE, NICE-CIMIEZ - = -
ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS IN HOLLAND.
KONINKLIJK ZOOLOGISCH GENOOSTCHAP, AMSTERDAM -
. THE GARDENS OF THE ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL AND
BOTANICAL SOCIETY, THE HAGUE - - -
. ROTTERDAMSCHE DIERGAARDE, ROTTERDAM -
ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN IN DENMARK.
ZOOLOGISK HAVE, COPENHAGEN - - 2 <
ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS IN BELGIUM.
. THE GARDENS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF ZOOLOGY,
ANTWERP = = = = = =
. JARDIN ZOOLOGIQUE, GHENT - - - - . JARDIN ZOOLOGIQUE, LIEGE = - = =
ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS IN GERMANY.
. ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, AIX-LA-CHAPELLE - - . ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, COLOGNE - - - . ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, ELBERFELD - - 5 . ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, DUSSELDORF - - -
58 63 66
67 68 80 82
Xil CHAPTER xXaVile
XVII. XVIII.
XXII. XXIII.
XXIV.
XXV.
XXVI.
XXVILI.
XXVIII. XXIX.
XXX.
XXXI.
XXXII.
ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS IN THE BRITISH ISLES.
XXXITI. XXXIV.
XXXV. XXXVI.
XXXVII.
CONTENTS
THE WESTPHALIAN ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN, MUNSTER -
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, HANOVER - ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, HAMBURG -
. ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, BERLIN = . ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, HALLE = . ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, LEIPZIG -
ZOOLOGISCHER! GARTEN, DRESDEN - ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, BRESLAU = ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, POSEN = ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, KONIGSBERG ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, STUTTGART -
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, FRANKFORT-ON-MAIN
ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS IN RUSSIA.
ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN, ST. PETERSBURG ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN, MOSCOW =
ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN IN HUNGARY.
ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN, BUDA-PESTH -
ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN IN AUSTRIA.
ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN, VIENNA =
ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN IN SWITZERLAND.
ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN, BASLE - =
ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN, LONDON = ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN, CLIFTON = ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN, MANCHESTER - ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN, DUBLIN =
CARL HAGENBECK, THE KING OF ANIMAL IMPORTERS
PAGE 86 90 96
104
Ie
119
125
131
139
141
146
151
161 164
168
175
179 196 201 212
232
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE GROUP OF PERFORMING ANIMALS AT CARL HAGENBECK’S Frontispiece
MARKHOR, JARDIN DES PLANTES, PARIS . - - 6 SEA-LION SUCKLING ITS YOUNG, JARDIN D’ACCLIMATATION, PARIS - - : - - - s- i} HERD OF BLACKBUCK, JARDIN D’ACCLIMATATION, PARIS =) We) LE PALAIS LONGCHAMP, MARSEILLES - - - = 27 CONCERT-HOUSE AND LAKE, AMSTERDAM : Se aii YAK, AMSTERDAM - - - - - - 43 HERD OF WATERBUCK, JAPANESE DEER, BRINDLED GNU, AND KANGAROOS - - - - - = 5k KANGAROO - - - . - - = 00 BARBARY SHEEP, GHENT - - - - 64 STORKS, BATELEUR EAGLE, COCKATOO, STORK NESTING ON THE GROUND, AND CRANES) - - - = a PELICANS, COLOGNE - - - - - se) BARBARY RAM, DUSSELDORF - - - - - 84 CHEETAHS OR HUNTING LEOPARDS — - - - = 93 MONKEY HOUSE, HAMBURG - - - - = OY STORK AND CRANE ENCLOSURES, HAMBURG - - = WON LLAMA AND MOUFFLON ROCKERY, BERLIN~ - - - 106 ELEPHANT HOUSE, BERLIN - - - - - 107 OSTRICH HOUSE, BERLIN - - - - = DEER SHED, BERLIN - - - - - - 113 KANGAROO, HALLE - - . . - Seals WAPITI BULL, DRESDEN - - - - - 126 OUTSIDE THE LION HOUSE, DRESDEN - - - s URS FOUR-HORNED GOAT, DRESDEN - - - = 129
MONKEY HOUSE, BRESLAU - - . - - 133
XIV LEST OEE EO SHERATON S
PAGE
DUCK-POND, BRESLAU - = = - - = 13% OSTRICH SHED, KONIGSBERG - = - - = AS PELICANS, STUTTGART - - - - - a lel BRINDLED GNU, STUTTGART - - - - - 149 TOWER AND LAKE, FRANKFORT-ON-MAIN . - - 153 CAMEL AND LLAMA PENS, FRANKFORT-ON-MAIN - - Noi AMERICAN BISON, ST. PETERSBURG~ - - . - 162 MOOSE YARD, MOSCOW - - - - - 165 TOWER, MOSCOW = - - - - - 167 AVIARY, BASLE - - - - - - 176 CARIBOU, BASLE - - : - - = AT HIPPOPOTAMI, LONDON - - - - B ilsiss LION, LONDON - - - - - - - 185 GREVY’S ZEBRA, LONDON = - - = = 189 SABLE ANTELOPE, LONDON” - - - - = 193 STRIPED HYZNA, LONDON - - - - - ‘194 GARDEN AND LAKE, CLIFTON - - - . = B99 THE BEAR PITS, MANCHESTER- - - - 203 CHIMPANZEE, CONSUL I., MANCHESTER - - - 207 PHENIX PARK, DUBLIN - . - - - 215 THE LAKE, DUBLIN” - - - - - - 226 LION CUBS FROM SOMALILAND, DUBLIN - . - 230
CARL HAGENBECK - = : - a) 23)3)
THE
AVOLOGICAL GARDENS OF EUROPE
CHAPTER 1
JARDIN DES PLANTES, PARIS: DIRECTOR, PROFESSOR MILNE EDWARDS
Tus Garden, the father of Zoological Gardens, is the oldest of the Zoological Gardens of Europe.
Many of the greatest naturalists have been con- nected with the Jardin des Plantes, and have studied within its gates.
The botanical portion is more than one hundred years older than the zoological. It was founded in 1626 by Louis XIII, who bought a plot of unculti- vated ground in Saint-Victor, twenty-four acres in extent, and laid out a flower-garden and built a little greenhouse upon it. Fagon, the King’s doctor, Gaston of Orleans, Colbert, and Tournefort all helped it along, and caused the Garden to grow in extent and popularity.
A museum of natural history was established, and eleven professors appointed in mineralogy, botany, two courses of zoology, human and animal anatomy, geology, chemistry, ete. A library was formed in
IL
2 THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF EUROPE
the museum. On the death of the Due d’Orleans in 1660, Colbert bought for the lbrary the celebrated paintings of flowers on vellum by Robert.
In 1730 the Garden became neglected, but in 1732 M. Buffon became Director, and from that moment success was assured for them. He was well backed by M. Daubenton. Every year the Garden was im- proved, the old houses were demolished and new ones built. The whole of the ground was put under cultiva- tion. Trees were planted, and the Garden extended to the bank of the Seime. Valuable gifts of plants, minerals and zoological specimens were received from the Academy of Sciences, Comte d’Angevilliers, Chinese missionaries, the King of Poland and M. Bougainville, who brought back from his voyage round the world a magniticent collection of animals and birds. Whilst Director of the Garden, Buffon wrote his chef-d’@uvre —a natural history—and after a splendid career he died in 1788.
Bernardin de Saint-Pierre was the next Director. In 1794 the large and valuable collection of the Palais de Versailles was offered to the Jardin des Plantes, and accepted on its behalf by Bernardin de Saint- Pierre. This collection contained five specimens which had never been seen in Paris before—namely, a quagga, now unhappily extinct, a hartebeest, a crested pigeon from the Isle of Banga, an Indian rhinoceros and a lion from Senegal, which latter had as a com- panion a dog, with which it lved on terms of the greatest friendship. The remainder of the collection at Versailles had been pillaged by the mob in the French Revolution.
PAIRIDIUN, IDID'SS IAC ZMINTII Sy) LVAUALS) 3
In 1796 the Jardin des Plantes received a letter from Captain Baudin asking for a ship and men to convey to France a rich collection of animals and plants which he had gathered together in the island of Trinidad. A vessel was sent out, and, after being shipwrecked on the Canaries, the collection was finally brought home the next year. It was augmented by a collection of birds made by M. le Vaillant in Africa, and a collection brought back from La Guiana by M. Bragton. The Emperor Napoleon added several animals which he bought in England, and among which were a pair of tigers, two lynx, a mandril, a leopard, a hyena, and a handsome panther, or hunting leopard, besides several birds and plants.
M. Fourcroi, who now made his appearance, col- lected for the institution animals, birds, precious stones, plants and books from all parts of the world. The collection of minerals of M. Warisse was bought, and 150,000 books were added to the library. The Emperor Napoleon during his wanderings never forgot the museum, and sent back to it fossil-fish from Verona and specimens of rock from the island of Corsica. M. Lesneeur, the painter and historian, and M. Peron brought back from the South 100,000 specimens of animals, large and small, representing many species. They brought home a zebra and a monkey for the Empress Joséphine and plants without number. About this time M. Cuvier, the celebrated naturalist, made his appearance ; M. Geoffroy arrived from Lisbon with new animals ; M. Michamx brought specimens from the forests of America ; and M. Marcel de Serres brought from Italy and Germany all sorts of minerals.
i—2
4 THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF FZOKROZE
Great progress was made in the Jardin des Plantes until 1815, when there came a climax in France. Then commenced a series of miseries and an almost incredible history of disaster. Cossacks, Russians, Germans, and Italians filled Paris, and brought ruin and devastation with them; but, happily, of all the monuments of Paris, the only one which was not in- sulted was the Jardin des Plantes. The Garden was respected ; it was neutral territory, where all sides came to seek rest from war.
In 1820 M. Milbert made large collections of natural history specimens and minerals in America for the Jardin des Plantes. In 1829 M. Victor Jacquemont appeared, and made a name for himself in natural history, but died when quite a young man in the island of Salsette.
In 1841 the Garden contained a zoological museum, a museum of comparative anatomy, a botanical museum, a geological museum and a museum of minerals. Besides a library containing 28,000 books devoted to travel and to physical and natural sciences, such as natural history, botany, physics, chemistry, mineralogy, comparative anatomy, human anatomy and zoology, there were memoirs of learned societies and a col- lection of paintings on vellum. This library was founded in June, 1798.
In 1841 M. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire was Professor of Zoology, M. Brouguiart Professor of Botany, M. Serres Professor of Anatomy and Physiology, and M. de Mirbel Professor of Agriculture.
During the Siege of Paris in 1870 the Garden suffered terribly. Nearly a hundred shells fell within
[EMIIDVON, IOIRS, IILAUNTAS Sy, Leva) 5
its boundaries ; most of the glass-houses were battered to ruins, and a great number of the animals were, by the direction of the authorities, handed over to the butchers, killed and sold at fabulous prices. Lion, bear, giraffe and hippopotamus flesh realized 25 francs per pound during the last few months, and was very difficult to obtain even at that price.
This Garden, which runs close by the side of the Seine bank, is open free to the public. It is somewhat of a bewildering place to find one’s way about in. Its collection of animals is very fine, and contains two or three especially good things. There are some pretty spots in it, and plenty of trees and shade. A fine lion house of no less than twenty-two cages contains a good collection of the big cats and bears, a number of the latter coming from Tonquin. Besides these bears, there are others in old but well-built bear-pits in another part of the Garden. Again, we find a pair of hartebeests, so seldom seen in captivity.* Deer and antelopes, sheep and goats, are very well repre- sented in the Jardin des Plantes.
I was busily engaged in taking photographs, when I was pounced upon by the inevitable gendarme, and was obliged to ‘box up’ in front of a large and sympa- thizing crowd. The elephant house contained three Indian elephants and one African, which is the largest to be found in captivity. Unfortunately, he has only stumps of tusks, and is, in consequence, not half such an imposing animal as the magnificent African elephant at Berlin. There was quite a number of zebras, in-
* A hartebeest has lately been added to the London Zoo.
6 PEE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF 20h O rz
cluding a mountain zebra with a foal, born in the Gardens, and a hybrid between a zebra and a kiang (Hquus hemionus). There was a good collection of swine, including a Red River hog and an enormous European boar.
There were crowds of people in the Garden, and no wonder, for seldom is such a fine collection of animals to be seen without paying anything.
MARKHOR, JARDIN DES PLANTES, PARIS.
According to the Matin, palatial accommodation 1s to be provided for the animals in the Jardin des Plantes. The new premises will consist of a series of rotundas, or gigantic cages, 15 metres high, which will be reserved for the pachyderms. A. laboratory of animal psychology for the study of character among
VAR DIN DESMPICAIN TUE Sa Alas 7
the brute beasts is shortly to be opened under the direction of M. Hachet Souplet, assisted by M. Ous- tallet. It has also been arranged by M. Perrier, a Director of the Gardens, to give popular lectures in the amphitheatre every Sunday afternoon.
CHAPTER II
JARDIN D ACCLIMATATION , PARIS: DIRECTOR, M. A. PORTE
In 1858 a concession of about forty acres was made in the Bois de Boulogne by the city of Paris to five members of the bureau of the Société d’Acclimatation. The Emperor Napoleon III. enlarged upon this con- cession by a gift of a further ten acres. A subscription was then opened, with a capital of a million franes divided into 4,000 shares, most of which were taken up by the members of the Société d’Acclimatation, who, after having conceived the idea of the Garden, wished to endow it handsomely.
After the preparatory plans had been made by M. Davioud, the resident architect of the city, and approved of by the council of thirty-four of the principal shareholders, the work was begun in July, 1859. The arrangement of the work, under the sur- veillance of a committee chosen by the members of the council of administration, was entrusted to Mr. D. W. Mitchell, the Secretary of the Zoological Society, London, who had come to offer his services for the creation of the new undertaking. On the sudden death of Mr. Mitchell in November, 1859, the committee took upon themselves the management of the work.
JARDIN DACCEIMATATTON, PAIS. 9
In fifteen months the work was finished. On August 1, 1860, Dr. Rufz de Lavison, late President of the General Council of the Martinique, was appointed Director of the Garden, whilst M. Albert Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, the jot Director, busied himself with the hygiene and propagation of the animals. On October 6, 1860, the Emperor inaugurated the new institution in person, and a few days later the public were admitted.
In 1865 Dr. Rufz de Lavison died, and M. Albert Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire was made Director of the Garden.
When the Siege of Paris became imminent, the majority of the animals were deposited in the Zoo- logical Gardens at Brussels ; others were confined at Antwerp. The rare birds were sent to Tours; some to M. Barnsby, Director of the Botanical Garden in that city ; others to M. Cornély van Heemstra, owner of the Chateau de Beaujardin. During this sad time an enormous amount of work was done, the animals being transported as quickly as possible. On Sep- tember 4, 1870, this evacuation began, but it was brought to a stop five days later, as the trains then ceased to run. On the other hand, M. Milne Edwards graciously offered to take into the Jardin des Plantes part of the collection of animals, on condition that they were provided with sufficient food. From that moment, and during the whole of the siege, the Garden, situated as it was outside the fortifications, went well through the sad and sudden changes of fortune.
The famine which ere long besieged the city then
ie) THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF AURORE
demanded the sacrifice of all the animals. One can imagine what it cost the keepers, who were so attached to the animals they fed, to have to kill the two elephants, Castor and Pollux, the beautiful antelopes, the camels, ete. Nevertheless, when peace came, the animals which returned from the places where they had been deposited were still numerous enough to restock the Garden and put a little life into the place so long deserted.
The collection had scarcely been reinstalled in the Garden when the insurrection of the Commonwealth broke out. This time the Jardin d’Acclimatation was in the very middle of the tempest, and for nearly two months bullets and shells fell night and day in its very midst. The officials remained faithful to their posts, and hid themselves in cellars, from which they emerged when they were able during moments of calm—-too short, alas !—to attend to the wants of the animals and plants. In this way, from time to time, they ran the greatest danger. The gate - keeper, Decker, was killed by a bursting shell; the gardener, Loubrieam, succumbed to wounds which he had re- ceived ; Lemoire, one of the keepers of the animals, and Lombard, the carpenter, were wounded. ‘Troops of regulars and bands of insurgents frequently met in the very heart of the Garden, which was furrowed by trenches and defensive works. The volunteers of the Seine and Oise and the federates fought two serious engagements in it. A number of animals were struck by the bullets, the fences and battlements being pierced by them.
The Jardin d’Acclimatation was very greatly dis-
JARDIN DAC GE RVEAT ATION | Als II
turbed by this terrible crisis, and people doubted whether it would ever recover itself.
The Municipal Council and the Ville de Paris happily understood what an interest the Garden had been, and would not allow such an establishment to disappear. They came to the succour of the shareholders by generously voting an annual subscription of 60,000 francs for three years; moreover, the Socicté d’Ac- climatation gave a sum of 35,000 francs and all the animals which it possessed. M. Saint-Hilaire, whose activity and energy had increased in spite of obstacles, received anxious inquiries and marks of sympathy from numerous donors, which hastened the reconstruc- tion of the devastated collections. His Majesty the King of Italy offered two African elephants to replace the two killed during the siege; the venerable M. Westerman, the Director of the Garden at Amsterdam, M. Jacques Vekemans, the learned and sympathetic Director of the Garden at Antwerp, and all the zoological gardens in England and in Belgium added their generous gifts, and contributed largely towards the reinstallation of this beautiful Garden, which had been so cruelly tried. Numerous improve- ments were voted by the council to suit the require- ments of the animals and to please the public. New sheds were built for the goats and sheep, enclosures made for breeding ducks, and a new stable and large dog-kennels were constructed, which were opened shortly afterwards; the dairy service was organized both in the Garden and in the centre of Paris. Depots, where pure milk could be bought, were established at Chevet’s and at the Palais Royal. <A building for the
12 RHE ZOOLOGICAL GARD EN Sa Oras Ote@ 2
fattening of poultry for the table was given over to a clever breeder of the department of Allier, who brought the whole of his stock-in-trade to the Garden. Animals were lent by several members of the society. In one of the outbuildings of the conservatory a library was opened, where visitors could find natural history works to interest them. Discussions began again, on two days a week— Thursdays and Sundays; concerts, under the direction of M. Mayeur, were held in the afternoons on one of the lawns in the Garden.
At last a new era of prosperity had opened in the Jardin d’Acclimatation in the Bois de Boulogne. From the time it was opened to the year 1873 more than 200,000 people had signified by their presence the just popularity which the Garden had acquired.
Besides the Garden in the Bois de Boulogne, the Société d’Acclimatation has other establishments under its control—one at Hyéres, one at Chilly-Mazarin, near Paris, one at Pré Catalan, and another at Mar- seilles, in the South of France.
The Succursale at Hyeres is set apart for the cultiva- tion of plants, palms, and trees from hot climates, and these always command a ready sale in Paris for the ornamentation of parks and houses. At Pré Catalan, in well-kept houses, are to be found sixty dairy cows, which are to be seen in summer grazing in the paddocks and fields of the Bois de Boulogne.
At Chilly-Mazarin, on a plot of ground some acres in extent, an overflow establishment was instituted in 1891. Here are to be found dog-kennels, cow- houses, stables, pheasantries, poultry-houses and agri- cultural products. At Marseilles the Society has
JARDIN DACCLIMATATION, PATS: 13)
another Zoological Garden, in which imported animals rest and get acclimatized before being sent up to Paris.
The Jardin d’Acchimatation is situated in that part of the Bois de Boulogne which extends between the Porte des Sablons and the Porte de Madrid, and runs
SEA-LION SUCKLING ITS YOUNG, JARDIN D’ACCLIMATATION, PARIS.
along the Boulevard Maillot. The principal entrance is in the east, near the Porte des Sablons; a second entrance is to be found in the extreme west, near the Porte de Madrid. You can reach it either by the Central Railway, getting out at Neuilly Station or at the Avenue de l'Imperatrice, or by the Courbevoie and
14 THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF EUROPE
Suresnes omnibuses, or, of course, by cab. On concert days there is a special service of omnibuses.
Two prominent stone-and-brick buildings will direct the visitor. After having passed the turnstile, you find in front of you a large carriage-drive, which goes right round the Garden, and from this principal artery the whole network of walks and paths runs through the Garden leading to the different sheds and houses. The visitor finds on his immediate left a large conserva- tory or winter garden, which shelters from the rigour of winter a beautiful and important collection of plants and trees, which would not live in a low temperature.
Almost in front of this large conservatory you see a building, which is intended for the mechanical fattening of fowls (a system not to be encouraged). Here is to be seen on a big scale M. Martin’s system. The fowls are placed in a huge circular cylinder, three metres high and turning on a pivot, which allows the man to cram all the fowls (which are placed in the boxes ranged in tiers one above another) in this fatten- ing apparatus without changing his position. A car on an elevating rail allows the man easily to reach those birds placed on the highest part of the apparatus, for, by turning a handle, the car rises or descends m front of the boxes. Holding them by the head, he introduces an indiarubber tube into their beaks, and forces the food down their throats by pressing with his foot a pedal, which starts a machine worked by a piston. The play of this pedal is regulated by a dial-plate, which shows the operator the amount of food intro- duced. This varies according to the strength of the bird to be fattened, and also to its state of fatness.
JARDIN D ACCEIMALATTON Atel: 15
In eighteen days a fowl will go up to more than double its weight, and will be perhaps a pound more at the finish. M. Martin, the inventor of this ingenious system, which allows a man by himself to cram 400 fowls in an hour, had already used it in the department of Allier, at Cusset, near Vichy, and his products, under the name of ‘ Phcenix fowls,’ have acquired notoriety. He then asked the Society of the Jardin d’Acclimata- tion to allow him to construct at his own expense in the Garden a model of his fattening establishment, which he started at his own risk. Visitors can now procure at this establishment fat fowls all ready for the table.
Following on the right a large circular walk, you find, after the fattening establishment, sheds where all kinds of rural and agricultural objects are shown. Here the public can see buildings of every sort applic- able to the farm: Swiss cottages made of cut wood, tents, wire-lattices, aviaries, chairs, tables, and garden- seats, elevators, garden-tools, guns and fishing tackle, porcelain and terra-cotta vases—in short, everything which tends to ornament parks and gardens, or to the culture of plants, or the raising of stock. On leaving the exhibition sheds, the first building which catches the eye is the monkey house, in front of the enclosure for storks and river-birds ; then you come on the right to the pheasantry, the parrot aviary being attached to a little pheasantry, and on the other side of the way are the ostrich and large-bird enclosures. The large pheasantry follows these, then the upper pheasantry, and next the poultry house, an immense circular monolith building in Coignet mortar, in which there
16 THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF LURORE
are also enclosures for different sorts of pigeons. On the left are the enclosures of the sheep and goats. After passing the duck-ponds you reach the kangaroo house, and on the left the cattle enclosures. Here the broad road round the Garden divides itself into two ; to the right it leads to the Neuilly Gate and Saint James, to the left to the big stable, before which stands a spacious lawn, where the large ruminants graze during the day. Round this lawn the elephants and horses, with various carriages, carry visitors and children. Continuing to follow the big circular road, you find on the right, a little behind the stables, a collection of vines (the most beautiful and most com- plete in the world), the bee-house, the dairy, and the refreshment-room ; to the left, the huts of the llamas and alpacas, the mouftlon rock and the antelope house. Next, you visit the aquarium, situated on the right of the large circular road, and then the experimenting garden and the dog-kennels, which face the deer en- closures. Having returned to the big conservatory close by, you find another conservatory full of paro- quets and small cage-birds from hot countries.
The middle of the Garden is cut by an artificial river, upon the banks of which are placed enclosures for geese, ducks, and water-birds. It forms in front of the lawn of the big conservatories a large lake covered with swans, flocks of ducks, some cormorants and seals.
The monkey house is an oblong building 15 metres long and 9 metres broad. The walls are covered with earthenware slabs. In front of the building is an immense cage, where the strongest of the monkeys can
JARDIN D'ACCLIMATATION, PARIS 1)
take the air and enjoy themselves on the beams and ropes, which take the place of the trees in their native forests, during the warmest hours of the day. On entering by doors which are arranged to keep out draughts, the interior of the monkey house is found to be a large hall, in which are placed four huge cages reaching almost to the ceiling, and which communicate with the exterior pleasure cage by means of large doors. Against the walls are placed little wooden cages, in which are put those delicate specimens which require special care.
Besides the quarters of the keeper, there is an in- firmary for sick monkeys. Heat is supplied in winter by hot-water pipes running under the floor, which keep an even temperature without drying up the air.
Attached to the large conservatories is a spacious hall, the grande salle, measuring 40 metres in length, and being able to accommodate 8,000 people, half of whom can sit down. On the ground-floor, opposite to the entrance-door, isa large stage, upon which lecturers entertain the public several times a week with a magic- lantern, the subjects being Zoology, Ethnology, Travel, Botany, etc. On Sundays and Thursdays a first-class band gives popular concerts, which attract a great number of people to the Garden.
On the west of the hall is an aquarium and a bird- gallery, which were opened to the public at the end of ES 92:
To the right of the principal entrance is a room, built in 1887, for the sale of a great variety of vege- tables and plants.
Continuing to the right, and passing the exhibition
2
18 DHE ZOOLOGICAL GAR DENSHO Es EU te@ rae
hall and the shooting and fishing museum, which have been described, we come to the new sale gallery, a large hall 30 metres long, in which are displayed more agricultural implements, carriages, harness, carts, iron rails, wooden fencing, and everything appertaining to the care of animals and plants—all to be sold at very reasonable prices. A catalogue can be obtained free of charge.
Communicating with the new sale hall is a parrot and small bird gallery. Passing the monkey house, we find large wooden constructions, holding the pea- cocks, the turkeys and fowls of many kinds, such as Houdans, Dorkings, ete. In this part of the Garden are to be found pretty little rustic buildings containing various birds. In one of them are to be seen the great horned owls which belonged to Gustav Doré, the celebrated artist. In another little pavilion is a Norwegian hawk. In an enclosure bordering on the main walk is to be seen a beautiful collection of cranes from all parts of the world. In the same enclosure are the cassowaries, ostriches and the South American rheas, which latter frequently breed in the Garden.
The pheasantries, which contain more than twenty pens, are occupied by such varieties as the Amherst pheasant from Thibet, Elhot’s pheasant from China, the Versicolor from Japan.
We now come to the great aviary, part of which holds the searlet ibis and the rare stilts, and the other half contains peacocks and large game-birds. In front of the large aviary are the pens of the doves and partridges. Facing the pheasantries is a statue of Daubenton, by Jules Godin Daubenton, who died in »
JARDIN DACCLIMATATION, PARIS 19
Paris in 1880. It was to the efforts of this scientist that France owes the introduction of merino sheep. This beautiful statue is placed opposite the sheep pens, so that the gentleman can still have his eye on the Ty-ang or Chinese sheep, the grey sheep of Russia, and the Astrakan sheep, which furnishes such a beauti- ful fur. Not far from here is some rockwork executed by M. Teiton, through which runs a little river. Every day at a fixed hour the cormorants are made to fish. The throat of this bird is encircled by a collar, which prevents it from swallowing the fish which it has caught at the bottom of the water. In China these birds are used extensively for fishing.
On the right, following the pheasantries, we come to the poultry house, a monolith building in mortar in a semicircular shape. Here are to be found the fol- lowing among many other varieties: La Fleche, Mans, Houdan, Bresse, Campine, Dorking, Cochin China, Langshan, Brahma, etc. The eggs form an important article of commerce in the Garden. The pens of the poultry house also contain the largest collection of pigeons ever brought together. Mention must be made of the carrier pigeons, the descendants of those birds which during the Siege of Paris carried no less than 115,000 messages microscopically photographed on bits of collodion which weighed next to nothing.
On the edge of the lake is a large and elegant pigeon tower, made of brick and iron, 30 metres high and 6 metres in diameter, and divided into four stages. The interior is divided into coops for 400 couples of pigeons. The top is reserved for those pigeons which, born in the place, are allowed their liberty, and are
2—2
20 THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF EUROPE
employed in summer to carry messages. The top of the tower is furnished with a meteorological apparatus, which records on registering cylinders (placed at the bottom of the tower) the state of the atmosphere. This apparatus constitutes a veritable observatory in itself. In it there is a barometer, a thermometer, a rain-gauge, a wind-gauge, a hygrometer, and several other instruments.
The kangaroo house next engages our attention, where are to be found examples of the red kangaroo, Bennet’s Wallaby, etc. Many breed here. The en- closures which surround the kangaroos contain many species of deer. There is the deer from the Moluccas, sika deer from Japan, the axis deer from India, ete. Close by are coach-houses and stables capable of holding ninety horses. These recently erected build- ings, together with the old stables, can now hold 250 horses, which form a very complete collection. Here are to be seen also an interesting series of ponies from Java, Siam, Cochin China, Shetland, Ireland, Russia, Corsica, Navarre, Finland, ete. There are also many mules.
At the end of the. stables is a riding-school for the breaking-in of horses and the eels: of riding. In 1874 a special riding-school was inaugurated for children, their mounts being all little ponies. Close to the stables is a gymnasium, with horizontal bars, trapeze, ropes, ete., which is for the free use of children, who amuse themselves in it whilst they wait their turn to ride the elephants and camels. The charge for a camel or dromedary ride is 50 centimes; elephant ride, 25 centimes; ostrich-cart, 50 centimes ; donkey-
JARDIN D’ACCLIMATATION, PARIS 21
cart, trotting zebu-cart, goat-cart, and llama-cart, 25 centimes; saddle-horse, 50 centimes. ‘Tickets are obtained at a kiosk close by.
The African elephant Juliette was a present from Victor Emmanuel, the late King of Italy, together with Romeo, who died in 1886. It will be remem- bered that these elephants replaced Castor and Pollux, which were sold to the butchers for 27,000 francs during the Siege of Paris in 1870. Close to the large stable is a house containing the yaks from Thibet. The cross between a yak and a zebu is called a ‘dzo.’ In the large stables are to be seen the South American tapirs and the wart hogs from Africa. Burchell’s zebra and a pretty ‘mountain’ zebra are found in the same building. By the side of the zebras are the kiangs from High Asia and Mongolia. There are also many hybrid animals and 100 guinea-pigs in one loose-box. The right side of the big stables is inhabited by a large giraffe; this is the last survivor of a herd received from Abyssinia in 1872, which has bred several times in the Garden.
On the other side of the main road is a large lawn, which serves during the day to pasture the large ruminants. Here are held the yearly exhibitions.
The following exhibitions have been held: In 1877, the Eskimos and Nubians; in 1878, the Laps and Russians; in 1879, the Nubians; in 1883, the Cin- galese and Red Indians; in 1886, the Cingalese > ila 1887, the Ashantis; in 1888, the Hottentots, Cossacks, and Circassians ; in 1889, the Laps and Norwegians ; in 1890, the Somalis; in 1891, the Dahomeans.
We next come to the llama house, which includes
22 TLE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF 2URORE
specimens of guanaco and vicuna, the llama and alpaca. The reindeer enclosure follows. Behind this, again, are the mouftlon and chamois rocks ; a grotto cut out of the rock shelters the goats from Chili. Below the rock are lodged the graceful Indian antelopes. Between the rock and the aquarium is a construction with a deep basin, in which live the otters and seals. The otters, which were presented in 1891, are very tame. At the word of command they hop up to the top of a rock and take headers into the water. Opposite the otters’ tank is the cow house, holding forty cows, the little dairy at the side being much frequented during summer, when as many as a thousand glasses of milk are sold in a day. — Close by the dairy is a picturesque enclosure of lawn and rockwork, inhabited by a herd of over twenty black buck of all ages. It was an amusing sight to watch them frisking and scampering about after the manner of the springbock of Africa. The aquarium, situated on the right beyond the dairy, contains ten large tanks of sea-water and four tanks of fresh-water. These basins are made of slate, with one side of glass. They receive light only from above, and in them are to be seen the octopus, shrimps, anemones, soles and plaice. Many of the fish grow tame to a remarkable degree, and know their keeper well. At the end of the aquarium is the fish-culture pavilion, in which one sees in transparent tanks a very complete collection of fresh-water fish and the most perfect apparatus in connection with fish culture. Every year the establishment incubates a considerable number of salmon spawn. Visitors can follow the operations of artificial fertilization of several species
JARDIN D’ACCLIMATATION, PARIS 23
of trout, including the American rainbow trout. After the aquarium, in front of the concert kiosk, we find the restaurant, where we can have refreshments at fixed prices under large trees.
Facing the aquarium is a large glass enclosure sur- rounding the antelope house, in which can be seen the Indian nylgai, which breeds well; the eland,
HERD OF BLACKBUCK, JARDIN D’ACCLIMATATION, PARIS.
looking amongst the trees as if it was in its native haunts ; the gnu, which looks half ox, half horse ; the Oryx beisa from Kordofan ; a gazelle from the Soudan. And then comes a surprise, for in the same pen with several Patagonian cavies are no less than four hartebeests, one of which was born in the Gardens, August 15, 1901. Next we come to the deer house,
24 THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF EUROPE
with the wapiti from America, the axis deer from Siam, Pére David’s deer, and others.
On the other side of the main drive, and opposite the deer, is a large dog-kennel, containing dogs of every description. Here a large exhibition has been held every year since 1863, and dogs can be bought at fixed prices.
Facing the dog-kennels is a special library, given to the Garden by Dr. W. Evans, of Philadelphia, where are to be found all the papers and publications on agriculture, zoology, travel, domestic economy, ete. In one of the rooms in this building all the Parisian newspapers and magazines are on view.
The pond, which divides the Garden into two nearly equal parts, contains ducks of all kinds, swans, and pelicans. On the left bank of the pond is the concert kiosk, where good concerts are given from April till the end of September by an orchestra of twenty-four performers under M. Mayeur, of the Opéra, who has conducted it since 1872.
Many of the puppies and birds in the Garden are for sale at fixed prices. I quote the following from the catalogue :
Stud Fee. Puppies (Average).
Franes. Francs. Great Danes ... ae Se HOO) Hes, see 1IK0}0) Pomeranians ... me scent (OW ci ee) Bull-terriers ... = He) A OME AEE Reece 0 Basset hounds... a Pon Onmuee: Pie 4 (530) English setters ae she OO Fy Aha eS eAl) Red Irish setters He eel aeae ee NOO Cocker spaniels see Fae OE ee ae 50) English greyhounds ... eee By aes (3)
Bloodhounds ... * de MOO es ia 60
JARDIN D’ACCLIMATATION, PARIS 25
Hares (white) old ones: Male, 25 frances; female, 35 francs ; young, 15 and 25 franes each.
Rabbits : Adults, 15 franes ; young, 10 franes.
Paroquets, from 40 franes to 150 francs.
Parrots, from 10 francs to 75 frances.
Canaries, 17.50 francs.
Toucans, 150 franes.
Ordinary crow (white variety), 20 frances.
Pigeons, from 3 francs to 100 francs.
Wild poultry, from 8.50 to 20 franes.
Turkeys, 30 frances.
Pheasants, from 20 to 150 francs.
Red partridge, 12.50 francs.
Domestic poultry: Bantams, 20 francs ; Brahmapootras, 30 francs; Cochins, 30 frances; English gamecocks, 50 frances; Dorkings, 30 francs ; Houdans, 15 francs.
Rose-coloured flamingoes, 125 francs.
Ducks, from 15 franes to 75 frances.
Cormorants, 75 francs.
Swans, from 25 frances to 275 francs.
Pelicans, 125 francs.
Domestic ducks : Aylesbury, 17.50 franes ; Labrador, 12.50 francs; Rouen, 20 franes ; Yeddo, 30 francs.
Loch Leven trout, rainbow trout, salmon, etc., are for sale.
This is a very large and beautifully laid out Garden, and I was allowed to photograph in peace, though, oddly enough, I had no sooner got outside the wood than I was pounced upon by a gendarme and asked to explain the contents of ‘that box.’
CHAPTER III THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, MARSEILLES
THESE Gardens, which are worked under the control and direction of the Jardin d’Acclimatation at Paris, contain a collection of both useful and wild animals, many of which are bought and sold here. The Gardens also serve as a resting-place for the animals which the Jardin d’Acclimatation imports from the far Hast and exports to the hot regions by the Mediterranean. The animals remain and get ac- climatized before they are sent on further north to Paris.
Shrubs and plants are also grown, and by their situation behind the Palais de Longchamp the Gardens constitute one of the most attractive promenades in Marseilles.
One of the entrances to the Gardens is through a most magnificent set of buildings, having a large cascade of water in front. This imposing building is called the Palais de Longchamp, and contains an art museum and picture-gallery. On passing through the gate, and going up two flights of steps, you come into a large garden above, and, keeping to the right, you fall in with the pay-gate to the Zoological Gardens.
It must, however, be borne in mind that the quickest
Hie AOOROGICAE IG ATDIE N Ss mii Aun Si eae i Sy 277
way to reach the Zoological Gardens is by an ever- ascending electric tram-car, which finally lands you right in front of the ordinary entrance-gate. On arrival there, you put a franc into a sort of missionary- box made of tin, and are ushered through into the Gardens by the gate-keeper. You are at once con- fronted with a pretty little grotto arrangement, down the rockwork of which trickles a waterfall. In the
LE PALAIS LONGCHAMP, MUSEE DES BEAUX-ARTS, MARSEILLES.
basin at the foot of the fall are a number of flamingoes wading about and feeding.
The Gardens will be found to lie upon a steep hill- side, upon which walks and terraces are cut one above another. On the second terrace you find a grotto, with another waterfall higher than the one below. This grotto is extremely picturesque, the situation of the Garden on the hillside lending itself well to this form of garden decoration. Here, at the foot of the
28 THE ZOOLOGICAL IGAR DENS OF 22 OivOrme
second grotto, are to be seen some white swans with black necks, and some pretty black ducks with dark- green heads. It was a cold February day when I visited the Gardens, but, to show how early is the breeding season in the South of France, I may say that the ducks were already beginning to pair.
On the right the visitor will come upon three cleverly-constructed cages of a circular shape, backed with rockwork. In this rockwork are the sleeping apartments of the animals in the cages. These sleep- ing apartments have doors communicating with the outer cages, so that when rain or wind comes the animals can find shelter. The cages have been cleverly thought out, and are extremely picturesque.
The inmates of the first cage were two lionesses. I wished to get close to the bars in order to obtain a photograph of these big cats without showing the iron bars, but as a man was intently watching my pro- ceedings, I thought it best not to venture over the barrier. I was unable to make out whether he was one of the keepers or perchance a French officer, and could not make up my mind whether I would offer him a franc to let: me go closer or not.
In the next circular cage was a most amusing polar bear. His keeper happened to come along, and he dropped some large pieces of bread into the water- tank for him, but, strange to say, the bear would not go in after them. However, after vainly endeavouring to reach them with his outstretched paw, he made a spring, and stood crossways over the tank, with his fore-paws on one side and his hind-paws on the other, where he stood like a white stone bridge stretched
THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, MARSEILLES 29
over a river, and, bending down his head between his fore-paws, he seized each bit of bread in his mouth and tossed it on to dry land; then, springing back, he devoured it greedily. When he had finished every bit, he came to the front of the cage within a few feet of me, and obligingly sat up to be photographed.
Next to the bear were a pair of extremely hand- some leopards in very good coat. They growled and snarled and showed their teeth at one another, and pretended to fight, but in reality this was only their rough-and-tumble way of flirting with each other. After all, are not some human beings just the same ?
Further to the left you find a picturesque little pagoda for the elephant, with a space railed off in front in which he can take air and exercise and have a cooling bath in the deep water-tank.
Crossing a bridge over the street below, we come to a long viaduct, under each arch of which is an enclosure for birds or animals. On the extreme right was a mouflon, which also obligingly stood up with its fore-legs on the rail in front of it in order to have its picture taken. This animal’s legs were somewhat deformed, and stretched outwards from the knee, giving it the appearance of being knock-kneed. Next to the moufflon, under the second arch of the viaduct, were a camel and a zebu housed together. On the left of them was a pair of nylgai (Indian antelopes), male and female, which appeared to be in the very best of health and condition ; but I should say they could not have been long in the Gardens, as they were so wild, and whenever I moved the male raced about its enclosure, whilst the female retired into its shelter-
30 THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF 2UROBE
shed, unlike the very docile pair in the London Zoo- logical Gardens, which will feed from your hand. By the side of the nylgai, but separated by a wire fence, raced up and down a fine Barbary sheep, whilst his wife and child lay down close by taking things easily.
The next enclosure contained a very pretty sight—a red-deer stag, hind, and calf making a very picturesque group when standing up together. Under the re- maining arches were enclosed some large birds of prey. Just opposite the arches on a bank is an enclosure where was to be found a pure white llama, with its baby, a youngster about six days old. Another Eastern pagoda and railed-off enclosure contained a very fine Bactrian camel. There were many smaller mammals, such as coatis, lemurs from Madagascar, wolves, jackals, a European wild-boar, etc., besides many enclosures of birds, including a_pheasantry, tenanted for the most part by domestic fowls, pea- cocks, French partridges and an occasional golden and Lady Amherst pheasant. In one pen you will notice French partridges running with a Lady Amherst pheasant.
There is a small monkey house with outdoor cages, furnished with wooden railings for the amusement of the inmates. These outdoor cages are connected with the interior cages by little square doors.
I must not forget to mention a large brown bear in a very picturesque bear pit made of rockwork, with a front of stout iron bars.
One of the inmates of a row of sheds devoted to small animals was a caracul, or African lynx, in very good coat and condition. When in Somaliland, North-
THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, MARSEILLES _ 31
east Africa, in 1897, I captured one of these beautiful cats in the mountains, but unfortunately it escaped two days afterwards. The face of this animal is very like that of the American puma, whilst its ears are long and very pointed, and are furnished with tufts of black hair at the tips.
The second day I visited these Gardens it snowed, and the light was so bad that I did not attempt to take any photographs. As on my approach I found nobody at the entrance-gate, I walked in. Apparently there is no fixed charge, but a man usually jingles a tin box before you, and you can put what you like into it. I saw the Marseilles Gardens under the most unfavourable circumstances ; still, on the finest day I do not think anyone would be very much impressed by them. The laying out of the Gardens on a bank is pretty, and the rockwork and the waterfalls very picturesque, but the show of animals and birds, on the whole, is small and somewhat poor.
I had a short talk with one of the keepers, a stern man with a gloomy countenance and few words. I did not gather much information concerning the Gardens, but I raised one laugh out of him when, wishing to know when the animals were fed, I asked : ‘A quelle heure est la table d’hote des animaux ”
CHAPTER IV
THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, NICE-CIMIEZ : DIRECTRESS, THE COMTESSE DE LAGRANGE
THESE prettily situated Gardens are well worth a visit, if only for the magnificent views obtainable from them. They can be reached from Nice by excellent electric tramears having first and second class compartments. (Why are tram-cars so very much better abroad than in England?) Close by the Gardens is the fine Ex- celsior Regina Hotel, where our late Queen Victoria used to stay. The rooms in the hotel should be visited on the way back from the Gardens; an ex- cellent lunch can be had there, for the cooking is truly first-rate.
The Zoological Gardens were founded by the late Comte de Lagrange, a great traveller and naturalist, who died in 1893 at Singapore, at the early age of thirty-six. His widow, the Comtesse de Lagrange, is now sole proprietress and directress.
The entrance fee is one franc, and one frane for a carriage; the latter fee can be saved by alighting at the entrance and simply walking in on foot.
The Gardens are of small extent, and the whole of the animals and birds can be seen in a very short time.
THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, NICE-CIMIEZ 33
As at Marseilles, I experienced the most shocking weather at Cimiez, and the first day not a ray of sun shone, whilst a shower of rain alinost gutted my camera. There is a nice collection of lions at this Zoo, and they form quite the greatest attraction of the place. The old mother, which is to be seen in a cage close by a large tiger, has produced three litters of young, all of which are now to be seen in the Gardens. The father of these lions died at the age of seventeen. The children of this pair comprise two licns three and a half years old, three lions two and a half years old, and three lions fourteen months old. All these eight animals are extraordinarily tame and healthy-looking. I was enabled to stand right up against the cages, without the slightest fear of getting mauled, in order to photo- graph them. One of the oldest lions allowed me to stroke him; and when I put my face up against the bars, he at once licked it with his rough tongue-—a perfect feline kiss. I was perfectly charmed with these lions, and was quite loth to leave them. In another set of cages was a common leopard, and the invariably savage black variety, with its beautiful yellow eyes and snarling jaws. It is a curious fact that these black leopards are nearly always savage. There were two brown bears and a polar bear in pits opposite the young lions, and a poor old brown bear, totally blind, in a pit by himself. There was a very handsome old ‘black buck’ from India, with a younger one much lighter in colour. It was comical to watch them at play, butting at each other with their horns. It is often extremely difficult to photograph these creatures in confinement, because they are so tame. This sounds
5)
34 THE ZOOLOGICALAGAKDENS ORR in OE
odd, but the difficulty les in the fact that the animals, expecting to be fed, will insist on coming close up to you to the bars, and utterly refuse to go away, in spite of shouts, hisses, showers of stones, and prods with umbrellas. One cannot go back one’s self with the camera, or the bars or wire-netting will show in the photograph, and look unsightly. Oddly enough, the bars or wire-netting do not show in the photograph when the camera is held close up against them.
An ostrich and its baby could be seen near a rather mangy duckpond. There were also some monkeys, animals I am not fond of; they are too much like human beings. But one of them was amusing. Whena man said ‘Saltit’ to him, he saluted in proper military fashion ; but if a woman asked him to do so, he would do nothing of the sort, but would snarl and show every symptom of anger and annoyance. He was, like some really good military men, a true woman-hater and despiser.
On the second day I visited the Cimiez Zoo I was more lucky in the weather, for it was a lovely sunny day. On the way there I was obliged to run the gauntlet of scores of masqueraders, as the Nice carnival was on. They threw hard pellets of clay with great force into my face, and I can assure the reader they hurt considerably. Nearly every other person I met wore a wire mask to protect himself from these attacks. At length the very excellent electric tram was reached, which soon brings one up to the Zoo. The head keeper, Andruetto Francois, is a very genial and chatty man, and helped me a great deal in taking photographs of all the lions, of which he seemed
RTE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, NIGE-CIMIEZ. - ar
immensely fond and proud. I took him in the lion’s den, and a very pretty picture of a fine lion in the act of kissmg him was unfortunately spoilt in the developing.
At the back of the lion-cages was a side-show, given by Richard List from Hamburg, who performed twice daily with a ‘happy family’ of lions, tigers, leopards, bears, monkeys, dogs, etc. Close by were a pair of extremely pretty white goats, a rather mangy camel, a bull zebu or Indian sacred bull, some eagles, and a picturesque duckpond.
The Gardens certainly looked better bathed in sun- shine, and the view of the Alpes Maritimes seen from them was superb.
CHAPTER V
ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF THE SOCIETY OF ZOO- LOGY, ‘NATURA ARTIS MAGISTRA,’ AMSTERDAM : DIRECTOR, DR. C. KERBERT
Tut Zoological Gardens at Amsterdam are the third oldest institution of their kind in Europe, the Jardin des Plantes coming first, and the London Zoological Gardens second. Besides the Gardens of the Society of Zoology, ‘Natura artis magistra,’ Amsterdam pos- sesses a large Aquarium, a Zoological Museum, and a Scientific Library of Natural History.
Encouraged by the success of the Zoological Gardens in London, M. G. F. Westerman of Amsterdam con- ceived the idea of founding a similar institution in his native town. However, his initial efforts in 1836 failed. At length an opportunity presented itself. M. R. Draak, a great student of natural history, who possessed an important private collection of stuffed birds, fishes, etc., valued at 8,000 frances at least, wished to transfer them into more spacious quarters. In order to achieve this, he sought the assistance of M. Westerman, known throughout Europe for his interest in natural history. He, on his part, always ready to assist anyone fond of natural history, suc- ceeded in obtaining a site in 1837, and built and
ROVAL ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, AMSTERDAM 37
arranged a natural history museum upon it. It was opened to the public for a small entrance fee the same year. In spite of great efforts, the enterprise flourished but little; but, aided by two friends, M. Westerman bought other large buildings, and laid out some beauti- ful gardens, which he thought would be more attractive to the visitors. When in possession of these gardens,
CONCERT-HOUSE AND LAKE, AMSTERDAM.
the proprietors tried to give more force to their enter- prise by addressing the following circular to the inhabitants of Amsterdam :
‘Natura Artis MAGISTRA
‘A society has been formed under this title, having for its object the study of natural history in an agree-
38 THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS- OF EUROPE
able and attractive form, not only by exhibiting stuffed animals, but also by a collection of living animals and
birds.’
In a very short time 120 persons, whose numbers quickly rose to 400, gave their services and help to the enterprise, and were inscribed as members of the Society, paying an annual subscription.
Encouraged by this first success, the Council decided to negotiate for a loan, with part of which a convenient site was arranged to receive the collections of M. R. Draak. Gradually the number of members of the Society rose, and in 1839, with the authority of the general assembly, the menagerie of C. van Ascen, at that time well known, was bought. Bitter disappoint- ment was, however, caused when the Council, who had asked permission of the municipal authorities to build further houses on their grounds for the animals of the above-mentioned menagerie, were given permission, but on such bad terms that their request was to all intents and purposes met by a refusal. With much regret, the Society was therefore obliged to lodge the animals provisionally in some barrack-stables.
However, little by little other buildings were ac- quired, with large gardens, and the collection of living animals and objects for the museum was enriched both by generous gifts and by purchases.
In 1840 the Society numbered 700 members, and in 1841 the number rose to 1,000. The members then agreed to pay double the former subscription—<.e., twenty frances. The grounds had now increased to the extent of three and a quarter acres. In 1843 M. Wester-
ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS,. AMSTERDAM 39
man, at the request of the Council of Administration, was put at the head of the Society, and accepted the entire control of it, which, in spite of his age, he con- tinued to hold until his death.
In May, 1850, the Gardens occupied nearly five acres, and in the same year the Council instituted attractive concerts twice a week. In April, 1852, His Majesty the King paid a visit to the Gardens, with which he was much pleased. He presented them with his portrait, and gave the Society the name of ‘The Royal Zoological Society.’ In 1877 the last enlarge- ment of the premises was completed. The Society, after many futile efforts, succeeded in obtaining from the Municipal Council a piece of land, on condition that the Society should erect on the site a large building, to be utilized as an aquarium, and that superior instruction in Zoology should be given to the University of the town, partly at the Society’s expense. In all, the extent of the Gardens was in- creased to more than twenty-five acres, for which 463,369 frances were paid.
In 1888, the year in which the Society held its fiftieth anniversary, there were in the Gardens 378 animals of 141 different kinds, 2,009 birds of 462 different kinds, and 77 reptiles of 28 kinds.
The aquarium, opened in 1882, consists of a large and small hall, in which are three big reservoirs con- taining sea water and fresh, pumped in by machinery after having been well filtered. In the large hall will be found sea-water tanks, the two fresh-water tanks being in the small hall. There is a very rich collection of fish in them from all parts of the world,
40 LHE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENSTORSEURORE
and many others have been bred there. Besides con- tributing to the enjoyment of the public, this aquarium is greatly used for research work and the study of anatomy. Here Dr. Kerbert discovered the hitherto unknown fish parasite, Chromatophagus parasiticus. This aquarium is justly considered one of the most important institutions of its kind in Europe. For the study of ethnography a large museum has been built, in which is housed a fine collection of objects apper- taining to that subject. Another spacious room was built during recent years for the rich collection of skeletons which the Society possessed, containing the celebrated collections of G. and E. Vrolik and the skeletons of animals which have died in the Gardens. The total number of skulls and skeletons reaches 1,500, and they are exhibited on long shelves.
After the aquarium had been opened, three rooms were reserved for the collection of Crustacea, Mol- luses, Echinides, Zoophytes, and Polyparies, with the famous collection of sponges, which is unsurpassed in any other museum. The total number of objects kept in these three rooms is 5,976. In this part of the museum is to be found a valuable collection of marine animals, brought from the Arctic regions by M. Barents and M. Varna. During the last three years a collection of /ocu/ animals has been commenced. In the second room of the museum you find not only a collection of stuffed animals and birds, with their eggs and nests, but also a collection of indigenous shells, fish, reptiles and the lower animals. The insects are lodged in three cabinets—one for the indi- genous butterflies and moths, one for the exotic lepi-
ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, AMSTERDAM 41
doptera, and one for the coleoptera or beetles, arranged in 920 drawers.
The scientific library is very rich in works on natural history ; amongst other volumes is to be seen a com- plete edition of the works of Gould, the celebrated ornithologist. The library contains 5,131 books. There are in the museum upwards of 975 stuffed animals and 3,478 birds. The collection of shells is the most beau- tiful and most important which exists.
After the death of M. Westerman in 1890, the directorship of the Society was conferred upon Dr. C. Kerbert, who was formerly conservator of the aquarium.
The fee for admission to these large Gardens is one gulden. There are no less than fifty different houses or pens, besides the aquarium (one of the finest in Europe), and four museums.
Turning to the left after paying at the turnstile, one sees the llama pens, containing specimens of the huanaco, the vicuna and the alpaca; near them are two camels of different kinds. Close by is a pretty little deer shed, one of the inmates of which is a very fine example of Pére David's deer from Manchuria. The insect house is next encountered, with a good collection of living caterpillars and chrysalides in glass- cases. Some specimens of the atlas moth and common swallow-tail butterfly had just emerged (May 2). Passing through a door, the visitor comes to a reptile house, well lighted and heated. Here are to be seen some very fine examples of pythons from Java, boa- constrictors and other large snakes, tortoises, lizards, alligators and a Temminck’s snapper. In the centre
42 THE ZOOEOGICAE GARDENS, OF 2URORE
of this room are three specimens of the curious Surinam sloth (Cholopus didactylus), hanging from horizontal bars by large curved claws. Passing through a door, you find yourself in the parrot house, which is well filled with the brilliant-coloured noisy birds. Here, also, was the magnificent bird of paradise from New Guinea, and the curious wingless kiwi from New Zealand. A monkey house, well stocked, is next passed, and we then come to the large duck-pond, simply teeming with mute swans, wild swans, black swans, bernacle and Canadian geese, gannets, gadwalls, sheldrake, mallard, wigeon, teal, pintail and flamingoes. We next see a very fine pair of American bison, and two young ones born in the Gardens. The crane and wading-bird pens are close at hand, one large pen containing an extraordinary number of coots, rails and oyster-catchers, all looking the picture of health. There is a long, well-lighted lion house, built in 1859, containing twelve cages inhabited by a pair of lions from Somaliland, a pair of tigers from Delhi, some leopards and jaguars, and a pair of pumas, with their young born in the Gardens.
We now come to the elephant house, built in 1897, in which are housed four Indian elephants and a tapir. In the antelope house, which stands near, are a fine pair of elands in a large roomy paddock, waterbuck, a harnessed antelope and its baby, a brindled gnu, an oryx, and the rare inyala. Next, we find a very fine collection of birds of prey, including a beautiful specimen of the Bateleur eagle from Africa.
We now come to the ethnological or anthropological museum, built in 1888, containing native armour,
ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, AMSTERDAM 43
weapons, dress, etc., from all parts of the world, and many draped waxen figures (life-size) of Chinese and Japanese. Behind this museum are some black-and- white yaks from Thibet, and several zebras from India. Further on is the skeleton museum, and after that we come to a hippopotamus house, containing two speci- mens of this huge pachyderm. They are very well
; y YAK, AMSTERDAM. housed, having, besides their large bathing-tanks inside, an outdoor playground and water-tank. Pass- ing through a large conservatory, full of trees and plants, we come to an extremely picturesque seal
grotto, and close by a deer shed. The aquarium is reached next, for admission to which an extra charge of fifty cents is made. This
44 THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF EUROPE
building, erected in 1882, is well worth a visit. Its tanks contain, amongst many others, specimens of coal-fish, sea-anemones, huge cod, conger-eel, crabs, lobsters, plaice, lump-sucker, skate, dog-fish, cat-fish, stickleback, king-crab (very curious), barnacles, newts, gold-fish, pike, barbel, roach, some magnificent trout, carp, perch, American trout and a salamander. In the aquarium is a large museum of preserved natural history objects, mostly fish, shells and reptiles.
After leaving the aquarium, we encounter large pheasantries and peacock houses, wild-sheep pens, ibis pens and a pigeon house, from which the birds have free exit. A third museum is found to be full of stuffed birds, eggs, and nests; some of the birds stuffed in their natural surroundings are very beauti- fully done. The zoological library adjoins. A fourth museum, built in 1894, contains a large collection of stuffed animals and a collection of shells. Here is a huge skeleton of an African elephant, with good tusks, and a stuffed giraffe; a whole unmounted hippo- potamus skin, and a stuffed quagga, now extinct.
Close by this museum are some pens containing zebras and wild asses. The new bear house, built in 1897, contains a fine collection. A large house, built like a fortress, containing wolves, hyzenas and jackals, is close at hand.
Dr. C. Kerbert very kindly sent me a volume of many hundred pages, containing the names of all the specimens in the gardens, aquarium, and museums ; but in a work of this size it would be utterly impossible to give the names of even one-quarter of the treasures that are contained in these most remarkable Gardens.
CHAPTER VI
THE GARDENS OF THE ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL AND BOTANICAL SOCIETY, THE HAGUE (S’(GRAVENAGE) : DIRECTOR, DR. DIETZ
THESE Gardens were opened in 1863.
In 1902 many alterations and repairs were done to the concert-house, the stage, and the aquarium. The museum and the library were enlarged. Important restorations were made in one of the old pheasant houses and in the crane house.
In 1902 the following creatures were in the Gardens: 126 animals of 36 species; 767 birds of 220 species. The income of 1900 was £4,751 ; of 1901, £4,184.
The Zoological Gardens at ‘den Haag’ are very dif- ferent from those at Amsterdam. On paying half a gulden at the entrance, we first come upon a pen occupied by a pair of peacocks. Close by is a guinea- pig and Dutch rabbit house, and then we reach an extremely rude Indian elephant, which throws sand at us. This animal is found in a house built in the Eastern style, with minarets, and has an open-air paddock. There is rather a nice aviary, containing parrots (some of which speak English as well as
46 THE ZOOLOGICAE GAKDENS OZ VE URORE
Dutch), jays and many other birds. Above the aviary 1S a museum.
Next we come to a funny little Himalayan bear, and a monkey house, with large open-air cages for summer use. After passing through some greenhouses full of plants and ferns; we find a nice collection of pheasants from Germany, China, New Guinea, the Himalayas, and Japan. These birds are housed in two long lines of pens, separated from each other by a greenhouse. In the centre of the Gardens, near a pond, is to be found a deer pen. On the back of one of the deer a jackdaw was perched, but unluckily he flew off before I could obtain a photograph of this somewhat unusual sight. Crows and jackdaws are often to be seen upon the backs of cows and sheep, but one would have imagined that a deer was too timid an animal to allow a large bird to perch upon it.
In the Gardens is a fine concert-hall; and here I may remark that in nearly all foreign Zoological Gardens there is such a music-hall, which on concert nights is packed to overflowing, adding largely to the revenue of the Gardens. It has always been a puzzle to me why our Council in London do not try to attract more people by the erection of such a hall and the engagement of the best artistes. An outdoor band appears to be the only attraction of the kind in our Gardens at home, such a thing as an evening concert being almost unheard of.
Close by the concert-hall is a reindeer shed, a llama paddock, a bear pit, and a very tame collie dog kept in a cage as ararity. Close to a duck-pond containing
ZOOEOGICALNG Alt DEN Sabie VECAG Ue 47
sheldrake, wigeon, pochard and swans, there is a pen containing a kangaroo and young, some more llamas, and some zebus.
Taken as a whole, these Gardens are neither pretty nor rich in animals, and are, in consequence, perhaps scarcely worth a visit.
CHAPTER VII
THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, ROTTERDAM DIRECTOR, DR. BUTTIKOFER
THE idea of having a Zoological Garden in Rotterdam owes its origin to three amateur zoologists. One of these enthusiasts, a station-master on the Holland Railway, took a small plot of land on lease, and started a collection of animals and birds. Some years after a number of wealthy citizens subscribed 300,000 guilders, with which they bought thirty-four acres of land, half of which they laid out as a garden, where they built several houses for animals and birds. May 1, 1857, is to be considered the date of the foundation of these Gardens.
In 1863 the remaining ground was laid out and added to the Gardens. The director, Mr. P. H. Martin, originally a renowned lion-tamer, who had been in office since the foundation of the Gardens, resigned, and Mr. A. A. van Bemmelen succeeded him.
At frequent intervals additions were made to the number of buildings, including a large plant house 170 feet long, costing 45,000 guilders.
In 1874 a 5 per cent. loan of 500,000 guilders was contracted, and about twenty-five acres of land bought at a cost of 230,000 guilders. A splendid
THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, ROTGERDAM 49
casino was built on the newly acquired land, containing a restaurant, reading-rooms and a museum, at a cost of 325,000 guilders. In 1878 an officials’ dwelling- house and a house for succulent plants were erected.
In 1882 the loan alluded to above was converted into a 4 per cent. one of 600,000 guilders. Large aviarles were erected in 1883 and 1885, and the ‘Victoria’ house for stove-plants in 1886. Other houses followed in 1889 and 1891. The year 1893 brought the conversion of the former loan into a 34 per cent. mortgage loan of 1,000,000 guilders, the issue of new shares to the amount of 700,000 guilders, and the paying-off of the old shares.
In 1895 a handsome new house for the carnivores was completed at a cost of 82,000 guilders. ‘This house measures about 200 feet in length. In January, 1897, Mr. van Bemmelen died suddenly, after having been in office thirty-four years; and in May of the same year Dr. J. Biittikofer was appointed his suc- cessor. The fortieth anniversary of the founding of the Gardens was celebrated by a grand féte.
During the following years many more new buildings were erected, and the borders of some of the ponds were lined with an edging of concrete reaching for some feet down into the water, which proved successful in putting a stop to the devastations by rats.
The Gardens are planted chiefly with elms, but besides these trees there are numerous poplars, chest- nuts, planes, limes, ashes, maples, oaks, willows, birches, alders, thorns, etc. Conifers are few in number, as the soil does not suit them, but holly and box grow well enough.
4
50 THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS ORV OicO ae
A good amount of bedding-out is done ; for summer planting alone more than 4,500 plants are used annually. The houses contain collections of orchids, palms, tree and other ferns (the tallest Balantiwm antarcticum in Europe is said to be there), agaves, azaleas, and various other stove and greenhouse plants. One house has been set apart chiefly for tropical economic plants.
The collection of animals numbers actually 394 mammals of 127 species, of which there are no less than 91 apes of 29 species, and 154 ungulates of 46 species.
There are 1,406 birds of 360 species, 94 reptiles of 24 species, and 39 amphibia of 3 species.
The management of the affairs of the Society is entrusted to a board of twenty-five shareholders, with president, vice-president, hon. secretary, and hon. treasurer included.
Out of these twenty-five members different com- mittees are formed, who have the supervision respec- tively of : (1) The collection of animals; (2) the garden and plants; (3) the buildings; (4) the clubhouse, concerts, ete. ; (5) the library and the museum. All these gentlemen render their services gratuitously.
Holders of original tickets have the right of free admission to the Gardens. Members who are residents of Rotterdam pay thirty guilders a year, with an entrance fee of ten guilders. They have free access with their families to the Gardens. There are in all 5,837 members at the present day. The admission for visitors 1s one-half guilder, children half-price.
During the summer season about thirty-five evening
K.
ATERBUC
HERD OF W.
BRINDLED GNU.
KANGAROOS,
JAPANESE DEER.
THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, ROTTERDAM 53
and thirteen morning concerts are given. On the (Jueen’s birthday there is an additional display of fire- works.
In 1901 the expenses amounted to 169,300 guilders 90 cents, and the receipts were 170,847 guilders 94 cents, giving a surplus of 1,547 guilders 4 cents.
The concerts during the summer months take place every Tuesday and Friday at 8 p.m., and on Sundays at 2.30 or 8 p.m. The lions are fed at 2.30.
These are fine Gardens, and contain a magnificent concert-hall. The first house encountered contains, in separate pens, an oryx antelope, a gnu, nylgai, yaks, zebus, Indian buftaloes and American bison. Near a bear house, containing black, brown, European and grizzly bears, and striped hyzenas, is a very fine bird- of-prey aviary.
One of the prettiest sights in the Gardens was a family of waterbuck—two female, one male, and a baby. The wild-sheep grotto, surmounted by a tower, was extremely picturesque, and up and down the rockwork jumped guanacos, alpacas, llamas, wild goats, Barbary sheep, moufflons, ibex and chamois. There was a pretty duck-pond and lake, crossed by two wooden bridges. The airy lion house, with seventeen dens, contained a jaguar, lions, leopards, cheetah, two black leopards and pumas. Close by was a camel house, a monkey house with outdoor summer cages, and a very good collection of pheasants.
Crowds of children proved a great nuisance whilst I was attempting to take photographs. There was a large open-air cage, in which herons, storks and gulls flew about at will. There was a pigeon house, with a
54 THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF EUROPE
picturesque tower, two polar bears, a number of Indian muntjac, and a fine lot of red deer and wapiti. In all there are no less than fifty-four different animal en- closures, and the buildings also include a large restaurant, with great hall, reading-room, ladies’-room, dining-room, zoological museum (upstairs), ethnological museum, director’s house, office, library, workshop and officials’ houses.
CHAPTER VIII ZOOLOGISK HAVE, COPENHAGEN
THE Zoological Garden in Copenhagen was founded in 1859 by Dr. Kjaerblling. It is a quaint Garden, situated by the side of a large park. On paying fifty ore to a pretty girl (the first pretty girl I had seen in Denmark) at the entrance, I found myself opposite a large duck-pond with little islands in it, upon which were placed boxes for the birds to build their nests in. Close by the side of the pond was a model in plaster of the huge Dinosaurus iguanodon, a kangaroo-like reptile long ago extinct, a skeleton of which is to be seen in the Brussels Museum.
Near a large restaurant was placed an ingeniously constructed seal tank, like an aquarium, with a thick plate-glass front to enable one to see the creature swimming about below the surface of the water. It was amusing to watch it sitting bolt upright, with its tail resting on the bottom of the tank, and its nose and eyes just above the surface of the water.
Next came a pair of water-buffalo and their baby, and an American bison. In the centre of the Garden was a pheasant pen, and a very large aviary with trees growing in it, upon the top of which herons built their nests. There were many duck and fowl aviaries, some
56 THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF EUROPE
of the latter having curious little houses with ponds in front of them. There was a small cats’ house, which smelt abominably. This, however, is unavoidable, con- taining as it does foxes, civets, polecats, wild cats, servals, porcupines, wolves, jackals and two sorts of hyzenas. There was a lion house with outside cages, containing a pair of lions, a pair of tigers, leopards, jaguars and a puma (the latter always growling). Another house contained a very miscellaneous collec- tion—some goats, a pair of Shetland ponies, a magnifi- cent cassowary (very tame), a tapir, some Brahma cattle, some wild boars, a lot of guinea-pigs, a crane, two dorcas gazelle, two muntjacs, an enormous zebra, and a tiny donkey.
All the trees and shrubs in this Garden were extra- ordinarily backward ; scarcely a leaf was out, and as it poured with rain during the whole of my visit of five hours, the outlook could scarcely be called pleasing to the eye.
There was a small house of flamingoes and storks, and in an elephant house were a small Indian elephant and a troupe of performing dogs and monkeys. Here Herr Litz, the celebrated trainer, was performing with a various assortment of animals. In the deer sheds were a pair of cariboo, with a baby a few weeks old, some axis and some wapiti deer.
There were several bird-of-prey aviaries, and in them some beautiful Iceland falcons. A second elephant house contained an enormous Indian ele- phant. A fine new series of bear pits in red brick was in course of construction. But the best house in the Garden was a really good and new monkey house,
ZOOLOGISK HAVE, COPENHAGEN 57
very lofty and roomy, with huge plate-glass fronts. In one of the compartments was a young Himalayan bear, together with several monkeys. The outside cages of this house contained trees, ropes, swings, a windmill and a rocking-horse for the amusement of the apes. Altogether I consider this one of the finest and best-appointed monkey houses in Europe.
On the top of what looked like a factory chimney a pair of storks had built their nest in the open air. A house for tropical small birds contained an enormous number of paroquets, and close by was a quaint cone- shaped owl house, with outside and inside cages. There were wild-sheep rockeries, wolves’ dens, and another pond, besides many smaller houses.
This Garden is well worth a visit.
CHAPTER IX
THE GARDENS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF ZOOLOGY, ANTWERP: DIRECTOR, M. F. L HOEST
THE Society of Zoology at Antwerp was founded July 21, 1843. The Gardens then consisted of but three and a half acres of land lying outside the old fortifications of the city, for which a capital of 100,000 francs was subscribed. In 1843 Pierre Joseph de Caters was President and M. Jacques Kets was Director. M. Francois L’Hoest was appointed Director in 1888. The personnel of the Gardens comprises elghty-eight employés. The animals’ food costs 112,000 franes yearly.
During the year 1900 the total receipts (including 152,951 francs taken at the gates) amounted to 31,299,470 francs. In 1900, 32,763,336 francs’ worth of animals were bought and 33,792,396 francs’ worth of animals sold. Public sales are held annually. Fertile poultry eggs are sold at one franc each, guaranteed pure bred ; if proved not fertile, they are replaced by others.
The Gardens, which are close to the railway-station, are open from April to September from 6 a.m. to sunset, and from October to March from 7 a.m. to sunset. There are numerous grand concerts. The
ROVAE SOCIEDY OF “ZOOLOGY, ANT WERE 59
price of admission to the Gardens is one france for adults and fifty centimes for children under twelve years. The lions are fed at 5 p.m. in summer, 4 p.m. in winter, and the otters at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
A grand entrance to the Gardens, to replace the present provisional one, is under consideration. On entering, one sees on the left the Grand Palais des Fétes, opened in 1897 in the presence of His Majesty King Leopold IH. The Palais, which cost 1,300,000 francs, contains a terrace and balcony, a restaurant, a eafé and billiard-rooms, a vast promenade, a marble saloon, a great concert-hall to seat 3,000, a vestibule and grand staircase, and a winter garden ; and in three large rooms is a natural history museum. Opposite the Palais des Fétes is a wide open space covered with seats grouped round a central band-stand.
The collection of animals and birds in these Zoological Gardens is one of the finest in Europe, and the Gardens are especially famous for their hippopotami, which have frequently bred there. The first house we come to is the monkey house, with cleverly constructed doors to keep the draught out. Here is a specimen of the orang-outang from Borneo, a chacma, and a chim- panzee.
We next come to the dairy, constructed in the ‘Renaissance flamandi’ style. The stalls contain twelve cows, which, before being brought in, are submitted to the ‘tuberculin’ test; if they pass it, their milk is certified free from all infectious germs. The price of milk is twenty cents the glass, ‘ guaranteed pure and not skimmed.’
We now come to prettily thatched kangaroo sheds, _
60 DHE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF Ee URORE
and in front of them is a duck-pond well stocked with ducks and swans. Next we find an ostrich and cassowary house, built in the Eastern style. Here I quite mistook the grunt of the ostrich for the dull roar or grunt of the lion, as I had often done before in the African jungle. Close at hand is a fine lofty bird-of- prey aviary. Outside nearly all the cages were
KANGAROO.
(Photo by Ottomar Anschiitz, Berlin.)
coloured pictures of the birds, with a map of the world below them showing the distribution of each. Passing a small seal grotto and thatched house for Ilamas, we come to the Palais Egyptien, or elephant and giraffe house. The paintings on the outside walls represent the natives of foreign parts coming to offer to the city
OVALS SOCIE Oka AO OLOGY, ANE GE» (Or
of Antwerp examples of the most characteristic animals of their country.
This house contained four giraffes : one born in 1871, one in 1873, one in 1875, and one in 1876 (in 1897 the Society refused an offer of 25,000 frances for one) ; some camels, common and Burchell’s zebras, Indian and Sumatran rhinoceroses, and two Indian elephants. There is a stuffed giraffe, which died in 1898, after having been in the menagerie eighteen years, and the skeleton of an Indian elephant, which lived in the Gardens from 1852 to 1880.
The bear dens are next to be seen, near a duck- pond, upon which were swimming hundreds of ducks. There are four polar bears housed near here. Passing the wapiti and moose yards, we come to a large aviary, outside which is a monument to Darwin. More than 100,000 pairs of birds are annually bought and sold in these Gardens.
Next in order is a large children’s playground, replete with swings for their amusement. There is a very picturesque rockery for wild sheep and aurochs, and American bison enclosures backed with rockwork.
A most imposing lion house is now encountered, after passing through a fine sculptured entrance. It will be found very roomy inside, and it contains a large number of dens, besides three large circular open-air cages. In one of the latter were housed no less than seven lion-cubs, all about six months old. Opposite the outside cages were a couple of brindled gnus, a pair of leucoryx antelopes, and an Oryx beisa, grazing in paddocks. In a house close by were lodged a pair of full-grown hippopotami and a baby born in the Gardens.
62 THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF EUROPE
The parents have bred no less than twelve youngsters between 1886 and 1900, the period of gestation being 238 days. Several young ones have been sold to other Gardens for very large prices. Pony and donkey carriages run about the Gardens carrying children. A very good band played all the afternoon when I was there, and the Gardens were full of fashionably-dressed people. Some of the statues in the Gardens are very fine, notably a group representing an Indian horseman attacked by jaguars. One of the things which will probably strike the visitor most is the enormous number of ducks, the ponds literally swarming with them.
CHAPTER X
JARDIN ZOOLOGIQUE, GHENT, FOUNDED 1851: DIRECTOR, M. NIEPELS
Ir was simply pouring with rain when I left Brussels to visit the Zoological Garden at Ghent; but, as luck would have it, I had scarcely paid my france and passed the turnstile into the Garden when the rain ceased and the sun popped in and out of clouds.
Passing a duck-pond covered with pochard, the visitor comes to a café and the usual concert-hall found in all zoological gardens on the Continent. In front of the hall is a large open space with a band- stand in the middle. Just beyond is the parrot and small-bird house, in which one of the parrots was imitating a cuckoo to perfection. In the centre of this house was a large case containing stuffed animals and birds, which had lived at some time or other in the Garden. Close by was a large pheasant and peacock aviary, with indoor pens fitted with plate- glass sides.
After passing a quantity of poultry pens, the next objects which attract the visitor’s attention are the well-filled brown-bear cages. Behind them, in a house rather difficult to find, is a remarkably fine Indian elephant. We next come to a pretty pond with a
64 THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF EUROPE
variety of ducks, mostly sheldrake, swimming upon it. There is a good bird-of-prey aviary, containing, amongst other birds, a remarkably fine condor.
The next house contained zebus, wapiti, Japanese deer, and black-and-white African sheep with fat tails. The extraordinary abundance of fat on the tails is a
BARBARY SHEEP, GHENT.
provision of nature, and enables the animal to go without food for a considerable period when making long marches from one patch of long grass to another, which is of frequent occurrence in the arid deserts where they live. I frequently gave as little as three arms’-length of common American sheeting for one fat-tailed sheep in Somaliland, North-East Africa,
JARDIN ZOOLOGIQUE, GHENT 65
one of the principal homes of these black-and-white sheep.
In the centre of the Garden is another pond, upon which were ducks, swans, pelicans, storks, and cor- morants. There was a pen of Angora sheep, the old ram having most beautifully twisted horns. In a rockery was one of the prettiest sights in the Garden —a herd of Barbary sheep, a favourite animal in Con- tinental zoos; behind them were a herd of yak, and one of white llamas. ~ Anyone who happens to find himself in Ghent with an hour to spare should visit the Garden. It is close to the railway-station.
©
CHAPTER XI JARDIN ZOOLOGIQUE, LIEGE: DIRECTOR, M. HENRARD
Tus Garden belongs to the Royal Society of Acclimata- tion and Horticulture of Liege.
On entering (I saw nobody to pay), I found a number of poultry pens, the inmates being for sale. A large number of ducks and geese are also bred and sold, and two cages contained fox-terrier dogs for sale. There was a bear pit, which appeared to be empty, and a monkey-cage only half full; but look as I would all over the Garden, I could find no other animals.
The Garden is very long and very narrow, and has several large duck-ponds, many down the middle con- taining a few ducks and geese. There is a children’s playground with swings of various kinds, but this Garden can scarcely be called a zoological garden. There is a school of horticulture, a restaurant, and a band-stand.
CHAPTER XII
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, AIX-LA-CHAPELLE (AACHEN) : DIRECTOR, AUG. BAST
Tus Garden was founded in 1886 by Sir Emil Lochner, and his widow is now proprietress.
On paying twenty pfennig one is confronted by a large, handsome concert-hall with glass roof and sides, with pretty beds of tulips in front of it. At first I could find no animals, although I found several empty cages and pens. At length, however, I came upon a deer house with outside enclosure, containing, amongst others, a pair of wapiti about half grown. Close by it was a bear den built like a castle, and con- taining a brown and a polar bear ; in two other pens close at hand were a pair of white goats and a pretty roe deer. What, apparently, had been an antelope shed now housed two monkeys and some parrots. There was rather a nice lion house, but there was not a single animal in it. There was a llama pen inhabited by one llama, and a pheasant house and a duck lake finished a very disappointing show, considering the accommoda- tion and possibilities of the place.
To add to the enjoyment of my visit to the Garden, I was caught in a snowstorm there, May 7.
9—2
CHAPTER XII
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, COLOGNE: PRESENT DIRECTOR, DR. WUNDERLICH
In 1857 Dr. Garthe conceived the idea of forming a Zoological Garden, and gave expression to this idea in the Cologne newspaper of August 13 in that year. People of every class appreciated his idea, and took shares in a company which was formed three years afterwards. This was the last work of this great savant. A bust of him by Werres is now placed at the end of the main walk in the Garden.
The first Director of the Garden, Dr. H. Bodinus aus Greifswald, was appointed on April 24, 1859.
On September 17, 1859, plans of the Garden were submitted by Director Strauss, and the work pro- eressed so rapidly that the Garden was opened to the public on July 22, 1860. Different houses and ponds were added from time to time, until, in 1882, the Garden reached its present extent.
The institution quickly won friends and sympathizers in all parts of the world. In 1869 Dr. Bodinus, the Director, left in order to undertake the direction of the Berlin Zoological Garden, and he was succeeded by Nicholas Funk, who had been Director of the Brussels Zoological Garden. During his sixteen years’ term of
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, COLOGNE 69
office he did much for the pictorial beauty of the Garden.
Heck in 1886 thoroughly replenished the stock of animals before leaving for Berlin. In 1888 he was replaced by Dr. Wiinderlich, who is the Director of the Garden to-day.
Of late years the approaches to the Garden and the Garden itself have improved enormously. The old- fashioned and ugly buildings were all removed by a big fire, and a splendid new aviary and a new ostrich house have taken their places. The ostrich house is built in the shape of a mosque with numerous minarets. The birds are now to be seen all the year round, which was not possible in the old house. There is plenty of light and ventilation through a glass roof, whilst two stoves supply heat. Within this house, besides ostriches, are to be found rheas, emus, pouch- bearing animals, rodents and parrots, and the rarest bird in it is the Australian wingless kiwi. This tire- some bird goes to sleep all day, and is never to be seen when wanted ; but when the gates are shut and the visitors have all departed, out comes the kiwi.
The old ostrich pens have disappeared, and in their place is a children’s playground, which is quite deserted and useless, as all the children naturally go to see their cousins in the monkey house.
The kangaroos’ quarters have changed for the worse, as the animals formerly lived in big outside pens ; now, owing to the children’s playground, they are confined in much narrower limits, and have only small outside
70 THE ZOOLEOGIGAL GARDENS OF EUROPE
pens, without enough room to move about. An arma- dillo is also to be seen in this house.
On leaving the ostrich house, the camels’ and llamas’ enclosure is next encountered. The houses are prettily painted in bright colours. The collection of llamas is very complete. We pass on to the old aviary contain- ing the pheasants; a large new pheasantry, on the same plan as that of the one in the Zoological Gardens at Hanover, is now under consideration. Here are also to be found specimens of Amherst’s pheasant and the vulturine guinea- fowl from North - East Africa.
Leaving the restaurant on your left, you pass through a young chestnut avenue and come to the antelope and deer houses, standing ina long row. The small deer and the hardier kinds of antelope are found here. Waterbuck, nylgai, and two white-tailed gnus are to be seen. Pére David’s deer is one of the occu- pants of the deer sheds. Other deer found are the Vir- ginian deer, axis deer, sika from Japan, and a very grotesque-looking deer from China—Reeves’ muntjac (Cervulus Reevest). On the other side of these sheds is the large -deer enclosure, with pretty houses attached. Here are found wapiti from America, and the Altai, one with a curious malformation of horn. At the end of the deer enclosure is the old bear pit, with two fine big pens. This was a present from the late architect, Koch. There is also a cage and tank containing two polar bears ; a grizzly bear in the next cage, with rockery and flowing water ; a pair of South American rare spectacled bears (U. ornatus), Malay bear, Thibet bear, Japan bear, an Indian and a Western
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, COLOGNE 71
Asian. Opposite to the bear pit is the flamingo pond, in one of the prettiest situations in the Garden. Green banks, groups of trees, storks, cranes and flamingoes make a lovely picture. From the terrace of the res- taurant a very picturesque view of the Garden is to be had. On the left hand of the pond are a sheep and goat rockery, and a building containing Barbary sheep, thar, onahura, and a herd of moufllon—that extremely beautiful black, brown, and white wild goat. The latter have frequently bred in the Garden. In Corsica and Sardinia, for want of game laws, they are fast dying out. There is a new fox and jackal house, brick-built in the Gothic style, and having on one side a massive tower. The cages are roomy, the floors cemented, and the sanitary arrangements good. Be- sides the German wolf are to be found the grey wolf and the black wolf of North America, also several jackals, foxes, and fennecs, including the Arctic and common foxes, and C. Hagenbecki from Somaliland. Two striped hyznas and one spotted hyena are housed in front of the bear pits.
The monkey house is also found in front of the bear pit. This is the most attractive and popular house in the Garden. A young orang-outang, however, has monopolized most attention in the new aviary. The baboons, macaques, etc., will soon be placed in a new house, which will have more light from above, and there will be out-of-door cages. The capuchin seems to live out of doors all the year round. In the— monkey house are different sorts of lemurs, white rats and mice, and the hamsters, which live in glass cases. One of the baboons has been for years in the Garden ;
2 THE ZOOEOGICAELE GARDENS OF EURO
he has learnt to dance, and will turn round as often as he is told.
We leave the monkey house, built in pleasing Indian style, and come to the rodents’ grottoes and squirrel house. Here are porcupines and hystrices. The small rodents of the squirrel family live with the marmots or mountain-rats, and are to be seen close to the grottoes. This place is built of stone and iron to resist the sharp teeth of these gnawing animals.
The carpincho (Hydrocherus capybara) is in an enclosure close by behind the monkey house. This animal is the largest of the rodents, being 4 feet long and weighing 98 pounds. Here also is a very fine collection of geese.
Passing the pretty little house of the Director, we come to the splendid and imposing new aviary ; here are all kinds of foreign birds, such as paroquets, etc. The four corners are marked by towers. There are outside cages, and the house is well built and free from draughts. On the south-west side of the house is a large open cage with a spring of water in it, containing wading birds, the ibises, and shore birds, such as oyster- catchers and plovers. Ladders lead up to the roosting- boxes. Each outside cage is provided with a good bath. All the birds are well labelled on the cages, and there are pictures of several of them.
Above the great aviary is a large glass roof with ventilators. The Cologne aviary surpasses that of Berlin. The cages get their light from the front as well as from above ; by this means you see the proper colours of the birds, and not merely their silhouettes. There are plenty of trees and plants for the enjoyment
STORKS.
BATELEUR EAGLE. COCKATOO. STORK NESTING ON THE GROUND. (Photo by Ottomar Anschtitz, Berlin.) CRANES.
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, COLOGNE 75
of the birds as well as for the pleasure of the visitors. These plants help to improve the air.
Passing the great fish-pond, which in summer is ornamented with swans and in winter is very popular for skating, we come to the piggery, a pretty building in blue-gray basalt covered with natural red _ tiles. Each pig has a roomy eating and drinking trough, and is kept clean and free from smell. The floors are on a slant, and the drainage is excellent. Here are wart-hogs, some European wild boars (huge animals), small pecearies, and the brilliantly - coloured red river-hog. Next door are the birds of prey. Their building contains fifteen large flying cages, the one in the middle being the largest. At both ends of the rows of cages are twenty smaller cages. The great flying cages contain trees and a brook of flowing water. There are huts for nests built into the walls. The small cages are built of stone with bars in the front ; shrubs are put into each.
There are two sorts of vultures, thirty species of hawks, and ten of owls.
A bridge of stone close to the eagle rocks connects the old part of the Garden with that of the new. The street below has not been destroyed, doubtless owing to its historic character. From the bridge there is a beautiful view over the Miihlheim heath of the town beyond. Five-sixths of the space of the new part of the Garden is taken up by a large lawn covered with shrubs. At the end of this we come to the sea- lion grotto; the Garden guide calls it the chef-d’auvre of the Garden. From a large rockwork overgrown with moss and plants the water flows into a basin
76 THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF HUKORE
15 yards long and 8 yards wide. At the back of the rock are huts for the seals.
Retracing our steps, we come to the buffalo houses, three pretty, massive wood-block houses. In one are to be found no less than five American bisons ; in the others are the Indian bison, the yak, the Cape buffalo, the gaur, the banting from Java, and the gayal.
Going back over the bridge, we see to the right, rather hidden by bushes, a road leading to the ante- lope and elephant house, fitted with large outside pens with water-tanks. Here is to be seen a hippopotamus. Opposite the tank is a beaver enclosure ; not far from the beaver house is the otter tank, with perpetually flowing water. The so-called elephant house is a plaster building in the Moorish style, with little towers and minarets. Going through folding-doors, we step into a wide hall. Near the door are the equide. The idea of uniting the antelopes and elephants is for the sake of economy. The pens are separated from each other by rolling doors. The animals are fed from the front. There are one African and two Indian elephants. The Indian female elephant has been in the Garden since 1872 and is now thirty-two years old; the African elephant, a young male, is eight years old— Mangasia he is called, after the famous Abyssinian Ras. The old hippo, which was born in Antwerp, is now dead, and has been replaced by a baby one. This little fellow tumbles about in his tank in a most amusing manner.
Tapis, Indian and American, are found in this house. Amongst the ruminants are the anoa, an addax, a magnificent sable, Oryx beisa, and three Oryx
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, COLOGNE a7
leucoryx (both the latter have bred here), the gnu, some Arabian gazelles, and a dwarf antelope with a young one, the latter in a special glass cage with bars on the top. This cage stands on a table. In the cages are sleeping compartments. In the centre of the room was a glass case containing four baby kangaroos, and a pretty sight it was to see them playing with each other. There are a pair of Somaliland wild asses, which have bred here, and also Burchell’s and Chapman’s zebras.
The small-cats’ house is not a beautiful edifice ; the cages are very narrow and badly lighted. Here are to be seen the serval, the caracul, leopard, zorilla, ichneumon, etc.; the local animals have the worst cages in the Garden.
Close to the small-cats’ house is the large-cats’ house, an unpretentious building, which has ten exten- sive semicircular cages. The outside cages are roofed over and have cement floors; inside, the cages are floored with wood. The four biggest cages have grottoes at the back, also wooden floors. The grottoes, however, are difficult to clean. The floors, which slope to the front for drainage, can be taken out. Bars can be put in to divide one cage into two if necessary. Tree-trunks are put inside. When the Rhine over- flowed in 1882 and 1884, the cats saved themselves from being drowned by climbing up these tree-trunks. Two marks on the eagle aviary show the height of the water on those occasions. Many ducks and swans swam away and were killed by so-called sportsmen. The Garden was turned into a Rhenish Venice, and the feeding was carried on in boats. In the house are
78 THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF 2URORE
three lions, and three young born in the Garden, leopards, cheetahs, puma, and black leopard, a pair of hunting leopards, a jaguar, a pair of Bengal tigers, and a pair of Siberian tigers (the female born in Berlin). These animals live day and night in the open air. The lions in winter are often seen lying in the snow, perfectly contented.
Leaving the square with shady trees we come to the great aviary. The flying cages are small in com- parison with those of the Berlin aviary ; the ironwork is so complicated up above that the birds cannot fly about at the top for fear of damaging themselves. They have only a poor bath and a few mangy-looking trees. The birds mostly perch on iron bars and parts of the wall at the back. They are too crowded: doves, seagulls, pheasants, herons, and starlings jostle each other. It is not quiet enough for them to breed well. It was an amusing sight to see the gulls fed; they made such a noise, and fought so hard for the tit-bits of meat, bread, and green food thrown to them. Close by the great aviary are the stilts and a primitive wooden winter house containing peacocks, etc. At the back of the peacock house are the storks, one of the finest collections in Germany. There are thirteen different species. In summer they inhabit the green banks of the flamingo pond.
‘lose to the place where the children do not play there are a quantity of old houses for poultry, pigeons, etc. There are five ponds: one a large skating-pond, in summer frequented by swans; a second the flamingo pond mentioned above. Three other ponds are the Island and Temple ponds, called after a little clock-
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, COLOGNE 79
temple close by, and the pond which unites them. These stretch across the Garden from the Director’s house to the lion house. They simply swarm with ducks of every description, pelicans, eight species of swans, and twenty-six species of geese. The pelicans
PELICANS, COLOGNE.
are a very fine collection, and contain eight species in all.
Near the lion house is a machine house producing electricity for the restaurant and pumping water for ponds. Before the machine house is a pretty grotto with a waterfall which leads by a brook into the ponds.
CHAPTER XIV
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, ELBERFELD: DIRECTORS, MESSRS. HERRMAN AND RIEMAN
THE Zoological Garden in Elberfeld was founded in 1879 by a number of citizens in the form of a com- pany. The opening of the Garden took place on Sep- tember 17, 1881. The Garden, which has an area of about 137,641 square yards, lies in the west of Elber- feld, at the end of the town parks adjoining some plantations. The Garden owes much of its attraction to the beauty of the valleys and hills amongst which it 1s situated, and has on this account been much fre- quented by artists. It has been considered the most beautiful Garden in the whole of Germany. The number of animals, however, is small. The main object of the Garden is to afford the public a pleasant spot in which to amuse themselves, and for this purpose there are frequent concerts and fairs. The restaurant can hold 25,000 people.
After a long drive uphill and right out of the town in a most rickety old cab, which I expected would come to bits every minute, I arrived at the Garden, laid out upon the side of a hill, with a large and thick wood in the background. Close by the entrance-gate
ZOOLOGISCHER., GAR LE Ni Ebb itis LD 81
was an enormous concert-hall and café, with a little open-air theatre behind. Going uphill on the left, past some very nice asphalt tennis-courts and a duck- pond, you reach a large brown bear and wolves’ den. On a steep bank was a herd of red deer, with some fallow deer, whilst higher up was a pair of Barbary sheep, with a young one.
There were many pretty walks leading through beech and birch trees down to a large boating lake. Although not rich in animals, the Garden is _pic- turesquely situated.
You can come back part of the way on the very cleverly constructed Barmen - Elberfeld mono - rail, which runs all along and above the river. Really, the Germans are up-to-date and far and away above us in electrical transit.
CHAPTER XV
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, DUSSELDORF: DIRECTOR, INSPECTOR GOFFART
THe Zoological Garden at Diisseldorf is owned by a company with a capital of 35,000 shares. The open- ing of the Garden took place on May 31, 1896. The portion laid aside for animals (not including planta- tions, greenhouses, pasture-land, ete.) is about twenty- seven and a half acres. Taking into consideration that Diisseldorf is not a town which is much resorted to by visitors, and that it is so close to Cologne, where it has a powerful rival, the stock of animals in the Garden is not a bad one. There is a good collection of monkeys, bears, and carnivorous animals generally. There are a fair number of rodents, a large number of deer, six bison, and a large herd of Barbary sheep. There is also a number of horses and asses for children to ride and drive.
The birds are numerous, especially the birds of prey, singing-birds, parrots, poultry, pigeons, ostriches, and cassowaries. ‘There are some fine ponds for the ducks, and a gigantic aviary 6,000 cubic yards in extent. An artistic-looking ruin, like the Castle of Heidelburg, cost £2,700.
The yearly cost of food, which is about £1,600, gives
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, DUSSELDORF 83
an idea of the large number of animals and birds in the Garden.
After passing the entrance-gate (entrance fee fifty pfennig), the first pen on the left contains pheasants. We next come to a pretty garden of flower-beds, with a fountain in the middle, and close to a long line of domestic-fowl pens and a rose-garden is the concert- hall; close by is a bird-of-prey aviary, and in front of it a large Kinderspielplatz, or children’s play- ground, replete with swings of all sorts. Crossing a bridge over a duck-pond, we come to a most amusing little house of guinea-pigs. The house is in two stories, and you can see the guinea-pigs looking out of the windows upstairs. It looks just like a large dolls’ house. We then come to what appears to be an ancient castle in ruins, and among these ruins capers a huge flock of Barbary sheep. I should say that this is the largest herd ever brought together in captivity. I counted over sixty, including a large number of kids. Next in order is a lion house, with outside summer cages, containing lions, tigers, leopards, and pumas, as well as a handsome civet from West Africa, and a striped hyzena.
Backed by an elaborate rockwork is a sculptured lioness with cubs, very life-like. Opposite the lion house is a large lake crowded with ducks and swans. Next come foxes and wolves and two polar bears. In the American bison enclosure young ones were born in 1890, 1892, 1894, 1896, 1898, and 1899. In the next pen is a Shetland pony, and then comes a pen of yak. Deer pens follow, with a small brook running through
6—2
84 LTHE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF 2URORS
each. Then comes one of the largest flying aviaries I have seen in any Zoological Garden. It is some 50 feet high, and has quite large trees growing in it, upon which herons build their nests. The cage was presented by Herr Oskar Aders in 1897, and it con- tains gulls, ducks, ruffs, oyster-catchers, and other waders.
A BARBARY RAM, DUSSELDORF.
A curious Egyptian building, with outside paddocks, contains camels (two kinds), pigmy cattle, and an Indian elephant. This house is followed by others containing roe deer, axis deer, rabbits, kangaroos, and monkeys. I must not omit to mention a baby Bactrian camel born in the Garden.
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, DUSSELDORF 85
This is quite one of the most picturesque of the many beautiful Gardens on the Continent.
I next journeyed to Krefeld by a most circuitous route, and found that the Thiergarten (wild-beast garden) contained not a single beast, but only a man, who asked me about a dozen questions in German, none of which I could answer.
CHAPTER XVI
THE WESTPHALIAN ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN, MUNSTER: DIRECTOR, DR. LANDOIS
THE so-called ‘island’ upon which this Garden now stands was originally laid out by the Abbot Bernard von Galen. <A fortress which stood on the island was destroyed and replaced by a public park, a coffee- house, and a summer theatre.
On December 10, 1873, Professor Landois and Sanitary Inspector Niibel took a lease of the island and everything standing upon it until February 14, 1874, when they bought it right out and set to work to form a Zoological Garden upon it.
In order to improve the appearance of the place, they induced Herr Carl Koller to sell them a neigh- bouring meadow for 2,000 thalers. With extra- ordinary activity they worked until June 26, 1875, when the Garden was formally opened to the public. In 1881 the pillar-hall—a large entrance-hall—was built ; this, however, was subsequently destroyed by fire. In 1894 it was replaced by a new building in the modern style, approached by a bridge over the river.
The entrance-hall bears over its gate the inscrip- tion: ‘Omne tulit punctum qui miscuit utile dulei’
WESTPHALIAN ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN, MUNSTER 87
(Everyone hits the right nail on the head who com- bines the useful with the beautiful).
The restaurant was completed for the opening of the Garden in 1875. The great hall, with its ante-rooms, was originally destined for a scientific and artistic museum ; but the people, as of old, hungered more for pleasure than for science, so that the whole of the scientific collection had to be removed to the lumber- room above, and a theatre and stage took its place.
According to the opinion of Carl Hagenbeck, the monkey house at Miinster is the best erection of its kind in the world. The monkeys can be outside or inside as they please all the year round. In conse- quence of this the house has been copied by many other Gardens. The wolves’ grotto was built in 1883. The bear pit carries the following peculiar inscription :
‘Cette belle et gracieuse villa L’on doit et Yours au gorilla—1881.’
This is explained when we are told that in 1881 Professor Landois travelled round the towns of West- phalia with the skeleton of a gorilla, and held popular scientific lectures upon it; the money obtained he presented for the building of the bear pit. Many have been born here. There is a female polar bear with a male brown bear, and hopes are expressed that some day there may be a piebald bear-cub.
The aquarium is a present from the Evening Society, and was built out of the profits of the play called ‘King Belle’ in 1886.
The owl tower was built from the profits of another
play.
88 THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF EUROPE
A pretty walk through an avenue of trees brings us to the Zoological Garden (entrance fee fifty pfennig). The first cage is found to contain small rodents, and this is followed by a bird-of-prey aviary. We next come to the Kindersport Spielplatz (children’s playground). A man in uniform came and unlocked the swings, when there was a perfect rush of children to circular swings, horizontal swings, vaulting-horses, and hori- zontal bars galore. How well they cater for children’s amusement in Germany! In a Chinese pagoda, painted red, were a pair of Bactrian camels and their baby, and close by a duck-pond was a large aviary containing pigeons, pheasants, turkeys, fowls, and culls in separate pens. In the next enclosure were some moutilon, two rams having enormous horns. Opposite a large museum of natural history specimens is an owl house, with a picturesque tower above it. The next house is strikingly built in the Moorish style, with dome and minarets, and contains, besides a tapir and two striped hyzenas, an amusing couple in the shape of an elephant and a black pony, which caress and play with one another. It was a very pretty sight to see the two together, evidently very fond of each other. On the keeper appearing and giving him the order, the elephant knelt down and saluted with his trunk.
A lion house had the walls of the outside cages hand-painted to represent Eastern scenery ; this had a pretty effect in conjunction with the living animals within. The house contained a pair of lions from Somaliland (the male in magnificent coat), a pair of tigers, an ocelot, and some parrots.
WESTPHALIAN ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN, MUNSTER 8g
The Garden contained several medallions in bronze, with portraits of benefactors struck upon them. ‘These medallions were framed in brick towers covered with ivy, and each was surmounted by one large bird. In a corner of the Garden is a museum of antiquities connected with the Anabaptist rising in 1534-35, when John of Leyden called himself King of Miinster. Here also, hanging upon a wall, are iron cages with effigies within them of John of Leyden and his two friends, who were executed within them; below are a set of iron torture instruments. Opposite a large concert- hall is a den containing two polar bears and two brown bears, the latter in very good coat. There is a quaint dark aquarium, the walls covered with imitation rock and stalactites, containing a variety of fishes. Alto- gether this Garden is well worth a visit, as there are some very striking and uncommon objects to be seen TL TAG
CHAPTER XVII
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, HANOVER: DIRECTOR, DR. SCHAFF
THE origin and the flourishing continuance of Zoo- logical Gardens in other great towns inspired the wish for a similar institution in Hanover, and ever since 1850 people were endeavouring to bring the idea to realization. Especially active in this respect was Dr. Schlager, with whom Herr George Schultz heartily collaborated.
In 1866 a company was formed for the laying out of a Zoological Garden, at the first meeting of which Baron von Munchausen, Herr Rasch, Dr. Schlager, Professor Gerlach, and My. ‘ Wine-merchant’ Schultz were chosen directors.
On a plot of ground given to them by the Town Council in the town forest sprang up the first buildings, made after the plans of Architect Liier, which con- sisted of aviaries, a bear pit, with ponds, etc. In May, 1865, the Garden was opened to the public, which gave the liveliest sympathy to the budding under- taking. The Garden did not escape hard times on account of the wars in 1866, 1870 and 1871, but it finally overcame all dithiculties. Especially after 1870 rapid progress was made; paths and roads were im-
ZOOLOGISCHER GARLENVHANOVET. gI
proved, and an elephant house and a new concert- hall were erected, gas and water were laid on, the approaches from the town were brought into use for heavy traffic, and the laying down of a tramway made it much easier to reach the Garden. Mention must be made here of a generous present of 15,000 thalers from the Emperor William I. on the occasion of his visit to Hanover, given after an inspection of the Garden. This money was spent in building the lon house. Herr Theodor Ostrogge, for a long while the Chair- man of the Council, and Herr Schluter must also be mentioned as especially warm supporters and generous friends of the Garden. In the first few years a change in the direction twice took place. Veterinary-surgeon Christoph Kuckuck was Director in 1874, and filled this office to the great benefit of the Garden until his death, after a long illness, in 1893. After the death of Director Kuckuck, Dr. E. Schiiff, the present Director, was appointed.
Yearly season tickets for a family cost 15s. By a family is understood husband, wife, and children. A necessary servant with little children enters free. Sons who have left school enter by single tickets at 7s. 6d. a year each. Female companions, nursery governesses, and pensioned servants are not included in the family ticket ; they must pay 3s. extra a year in addition to the family ticket. A ticket for two persons, comprising a family, such as a man and wife (without children), two sisters, mother and daughter, etc., 12s.; for single person, 7s. 6d.; for high school and military school students, 5s.; for strangers (fort- nightly), 3s.; for strangers (monthly), 5s.
g2 THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF EUROPE
Herr Hilpert’s philharmonic orchestra (wind instru- ments), under the Imperial Music Director, Bruno Hilpert, performs in summer (on Mondays, Wednes- days, and Thursdays) in the afternoon from 4 to 8. On Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays there are two concerts, from 4 to 7 p.m. and from 7.30 to 10 p.m. In‘ the winter string-instrument concerts, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, from 3.30 to 7; on Fridays symphony concerts from 3.30 to 6; on Sunday 3.30 to 6.30, ‘and from 7 to 9.30.
Dogs, parrots, ornamental birds and animals are for sale in the Garden.
How wonderfully well built these German cities are! There is scarcely a town in England which can com- pare in beauty and picturesqueness with such cities as Diisseldorf, Cologne, Hamburg, Berlin, or Frankfort- on-the-Main, with their great wide streets avenued with trees, their artistic buildings, the lavish display in public places of statuary of a high order, and the ease with which one can find one’s way about.
The Zoological Garden in Hanover is well worth a visit. It is situated in a shady wood, and contains some very quaint houses. The first house one encounters is devoted to cranes and herons. In the centre of the Garden is a duck-pond with an island in the middle, upon which are placed what look like tiny dog-kennels. In these little houses the waterfowl build their nests. In the monkey house were a hamadrya and a remark- ably fine baboon, both animals comparatively rare in collections. There is a substantially built bear castle well filled, and close to it is the concert-hall, in which
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ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, HANOVER 95
a fine band was playing when I visited the Garden. From the top of a high arch of rockwork a view of the whole Garden can be obtained, but there are so many trees in it that the view is somewhat disappointing. There is a large and handsome antelope and camel house, with dome and minarets, containing Shetland ponies, camels, zebus, white-tailed gnus, an Oryx leucoryx, black buck, an ostrich, a rhea, some donkeys, a zebra, a roan antelope, and a Cape hartebeest, the last two rarely seen in collections—in fact, the Cape hartebeest is the first I saw on the Continent. He was very nervous and restless, and utterly refused to stand still to be photographed. A lion house contained two remarkably fine lions.
It is curious how wonderfully well lons thrive in captivity and what fine manes they grow. I have seen several lions in the African jungle, but not one had a mane to compare with those carried by menagerie beasts. This is accounted for partly because in a cage there is no thorn-bush to tear the hair, and partly because the food is better and more regular, causing less mange in the skin. Besides lions there were leopards, pumas, cheetahs, a black leopard, and some tiny bear-cubs in the lion house. In a house built just like a church with a steeple was a huge Asiatic elephant, a smaller elephant, and a hippopotamus. Pens of yak and American bison, several deer, dogs, and wolves, and a parrot house brought a very interest- ing collection to a close.
Crowds of people watched the animals, listened to the band, or drank coffee in the restaurant, the ex- tremely pretty uniforms of numbers of soldiers adding to the picturesqueness of the scene.
CHAPTER XVIII
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, HAMBURG: DIRECTOR, DR. BOLAU
On January 28, 1860, Baron Ernst von Merck, Herr H. Meyer, Consul Schiller, General Consul de Craecket, and others met together and formed a provisional com- pany for the founding of a Zoological Society, the main end and aim of which should be to settle the site of a Zoological Garden in Hamburg. Baron Ernst von Merck was elected President and Herr H. Meyer Vice - president, whilst Consul Schiller was made Treasurer.
On July 10, 1860, the first general meeting of the shareholders took place to consider the construction of the society and the making of regulations. The directors approached the Municipal Council with a view to obtaining a suitable site for a Zoological Garden, and the Council gave a plot of land to the society free of ground-rent for fifty years. The build- ings were at once taken in hand by Herr Meuron and Herr Haller, and the landscape-gardening by Herr Jiirgens. The capital was taken up by 800 share- holders.
The preparmg of the land, which consisted of a large sand-desert, occasioned endless trouble and waste
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, HAMBURG 97
of time and money, especially at the beginning. The Directors, however, were not discouraged, as they were helped not only by large presents of animals, but also of building materials, ete. An otter basin was paid for by Baron von Merck, who, with other gentlemen, gave an important contribution to the bear pit. The main entrance-gate, the wapiti house, the seal enclosure, the tapir house, the antelope house, and the drainage system of the grounds were all given by various indi- viduals. The ladies of Hamburg and Altona opened a subscription, which resulted in the building of an ostrich house.
In November, 1862, the greater part of the build- ings were finished. The Directors, however, were obliged to issue more shares in order to enable them to make other buildings, and especially an aquarium. This new issue of capital was authorized on No- vember 20, and within twenty-four hours the new shares were all taken up.
On May 26, 1863, the company presented the Garden, brightly decorated for the occasion, to the shareholders, and on the following day it was opened to the public. On July 6, 1863, the Garden suffered an irreparable loss in the sudden death of its Presi- dent, Baron von Merck, who was greatly regretted by the whole of Hamburg. A bust was placed in the concert-hall to commemorate him.
In 1864 the Direction was authorized to build a Winter Garden and a large restaurant. The aquarium, a rectangular building 26 by 11 metres in size, was opened April 26, 1864. The floor is laid deep under the surface of the earth to insure an even temperature
7
98 THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF EURORE
all the year round. Spring and autumn are the best times to transport fish to the aquarium, as in the extreme heat of summer many die.
Presents flowed in from all parts of the world every year. Herr Meyer presented the Garden with the owl tower. A second small-cats’ house was presented by General Consul Gustav Mutzenbecher.
In the spring of 1885 the society had to bewail the loss of another President, Dr. Schwartze, who had acted as chairman of the society for many years. Dr. Heinrich Bolau is now Director of the Garden.
In December, 1899, there were 468 animals, 1,749 birds, and 187 reptiles in the Garden ; 46 animals and 162 birds were bred in it.
In 1900 the income was £16,109 16s., exceeding that of the year before by £651.
Not only does the Liverpool of Germany possess one of the largest Zoological Gardens, but also the fifth most valuable collection of animals in Europe.
On paying one mark entrance fee, one is confronted first by two large deer enclosures with thatched shelter-houses in the centre. Close by is a lofty bird- of-prey aviary. Beyond an Australian wombat and some pens of kangaroos is a pretty pen of doves, wading birds, and ducks, in which are planted some little Christmas-trees. We next come to the monkey house, which, however, is small in comparison with ours in London. In the centre of the Garden is a huge duck lake, with a very large concert-hall and café opposite. Keeping to the left of the lake, a four- horned sheep from Morocco is to be seen. This animal
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ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, HAMBURG IOI
greatly resembles the four-horned sheep found in the Outer Hebrides off the coast of Scotland. At the bottom of an imitation ruined tower are some bear pits and owl pens. It is a stiff climb to the top of the tower, but from it one gets a good view of the Garden and the surrounding city. We next come to three very large cages containing bears of three species, and
STORK AND CRANE ENCLOSURES, HAMBURG.
then we pass through what appears to be an overflow house, which contains leopards, jaguars, and a host of guinea-pigs. Rather tantalizing it must be for the leopards to smell the luscious porkers and not be able to get at them; but perhaps, by-the-by, the guinea- pigs were given to the panthers as food.
Close by the ostrich and rhea pens is a charming Egyptian house, with a pond in front of it, in which
102 DHE ZOOLOGICA GARDEN STO Ese Cic@ kes
waded several storks, cranes, and sacred ibises. This was followed by a second duck-pond, backed by a large rockery. We now come to a very realistic scene in the shape of a rockery and pond containing seals and cormorants. This is followed by yet another duck lake. Passing on, we come to the elephant house. This house, built in 1880, contains elephants, a hippo- potamus, buffaloes, and wild asses. There is an Indian ‘elephant here which possesses the longest pair of tusks I have ever seen in a captive animal. (The largest African elephant, however, is in the Jardin des Plantes, Paris.) He is a remarkably fine-looking creature. In the centre of the hall is exhibited a pair of tusks which are very even, but not nearly so fine. The hippo- potamus was roaring in fine style, turning back somersaults, and plunging about in a manner quite unusual in a captive specimen. In the same house were a smaller Indian elephant and quite a young African elephant. Next in order was a small-birds’ house containing German birds, with the eges of each displayed in glass cases.
In the antelope house were a pair of the Southern form of giraffe, Arabian gazelle, black buck, zebus, West African inyala, with four young ones born October 21, 1901, some nylgai, a young roan antelope, an Oryx leucoryx, and a pair of water-buck.
In an outdoor shed and paddock was a magnificent American bison, shedding its winter coat. The lion house, built in a crescent shape, with indoor and outdoor cages, contains some remarkably fine animals. There are a number of lions and tigers in a cage together, a Cape hunting-dog, leopards, and hyzenas.
ZQOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, HAMBURG 103
One lioness had the most brilliant yellow coat I have ever seen. Opposite the inside cages are glass cases containing some large crocodiles, lizards, tortoises, snakes, and salamanders. Close by is an extremely well-built and well-kept small-rodents’ house, full of rare little mammals. There are red river-hogs and the capybara, or great tailless rat of South America, as big as a small pig.
During my rambles I lost a part of my camera, and spent a long time in looking for it. But, luckily, one of the keepers picked it up and very kindly found and gave it me, much to my relief. It was a most miser- able day when I visited this Garden, and, of course, it did not look its best; still, it could not, I feel con- vinced, compare in beauty with many other smaller Gardens, though it is undoubtedly very wealthy in animals.
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ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, BERLIN: DIRECTOR, DR. HECK
THE history of the Garden at Berlin is divided into three periods ; the first embraces the time of prepara- tion and the foundation, from 1841 to 1869.
This Zoological Garden is the third oldest in Europe, and the oldest of all the German Gardens. The credit of its foundation belongs to the well-known Berlin zoologist and African traveller Lichtenstein, who could hardly have realized his intentions had not the Prussian Royal House given its favour to this public-spirited undertaking. Not only is this shown by the opening mandate issued by Frederick William IV. on May 7, 1845, but by the presentation of the royal pheasantry to the Company of the Zoological Garden. At the same time the Emperor made a grant of £3,000 to the society, which was increased by £2,000. The greater part of the Emperor’s own animals and birds were also transferred to the Zoological Garden.
On August 1, 1844, the Garden was opened. For the first twenty-five years of its existence the arrange- ments were particularly modest. In March, 1846, there were not 100 kinds of animals in the Garden, and there were only half a dozen houses. In 1868 only 191 shares of £15 were taken up by the public.
ZOOLOGISCHER GARLEN, BETTE rN 105
Owing to the then great distance from the town, the Garden progressed but slowly for a long time. In 1848 the income was only £900, and these first twenty- five years must count as the infancy of the Garden.
The second division of the Garden’s development begins with the year 1869. Professor Peter, the successor of Dr. Lichtenstein, undertook, with the then Minister of Finance, Von der Heydt, to recon- struct the Company. A thousand new shares were issued in exchange for old ones. Estimates for the plans of large buildings were drawn up, and the direction was altered in a conspicuous manner, Doctor Bodinus, who came from Cologne, being placed regularly in charge of it. Imposing and artistic buildings were erected, and the lion house was altered so as to look like an African house.
In 1869 the restaurant was opened.
In 1870 a new hon house and bear pit were built ; in 1872 an antelope house; in 1873 an elephant house; in 1874-75 a great concert-house; in 1883 a new monkey house was erected.
At the same time the Garden rose to the highest place in public favour, owing to its public concerts, which, until 1884, were held three times a week under the direction of Herr Wieprecht. In 1884 electric light was introduced. Daily double concerts were instituted at half-price, and brought a great number of people to the Garden. In 1900 the entrance money taken amounted to £27,321, and the season-tickets brought in £5,849. In 1884 Director Bodinus died. Dr. Max Schmidt was named as his successor, he having for twenty-five years looked after the Zoo-
106 THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, OF 2URORE
logical Garden at Frankfort-on-Main. In 1888, how- ever, he died, and Dr. Ludwig Heck, who came from the Zoological Garden at Cologne, was chosen as Director. In his first year he devoted his attention to increasing the stock of animals, with the result that now 25,000 living creatures are to be seen, including 12,000 species of animals and birds.
LLAMA AND MOUFFLON ROCKERY, BERLIN.
In 1893-94 the drainage was renewed ; in 1895 the new wing of the well-arranged aviary was built ; in 1896 a new deer house and a goat and sheep house were built ; in 1896-97 the beautiful stork and crane house; in 1897 the camel house; in 1898 more deer houses, moufflon rocks, and two restaurants were erected, and other improvements made. This period,
‘NITUAH ‘HSOOH INVHAW1a
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, BERLIN 109
from the death of Dr. Bodinus in 1884 to the death of General Duncker in 1897, forms the second division in the history of the Berlin Garden.
The year 1897 marks a new period in its history. The eclat of the Garden as a place of amusement, the increased number of specimens, and the favourable position of the site in the west of Berlin led to the new organization of an institution which was so pro- mising. .
In 1898 1,000 new preference shares were issued, and a second increase in capital brought the total capital of the Company up to £113,500. By this means numerous alterations and improvements were undertaken. A new official residence was erected, and Japanese and Chinese pavilions, coffee houses, bridges, halls for children to play in, lavatories, machine houses, a pump house, three new pig houses, improvements in the antelope house, new llama rockery, and refrigerators for dead fish were made. A view-tower, pheasantries, and many other minor improvements in walls, banks, bridges, and ponds were added. Herr Begas presented one of his celebrated centaur statues, and Uechtritz a nymph with swan. All these things have made the Garden more attractive, and all Berlin comes to see them. The Garden and restaurant are visited by 60,000 people on a fine Sunday in the summer.
We will now walk round one of the finest Zoological Gardens in Europe, and, indeed, in the world, as it is at the present moment well ahead of our London Garden, both in the value of its animals and also in the magnificence of its buildings. Some of the latter
110- LBEYZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF EURORE
are truly remarkable structures, being finely painted and decorated, and fitted inside with the very best up- to-date arrangements for the health and comfort of the animals.
After I had paid one mark at the entrance, my camera was immediately pounced upon; I hope it may not be thought to be ‘sour grapes’ if I add that it poured with rain the whole day when I visited the Garden, and that most of the animals were housed indoors.
Turning to the left round a very large café, with seats outside capable of accommodating several thou- sand people, we come to a very large and lofty bird- of-prey aviary. Close to a children’s playground will be found some stables, containing common domestic asses, Somali wild ass, Burchell’s and mountain zebra— a cross between a donkey and a zebra—and the in- evitable Shetland pony, with which they always seem so pleased in Continental Gardens.
The lon house, constructed on the very best prin- ciples, is one of the finest in Europe, and contains German East African and Somali lions, tigers, leopards, black leopards, jaguars, and a very curious lght- coloured variety of the jaguar, the only one known in captivity.
There were some cleverly constructed duck-ponds with pleasing rock-work, trees, and waterfalls, and opposite to them was a large crane house. Several of the houses are built in exact imitation of Chinese and Indian temples and pagodas, which give the Gardens a very Eastern appearance.
After passing several large duck and swan lakes and
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ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, BERLIN 115
a wild-sheep rockery, we come to the monkey house, which, however, is comparatively small and disappoint- ing. In front of some pretty beds of tulips is a truly magnificent elephant house, built in imitation of a Hindoo temple, the domes painted in yellow, brown, and blue. In the centre of this palatial house is placed the skeleton of a full-grown elephant. ‘The ceiling is supported by huge columns, with two carved elephant- heads on the top of each. The house contains three Indian elephants, two African elephants, one Indian rhino, and some tapirs. Huge shding-doors lead out into large open-air paddocks fitted with baths. Behind the elephant house are the wild-swine sheds.
We now come to another finely decorated and well- constructed house—the ostrich house. It is painted inside and out with large, ancient Egyptian figures of men and birds. At one end of the interior is a very realistic painting of two huge stone Egyptian figures in a sitting position, bathed in a gorgeous sunset. The columns and the ceiling in this house should also be noticed. It contains a good collection of ostriches and cassowaries. The next house with large water-tank contains two hippopotami. Opposite a high tower (entrance fee ten pfennig, which goes towards the animals’ food) is a very long line of pheasant pens, all prettily planted with tiny shrubs and trees.
Passing a large llama and tahr rockery we come to the antelope house, built in an oval shape with minarets, the huge balls at the top covered with gilt. It contains some rare animals. There are water-buck, harnessed antelope, inyala, several Oryx leucoryx, two addax, a beautiful pair of giraffes (South African form),
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116 HE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF EUROPE
a blessbock, two eland, one roan (Albifrons), two tora hartebeest, one Cape hartebeest, and one Lichtenstein hartebeest, the last four species of antelopes being very rarely met with in captivity. In quaint brown houses inlaid with white are several dwarf antelopes from the Cameroons and other parts of Africa, the whole collec- tion forming one of the most complete im the world.
In the centre of this house with its glass roof is a large fernery with a realistic group in stone of a lioness and her cubs. All the antelope cages have outdoor paddocks attached. Opposite this house are several deer sheds and a long line of buftalo and camel sheds, containing animals too numerous to mention, and stretching for over 100 yards in length.
There is one remarkably pretty deer shed with pointed roof and red tiles. Close by is a seal pond, and not far from the entrance will be found the bear dens, containing the finest collection of bears in Kurope. There are concerts in a large hall every night and special ones on Sundays.
Taken all round, this Garden is far and away better than any other garden at home or on the Continent for the beauty of its buildings, the picturesqueness of its grounds, and the wealth of its animals. This state of things has been brought about in a large measure through the energy and forethought of the Emperor of Germany, himself a sportsman and lover of animals.
CHAPTER XxX
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, HALLE
Tuts Garden lies in a romantic position in the Reils- berg, and offers a fine view of the surrounding country. The air here is very keen and bracing. The animals are arranged with peculiar taste in idyllic little groups of cages.
Entrance for adults fifty pfennig, for children thirty pfennig. On Sundays and féte-days the price of entrance is specially announced in advertisements and in the papers. Family tickets, inclusive of a servant, 30 marks; these admit to all concerts. There are four ordinary concerts a week in the summer and one grand concert. Special arrangements are made with Corporations and schools. Perambulators only allowed up tolp.m. The garden is opened in summer at 7 a.m., and from October to April at 9 a.m. The animal part of the Garden is closed in the evening by a signal from a horn. The flowers are not to be plucked, and the animals are not to be teased nor fed except with the special food which can be bought in the Garden.
After a very long drive in a cab drawn by two horses, for which I paid the extraordinarily small sum of 1 mark (1 shilling), the Zoological Garden, built round
T18 | LAE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OFSZURORE
a small hill outside the town, was reached. Turning, as usual, to the left, a small Indian elephant is to be found in a house by himself. The lon house is next, and contains lions, tigers, pumas, leopards, hyzenas, and a handsome African civet. There are some rather pretty duck and wading-bird ponds.
Winding walks lead round the hill and deer pad-
KANGAROO, HALLE.
docks, and kangaroos, wild swine, some small monkey houses, and a very good collection of goats are to be seen. On the top of the hill a spiral staircase can be ascended, from which a good view 1s obtained of the surrounding country. There were torrents of rain and crowds of country people when I saw this Garden, it
being Whit Sunday.
CHAPTER XXI
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, LEIPZIG : DIRECTOR, DR. ERNST PINKERT
TuE Zoological Garden in Leipzig has gradually worked itself up from very smail beginnings to its present greatness and extent. It was, indeed, the present Director, Herr Ernst Pinkert, who, so to speak, laid the foundation-stone in 1876 with a little house for crocodiles. Through his energy and business activity, he succeeded in a relatively short time in bringing the Garden up to its present high standard, and in creating an institution for which the Leipzig people are much indebted to him.
In 1899 Herr Pinkert’s incessant energy and organization were rewarded by the Garden being purchased by a company of shareholders, who ap- poited him Director.
The Company of the Zoological Garden ended its first business year at the end of 1899. Allowing for the unavoidable disturbances caused by storms in the summer and by new buildings being erected, the first year was financially a success. The report for 1899 showed a clear profit of £403. Whilst the Ashanti Exhibition was being held on June 4 the Garden was visited by 19,718 persons, constituting a record day.
120 Hike ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF S22 Uni ORE
During the year 196,388 people entered the Garden, exclusive of family season-ticket holders, who numbered 688 of the shareholders.
Picture - postcards, programmes, and guide-books brought in £85. The stock of animals at the end of 1899 included 14 monkeys, 110 carnivorous animals, 135 rodents, 1 elephant, 96 cloven-footed animals, 3 hoofed animals, 8 kangaroos, and 1 duck-billed platypus.
Sixty animals were presented to the Garden, and the following were born in it: 8 hons, 1 jaguar, 2 leopards, 10 hyzenas, 1 white Angora cat, 5 Gordon setters, 12 fox-terriers, 3 silver rabbits, 15 common rabbits, 15 Angora guinea-pigs, 25 common guinea- pigs, 2 bisons, 1 beisa antelope, 1 zebu, 2 dwarf zebus, 1 yak, 1 ‘wapiti, 1 axis deer, 1 Japanese deer, 1 guanaco, | llama, 7 sheep, 2 kangaroos, 5 peacocks.
The losses by death were, however, considerable, 9°2 per cent. of the stock being lost during the year.
Of the more valuable animals were lost: 2 young male lions, 1 female puma, | brown bear, 1 chimpanzee, 1 male mandril, 1 llama, 1 male elk, 1 pair of axis deer, 1 wapiti cow, 1 young male bison.
Miss Claire Heliot, with her nine lions and two dogs, proved a great attraction between July 22 and Sep- tember 3. The number of members on the committee was raised from nine toten. A large main building was proposed, which should contain a restaurant, a concert- hall, ete. A fodder-house, a Director’s house, and several animal houses were built. Herr Rust, the architect, was entrusted with the carrying out of these important works. The fodder building, thanks to a
ZOQOLOGIS@GHER GARDEN: Te EnPeZ IG. WAI
mild winter, was ready for use by the beginning of May, and proved most useful. The other buildings made satisfactory progress. On May 10 the founda- tions of the large main buildmg were laid. The Director's house was nearly finished. The concert- garden was planted with stately trees. No less than £25,000 were spent upon these improvements.
In 1900 the clear profit was £600; 244,914 people entered, besides 831 season-ticket holders. Miss Heliot, the celebrated lon-tamer, on August 5 attracted the record number, 17,197 people paying to see her show.
The following animals died in the Garden: 1 full- grown lioness, 2 servals, 1 ocelot, 1 racoon, 1 guanaco, 4 llamas, 1 elephant, 1 beisa antelope, 1 elk, 2 axis deer.
On the other hand, 7 lions, 5 hyzenas, 6 mastiffs, 3 St. Bernards, 5 fox-terriers, 2 zebus, 1 gnu, 1 sambur deer, 2 Sardinian mouftlon, 1 sika deer, 26 Angora guinea-pigs, 55 common guinea-pigs, and 7 common rabbits were born; 57 animals and birds were pre- sented to the Garden, besides valuable pictures, a quantity of trees, shrubs, and flowers, palms, armour, a beautiful clock, and other gifts.
On May 2 the Director's house was inhabited. On June 3 the newly-planned concert-garden, with its splendid building for the orchestra, was finished. The restaurant was opened on June 2.
On September 29 the main building, containing the garden-saloon, terrace, and concert-hall, was formally opened. A banquet was given in the evening, at which the highest dignitaries of the city presided.
In the same year, also, the new monkey house was almost completed.
122 THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF EUROPE
In 1901 the net profit of the Company was £3,796. In the Garden were the following animals: 430 mammals of 97 species—52 monkeys, 96 carnivorous animals, 141 rodents, 1 elephant, 5 hoofed animals, 125 cloven-hoofed animals, 8 marsupials, 1 duck-billed platypus.
In 1901 died: 1 female orang-outang, 1 chimpanzee, 1 male adult lion, 1 female lion, a number of young lions, 1 jaguar (small female), 1 serval, 3 hyenas, 1 pair of wolves, 1 sable antelope, 1 beaver, 2 axis deer, 6 kangaroos, 3 ostriches, 1 emu, 1 black-necked swan, 2 flamingoes, 2 storks.
The following were born in the Garden: no less than 16 lions, 2 jaguars, 8 hyzenas, 13 fox-terriers, a number of other dogs, 3 Sardinian mouftlons, 1 yak, 12 wild swine, 4 goats, 2 zebus, 1 Japanese deer, 1 sambur deer, 3 wapiti, 3 kangaroos, 25 Angora guinea-pigs, 37 common guinea-pigs, 9 common rabbits, 35 Turkish ducks, 2 golden pheasants.
Twenty-six animals and birds were presented to the Garden. Nearly all the buildings were completed ; the opening of the new lion house, however, was delayed. The projected new elephant house was also put off for a while.
During the year there was an exhibition of living pictures, and a troupe of natives of Samoa performed in the Garden.
The Garden is open from early morning till late at might. Entrance 60 pfennig, children 30 pfenmig. On the first Sundays of the months of May, June, July, August, and September for grown-up people the charge is 30 pfennig, and for children 15 pfennig. After 7 p.m.
ZQOMOXCMS Glalidise EAU IMIIN, IBIZAN 123
the price of entrance is less. On fete-days the com- mittee reserve the right of raising the prices.
Season-tickets for families of 3 people are 20 marks ; for more than 3 people, 25 marks; for one person, 10 marks ; for students, schools, ete., 5 marks.
Shareholders have free entrance on showing their cards, which are not transferable. On féte-days the Director can order extra payment to be made by the shareholders. No dogs are admitted, and no teasing of the animals is allowed. No walking on grass or flower-beds, and no picking of flowers is permitted. No animals may be fed with grass or foliage, nor with cooked or raw meat. No one may get over the barrier, the penalty being eviction from the Garden ; and the offender is also answerable for all damage done either to himself or to the animals.
After passing the turnstile, one is confronted with a large artificial rock-work grotto and waterfall. Passing through a second fine grotto, we see pheasant pens, and next to them some bear dens, the latter with hand-painted backgrounds. The lon house is brand- new, and well built and appointed. It contains a valuable collection of big cats, including several lions (one with a magnificent mane), two baby lions, and two baby servals a few weeks old.
It being Whit Sunday when I saw the Garden, the crowd was so great that one could scarcely get through the house. At the end of it was a well-executed stained-glass window, depicting two lions among rocks looking over a large open plain.
There are some large duck-ponds and a house for
124 THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF URORE
wading -birds. The antelope house contains nylgai, Oryx beisa, Oryx leucory.c, white-tailed gnus, several zebras, and a tiny black bear cub.
In another house was the finest collection of striped hyenas I have as yet seen together. There was a new and well-built monkey house, but the crowd was so dense that it was impossible, in the short time at my disposal, to see the whole of the contents of it. I noticed, however, some fine baboons. Crossing a bridge, you come to deer and buffalo pens together, with cages contaiming smaller animals. The Garden walks had just been re-covered with fresh gravel, and the deluge of rain soon converted these walks into two inches of mud, through which the crowds of men, women, and children were obliged to wade. It was almost impossible to take photographs, owing to the rain and the huge crowds of children, who would insist on collecting before the lens directly one took out one’s camera.
(Cia), SOUL
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, DRESDEN: DIRECTOR, HERR A. SCHOFF
In 1859 a beginning was made by a society of poultry- fanciers. They laid out a small Garden in the Ostra Avenue, which, although badly situated, found a good deal of favour with the public, and was successful financially. A committee of twenty gentlemen desirous of founding a Zoological Garden met in 1860 for the purpose of taking over the bird-fanciers’ Garden and adding to it, the intention being to issue shares under the name of the Zoological Garden Company of Dresden. His Majesty the King presented to the Company, through the Finance Minister, that part of the royal Garden known as the Poets’ Walk and _ reservoirs. The co-founder of the Zoological Garden in Berlin laid out the plans for the Garden, and the King and Queen and Royal household gave it their highest approbation. Every kind of wild animal was to be kept in as free a manner as possible. And the founders conceived the idea of laying out, between the animal buildings and the neighbouring houses, a park and garden for the public, so that, besides the interesting sight of the animals, there should also be a pleasant promenade.
A sum of £20,000 was spent on the laying out of
126 DHE ZOOLOGICAL, GARDENS OF 2UhORE
the Garden, on the animals, and on buildings for them. The price of one share was £10, payable by instalments, and 2,000 shares were issued. The holder of one share was allowed free admittance to the Garden; the holder of two or more shares could enter with four of
his family.
WAPITI BULL, DRESDEN.
The most flourishing period for all Zoological Gardens —when it became a mania to found Gardens in every town—began in the early sixties. Then there came a reaction. In 1859, 21,462 people paid to enter the old Garden at Dresden, paying £349 ; the cost of keeping it up was £236.
The site was a beautiful one. Thirty-nine animals
ZQVOEOGISCHER GARTEN, DE SD EN 127
and 184 birds came from the old poultry-fanciers’ Garden. The city architect was authorized to erect the buildings, which were commenced at once. In the autumn of 1860 a massive monkey house was begun, which at the same time could be used as a winter house for other small animals. This building cost about £1,248. A bear pit, built of stone, for three kinds of bears, cost £560, and some enclosures for deer and aviaries for eagles and vultures were erected. Additions were made to the old so-called restaurant in the shape of pavilions, a veranda, and a large hall. More animals were added, until the value of animals bought and given was estimated at upwards Ot LY OA
On Ascension Day, May 9, 1861, the new Garden was opened in a heavy snow-storm. Since that day the management can look back with satisfaction on its history. But more than once has the Garden had to ficht for its existence. To-day its financial affairs are satisfactory, its buildings in good repair, and its stock of animals richer than ever before.
A small-birds’ house was built in the winter of 1883. In 1884 a Himalayan bear had two cubs, one of which was an albino, absolutely white with pink eyes. It was often taken for a polar bear. It was very small when born, about the size of a large rat, and it de- veloped very slowly. One day it fell into the bath and received a severe shock, trembling in every limb. Its mother, however, fished it out. The mamma bear fed its offspring on the nicest bits it could get, but the little one soon grew very cunning. This wonderfully rare animal was the pride of the whole Garden.
128 . LHE*ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF V2 UORE
A fish-breeding establishment also exists here. In 1884 the first eggs were received—1,000 salmon and 1,000 trout. The old monkey house was so damp and unhealthy that a new one had to be built in 1886. In 1890 and 1891 a large number of animals and birds was acquired, including bull and fox terriers, hares, mice, tortoises, wolves, sheep, doves, finches, gold-fish,
OUTSIDE THE LION HOUSE, DRESDEN.
ete. In 1900 there were born in the Garden: in April, 8 eross-bred swine, 1 Angora sheep, and 1 mouftlon ; in May, 4 wolves, 2 Barbary sheep, 2 deer, 1 Burchell’s zebra, and 1 wild ass; in June, 1 Indian buffalo, 1 hog deer, and 1 cross-bred ass; in July, 1 wild sheep. And in February, 1901, there were born in the Garden : | Indian buffalo, 1 wild sheep, and 2 mouftlons (cross
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, DRESDEN 129
bred) ; and in March, a hog deer, 10 cavies, 19 mice, 1 Angora sheep, and many birds.
Here follows the usual final benediction from the euide-book :
‘May the favour of the Royal house, of the magis- trates and the public go on for ever, and may it always be an ornament of our beautiful Dresden!’
A FOUR-HORNED GOAT, DRESDEN.
This is a very large Garden, situated in a wood. On entering at the west gate, one is confronted with jackal dens. There is a very good lion house, which contains, besides a fine collection of the larger cats, some Australian dingoes or wild dogs, seldom seen in collections. Passing on, we come to what evidently
9
130, THE ZOOLOGICAL {GARDENS OSE Uin© re
was a giraffe house, but, alas! the animals are no more. The handsomely painted antelope house contains a very fair collection, including, amongst others, a beautiful pair of water-buck. There were also camels, zebras, and an Indian anoa; the latter, again, is seldom seen in captivity. The collection of wapiti ‘hog’ and other deer is really good. There was a monkey house, well built and well filled. Close by some wolves’ dens there was one of the few specimens of chamois I have seen in captivity. Near some American bison sheds is a goat with four remarkably shaped horns. Close by is a bears’ castle. The Garden, when I saw it, was simply packed with country folk, it bemg the Whit- suntide holidays. The crowd in front of the stage of the open-air theatre was so dense that it was almost impossible to catch even a glimpse of the music-hall entertainment which was going on all the afternoon.
Whilst I was taking photographs, a gentleman walked quickly up to me and began a long harangue in a very angry tone of voice, accompanied by scowls and many gestures of disapprobation. [| listened atten- tively until he had finished, and then asked: ‘Spraken ze English? Whereupon he turned on his heel and walked off as quickly as he had come, not to reappear again.
CHAPTER XXIII
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, BRESLAU : DIRECTOR, HERR _GRABOWSKY
On March 9, 1863, Dr. Elwanger and Herr von Ruffer formed a private company with a view to the creation of a Zoological Garden in Breslau. <A prospectus was issued to win sympathy and interest for the under- taking, and shares were allotted. The price of each share was fixed at £10, and directly the number of shares rose to 6,000 it was agreed that the work should be started. In September, 1863, the work was begun, a deserted meadow being changed into a park ; early in the spring of 1864 the buildings were com- menced. Many valuable presents of trees and bushes made the task easier for the committee, whilst a quantity of rather premature presents of animals made it difficult, as there were no houses or attendants ready for them.
At the direction of the committee the local architect was sent on a tour of several Zoological Gardens, in order to look at their buildings and obtain hints as to the nature of the accommodation required for the different animals and birds.
In June, 1864, Dr. Franz Schlegel was appointed the Director. The first general meeting of the share-
J—2
132, “LAE TZOOLOGICAEIG ADEN S Ora Wes Orage
holders took place on February 20, 1865. Twenty shareholders were chosen to act on the Board, only two of whom remain alive. In 1864 and 1865, besides a row of smaller buildings, the following were erected : a bear pit, a wolf house, a swine house, a deer en- closure, a pheasantry, a buftalo house, a camel house, an owl house, an eagle house, a small-cats’ house, a pay-oftice, a restaurant, and a music-hall. The monkey house was begun in 1865 and finished in 1866. When all these houses and enclosures had been completed and filled with animals, the opening of the Garden by officials and heads of different guilds took place on July 10, 1865. The illuminations in the grounds were spoilt by a bad storm. The Garden had bad times, but to-day its financial position is satisfactory, its buildings are in good condition, and its collection has increased enormously.
The elephants bathe, weather permitting, at 6 p.m. The lions are fed at 4 p.m. Pony riding and goat- carriages are only allowed in summer.
In 1901 the income derived from ordinary entrance- tickets was £3,915. This was lower than in 1900, owing to the universal depression in all trades and professions. Consul Ernst Bauer, who had been a Director for twenty years, died during that year. Concerts were given every Sunday and Wednesday in the winter months, and in the summer months every Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday, besides special con- certs during the holidays. Penny morning concerts were also given.
The fie in the Garden at the end of 1901 was : 541 animals, 937 birds, 116 reptiles; total, 1,594 head.
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ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, BRESLAU 135
In 1900 the total head was 1,619. The following were born in the Garden in 1901: 346 animals of 35 species, including 3 lions, 2 leopards, 1 brown bear, 5 wolves, 2 kangaroos, 1 Shetland pony, 1 zebra, 1 llama, 1 camel, 2 nylgai antelopes, several deer, goats and sheep, some Angora cats, and a number of small rodents. Several of the above, however, died soon after birth.
Many silver pheasants, peacocks, storks, and other birds were hatched, and many animals were presented and bought. The Joss of animals during 1901 was 5 per cent. of the total value of the stock, against 10 per cent. of the total stock in 1900. Of the more valuable animals there died during the course of the year: 1 lioness, from an old lung trouble; 1 pair of panthers, from tuberculosis of the lungs; 1 drill, from consump- tion; 1 old steinbock, from inflammation of the intes- tines; 3 beavers, from old age ; 2 red-necked kangaroos, from consumption; 1 nylgai, from catarrh of the stomach ; 1 white llama, from old age; 1 male ostrich, from peritonitis ; 1 swan, from wounds received from the spurs of a goose.
On entering this Garden my camera, for the second time during my tour of the Continental Zoos, was wrested from me, in spite of my pleadings in the very best German I could muster.
Passing some pheasant pens, the lion house is first encountered, containing, amongst other animals, three baby lions and two baby Himalayan bears. A second house of carnivorous animals contained more lions, two caracals, some pumas, some small cats, and hyzenas,
136 THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF EUROPE
including a specimen of the brown hyzena, rarely seen in zoological collections.
A remarkably fine elephant house contained a large African elephant, two Indian elephants, two black-and- white tapirs from Sumatra (the first I had seen in captivity), and two hippopotami together in a huge tank. But the animal for which this Garden is justly famous is the huge black-faced ape, known as the gorilla from West Africa, the only known specimen in captivity in the world. Curiously enough, this price- less animal was purchased from England. What a pity it did not find its way into our London Zoo! Since writing the above, Herr Carl Hagenbeck of Ham- burg informs me that he is expecting a young gorilla, which has been caught for him in West Africa. The ape is housed in a large and lofty cage with glass front in the monkey house. I should say it was quite young, and not yet half grown. It was not parti- cularly lively on the occasion of my visit, but spent its time in picking its nose and staring at the huge crowd.
There was an amusing chimpanzee in the next cage, and close by some large baboons. ‘The exterior of this monkey house is very prettily built and decorated. The next house of importance is the antelope house, containing brindled gnus, water-buck, nylgai, zebras, camels, asses, and Shetland ponies. In the centre of the Garden, as usual, there was a band-stand sur- rounded by countless seats, not far from a restaurant. Here a good band played all the afternoon, and the crowd round it was large. There were the usual sheds for American buffaloes (I wish I had counted how many
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, BRESLAU 137
of these animals I have now seen in captivity), yaks, and zebus.
There was a large collection of bears in a castle, and a great number of wild sheep and goat pens. In a little house I noticed a litter of six pretty little foxes. There were some large duck-ponds, and several deer sheds and paddocks. Here I noticed (May 20) a
sambur deer and a Sumatran sambur (Servus equinus),
DUCK-POND, BRESLAU.
just out of the velvet—the first I have seen this year. There was a large bird-of-prey house, effectively backed with rockery, containing some remarkable birds, notably the bateleur eagle from Africa, the handsome Brazilian Qinops urubstinga, Sarcorhamphus papa from tropical South America, Vultur occipitalis, Aquila nevia, Buteo buteo, Grys indicus, and many others. This fine aviary was given in 1898 by Robert Cuno.
138 BHE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF BURORE
Another really beautiful house was the tropical small-birds’ house with glass roof, the centre of the hall being filled with plants, ferns, flowers, palms, and some lovely orchids. The cages contained many rare and gorgeously coloured birds from the tropics. Spe7- mestes mirabilis, a little gem from Australia, took my fancy, and there were hundreds of brilliant paroquets and parrots.
Taken all round, this Garden has a remarkably fine collection of animals and birds, and should rank about sixth among the Gardens in Europe.
CHAPTER XXIV
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, POSEN, FOUNDED IN 1881: DIRECTOR, HERR JACKEL
AFTER entering this Garden, I passed rows and rows of chairs and little tables in front of a large restaurant, but for a long time I was uuable to find any animals. However, at length I saw a small gate, through which I passed, carefully refusing to look at a notice about photographs, lest I might be able to understand what I read. The first set of cages contained jackals and an amusing pair of Himalayan bears. The next house, a very old and dilapidated one, held black, brown, and polar bears, after which came the lon house, with large outdoor cages, containing a good collection. I had just succeeded in taking photographs of a few of the inmates, when a man appeared, and, by a good deal of talk and gesticulation made me to understand that photographing the animals was not allowed; so for the third time I was obliged to close the camera shutters.
There was an aquarium in a dark rock-work dungeon, but the number of fish in the tanks with cracked glass fronts was small. This dungeon seemed to contain a very miscellaneous collection; there was a stuffed ant-eater in a dark corner and some living mice in
140) “HAE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF Oit Ore
glass cases. In another glass case was a stuffed monkey, from the fur of which a tiny little mouse was busily engaged in making its nest. There were several cases of stuffed fish, a child’s perambulator, and an empty beer-bottle. That aquarium may be reckoned as one of the good old ‘has beens.’
In front of a duck-pond was a large house containing an Indian elephant, which consumed bags of bread, paper and all, with trumpets of immense delight ; there was a black buck antelope with a broken horn, an inyala, also with a broken horn, an Indian tapir, a cassowary, a rhea, a pair of zebras, some kangaroos and donkeys. Opposite were wild-swine sheds, deer sheds, with a very good collection, and buttalo sheds. Next to these was a really good seal tank. There was a bird-of-prey aviary, and a monkey house, containing, amongst other animals, a beautiful black-and-white lemur. There were llama and camel sheds, a parrot and tropical small-birds’ aviary, and a_ burrowing- rodents’ house. Some dog-kennels contained pointers, Esquimaux dogs, a Russian wolf-hound, foxes, and wolves. In an open-air pen was a sedate marabou stork, which would catch bread thrown to it from a distance of ten yards, never allowing a single piece to touch the ground.
This Garden, although not large, has a remarkably good collection of animals. It seems a pity that the comparatively harmless photographer is barred, as every photograph taken in the Garden is a free ad- vertisement.
CHAPTER XXV
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, KONIGSBERG : DIRECTOR, HERR H. CLAASS.
On March 23, 1897, the regular general meeting of the Zoological Society took place in Konigsberg, during which a business report of the Society was presented. From the report brought before them by Dr. Braun I take the following extract :
The interest caused by the Arts and Crafts Exhibition of 1895 suggested the institution of a permanent zoological and pleasure garden in Konigsberg. In the spring of 1896 the Garden was opened to the public ; the statutes were settled upon in 1895 at the first general meeting.
The interest of the public in the Garden from the beginning was very keen. Many presents were received of plants, animals, cages, buildings, land, and materials.
The Garden is fifty-three morgens in extent, and is connected by electric tramway with all parts of the city. It is planted with many beautiful trees, bushes, and plants, and there are several ponds. The chief entrance building is of wood. The concert-house contains seating accommodation for 2,000 people. In the great ‘machine hall’ is a large bicycle track, eight lawn-tennis courts, and great facilities are offered for children’s rides and drives. Near the main restaurant is a Viennese restaurant. In the summer there are daily concerts in the ‘ 36-man-strong theatre-chapel,’ and besides these on Wednesday and Sunday there are military band concerts.
All the animal houses are newly built and favourably situated.
142 DEE ZOOLOGICA. GARDEN Sm Orie 2 ie Oz
In February, 1896, there were 21 kinds of animals. In May Herr Carl Hagenbeck brought the total up to 149. On September 31, 1896, there were 893 specimens of 262 species: of animals, 299 specimens of 87 species; of birds, 533 specimens of 155 species ; of reptiles, 52 specimens of 17 species; of amphibia, 9 specimens of 2 species ; of fish, 1 specimen.
In 1896, 3 lions were born, 1 hog deer, 1 kangaroo, 1 Russian wolf-hound, 1 rabbit, 1 guinea-pig, and several rats and mice, and some Aylesbury ducks were hatched.
Eleven and a quarter per cent. of the total value of animals was lost during 1896. The total value of these animals amounted to £1,980.
In 1897 the second financial year was about the same as the first year, and was considered successful ; £11,995 was taken, and £9,952 was spent, leaving a balance in hand of £2,303.
In 1897, 5 lions, 3 panthers, 3 pumas, 1 wapiti, 1 hog deer and a sika deer, 1 Russian wolf-hound, 1 St. Bernard, several terriers, beavers, and a Shetland pony, were born in the Garden. Three young lions, 1 brown bear, and other animals were sold. <A number of sea-lions were bought.
From February to March a Lapland Native Exhibition was held.
In July a Bird Exhibition was held.
A silver medal was obtained by the Society for its efforts in pheasant breeding.
In 1898 the income was £12,847, and the expenditure was £9,897. Three lions, 2 tigers, 3 brown bears, 2 agutis, 1 dwarf zebra, 1 Angora goat, 1 wapiti, and other animals were born in the Gardens.
In 1899 the income was £13,238, and the expenditure was £10,798. The Garden then contained 575 animals of 160 species ; 827 birds of 249 species ; 55 reptiles of 16 species ; and 44 fish of 2 species.
The following were born in the Garden: 2 female lions, 1 kangaroo, 4 cattle, 1 antelope, 2 wapiti, 1 axis, 1 sika deer, besides numerous other animals and birds.
A great number of dogs of various breeds were born; 78 animals (worth £152), 295 birds (worth £104), and 151 reptiles (worth £5), were lost during the year.
In 1900 the income was £12,175, and the expenditure was £10,981.
In 1901 the income was £13,339, and the expenditure was £12,299.
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, KONIGSBERG 143
In the Garden there were 440 animals of 1389 species; 981 birds of 264 species ; 98 reptiles of 19 species ; 26 fish of 2 species.
The following were born in the Garden: 2 lions, 1 panther, 1 zebra, 1 yak, 4 zebus, 3 asses, 1 llama, 1 guanaco, 2 red deer, 2 sika deer, 2 wapiti, | cross between an axis and a reindeer, 1 giant kangaroo, 6 goats.
The following died soon after birth: 1 tiger, 3 pumas, 2 brown bears, and others.
An enormous number of animals and birds were presented during
OSTRICH SHED, KONIGSBERG.
the year. The total worth of animals in the Garden in 1901 was £3,637.
This is a large rambling Garden, part of which is prettily situated in a wood with a deep valley in it, at the bottom of which runs a brook. It is difficult to find, being right outside the town. On entering and keeping to the left, a bird-of-prey aviary is the first
144 THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF EURO:
enclosure met with. After this one finds a number of wapiti and other deer, and then one comes to a large, ‘flat, open space, upon which stand several large buildings. There are bear dens and beer dens, the latter predominating. There is an enormous concert- house, built in 1896, several aviaries, a monkey house, with outside cages, fitted with swings and rocking- horses, containing, besides the apes, some fine lemurs and a gigantic ant bear. There are kangaroo and ostrich sheds, yaks, zebus, and American bison enclo- sures, and an amusing rabbit-hutch.
Close by a racecourse is a huge white tower, from the top of which a view of the whole course can be obtained. In the lion house were a pair of very white lynxes from East Turkestan, which I do not remember having seen in captivity before. There was a black leopard with young ones (a decided novelty), and a puma with young, all born in the Garden.
At this point a man with a_ villainous - looking countenance appeared, wrested my camera from me, and locked it up in the lion house.
I found that the further north-east one goes in Europe the more one is looked upon with suspicion by the keepers, especially when they see one’s pocket-book come out.
There was a pretty pair of cariboo with a calf, and close by them some wild-goat and sheep pens. There was a huge flying aviary (one of the best I have seen), with large trees and shrubs growing in it, and a brook running through it. It contained gulls, cranes, storks, and cormorants.
One of the prettiest houses in this Garden is that
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, KONIGSBERG 145
devoted to the German native birds. Hach cage has little trees in it, ivy grows round the wire-fronts, and there are hand-painted pictures of each bird beautifully done. The house is full of trees, plants, and ever- greens.
When I got back to the lon house for my camera the keeper was nowhere to be seen, but, after searching nearly all over the Garden for him, he at length made his appearance, and returned me my camera.
This Garden has a really good collection, and is well worth a visit.
10
CHAPTER XXVI
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, STUTTGART: DIRECTOR, HERR ADOLF NILL
Tus Zoological Garden owes its origin to Johannes Nill, a carpenter in the city, and a great lover of animals.
His collection at first consisted of indigenous animals, such as deer, roe, foxes, singing-birds, ete. Wild boars and chamois were afterwards added. A large circle of Nill’s acquaintances paid regular visits to the collection, and in 1866 a restaurant was built and called the Deer Park Inn. With the proceeds of this restaurant a Zoological Garden was laid out, and a deer house, a monkey house, some bear pits, and duck-ponds were constructed. To these were afterwards added enclo- sures for chamois, wild boars, goats, ducks, birds of prey, and small birds. The Garden was opened on July 1, 1871. The entrance fee was fixed at three- pence, and a penny-halfpenny for children; yearly subscribers paid two florins for a family, and one florin for one person.
After the closing of the well-known Werner Zoo- logical Garden in the centre of the town, more land was acquired in 1875, and several new buildings were erected, including a llama house and a gymnasium for children.
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, STUTTGART 147
In 1883 the lion house was built.
In 1885 the large Entressicher Menagerie was bought and added to the collection, and military band concerts were instituted. The price of season tickets was now raised to eight marks.
In 1893 large additions were made to the Garden. A new elephant house, a bird-of-prey aviary, a small-
PELICANS, STUTTGART.
cats’ house, the antelope house, and a large ornamental square were erected. Unhappily, it was not permitted to the owner and founder of the Garden to see the end of his work as a completed whole, as death claimed him in May, 1894.
Thanks to the great encouragement of the public and the strong interest manifested in it by the Royal
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48 THE ZOOLOGICAL. GARDENS. OF, LURORE
house and the civic magistracy, the Zoological Garden is at the present day one of the chief sights of the town and surrounding country.
This Garden is approached up a steep hill. It is not pretty, but contains some good animals. Passing through a large café, we come to the entrance-gate (fifty pfennig), and find on the left a large bird-of-prey aviary. This is followed by a pen containing a herd of American bison, one cow having a calf at her heels. In a large Oriental house are a fine Indian elephant, some pigmy cattle, and a tapir. Opposite is a monkey house, containing a pair of most amusing chimpanzees. There they sat at two school-desks, quietly picking their noses. Anthropoid apes are almost human ; they make such a business of doing nothing.
In another house was a pair of white-tailed gnus (how restless and timid these animals are!), a pair of black bucks, and a zebra. Then a deer enclosure follows. In a house devoted to the smaller cats are some good specimens, notably, several servals, caracals, and a beautifully marked ocelot, a genet from South Kurope, and an ichneumon from South Africa.
According to the labels on the cages, one might imagine that there were thousands of animals in Cape Colony, but this is not so at the present day. South Africa means, probably, anywhere south of the Zambesi, which is a totally different thing. Opposite a large open space occupied by rows of seats was a big: circular cage, containing Friiulem Clair Heliot’s performing lions, and a magnificent lot of animals they are. I made the acquaintance of this charming lady, and she
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, STUTTGART 149
told me a great number of interesting facts about her pets. To see the lady enter the cage in a smart print dress and a picture hat and kiss and caress each huge lion in turn is a wonderful sight. I have a great ad- miration for anyone who possesses such love of, and power over, the brute creation. So often one sees
BRINDLED GNU, STUTTGART.
lions skulk away in terror from the lion-tamer. Not one of Clair Heliot’s lions was in the least afraid of her, showing plainly that what she had taught them was taught with the greatest kmdness. It was a sight to see a parrot or a monkey come to this lady when she called it. All the animals in the Garden knew and loved her.
150 HE ZOOLOGICAL. GARDENS OL VEURORE
It is curious that we in England make so few pets of animals. We have, of course, cats, dogs, and horses, but we go little further. I do not mean to say that every lady should have her pet lion about her, but there are other pets quite as dear and quite as affec- tionate as the horse, dog, and cat.
Besides Clair Heliot’s lions, there was a permanent lion house, containing a pair of lions, a pair of tigers, and a particularly fine jaguar.
There is a cool underground aquarium well worth the penny extra they charge for admission. The tanks have sea and fresh water pumped continuously into them by a gas engine. Here is to be seen a beautiful collection of fish: trout, lobsters, eels, carp, flat-fish, cray-fish, king-crabs, dog-fish; some beautiful sea- anemones, a large number of sea-horses (most fasci- nating to watch), tortoises, a salamander from Japan, and a tiny seal in a tank and pretty grotto. We next come to some crane pens and duck-ponds, chamois among some rocks, a number of ostriches, and the inevitable herd of Shetland ponies.
CHAPTER XXVII
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, FRANKFORT-ON-MAIN : DIRECTOR, D. SEITZ
THis Garden was founded in 1858. In 1895 the income was £10,250, and in 1900, £12,850—an increase of 25 per cent. in five years. The vexatious custom of taking away one’s camera is in vogue also here.
On entering the Garden, which has an extent of seventeen and a half acres, the visitor will be struck at once by the care taken of the roads, paths, lawns, and flower-beds. The parrot stands are first encountered, leading to an aviary containing a fine collection of peacocks and Argus pheasants. Passing the band- stand and a pond on our right, we come to a large lion house. This is quite one of the best constructed lion houses in Europe, and contains a young pair of black-maned lions from Somaliland, and a pair of Abyssinian lions, the male of which was given to Baron von Erlanger, the famous traveller, by the Negus Menehk during the former’s last African expedition. The female was given by Ras Makonnen. There is also to be seen here a Siberian tiger. In summer this animal loses its thick coat, which comes off in large flakes.
Close by is a house for smaller cats, and here I
152 JHE ZOOLOGICAL AGATD EN SaOL Orc Oras
noticed a very pretty little light-coloured fox, which has so far gone unnamed. It was presented by Baron von Erlanger. The collection of marsupials is very fine, no less than twenty kangaroos being bred there. The following are represented: the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus), the great gray kangaroo (JZ. gigan- teus), the black-tailed wallaby (M. ualabatus), the wallaroo (M. robustus), the red-necked kangaroo (M. ruficollis), derliganus, conspicillaris, frenatus, and penicillatus.
There are also three species of wombats (Perameles), including Phascolomys wombat, P. latifrons, belidens, echidna, ete. There is a duck-billed platypus, and a squirrel as large as a cat.
Opposite these houses is the entrance to a sea-water aquarium (six pfennig extra), situated in a large and dark underground vault, which contains crabs, king- crabs, lobsters, a beautiful show of sea-anemones, jelly-fish (which I do not remember having seen in tanks before), sterlet, perch, eels, a salamander, and a tiny seal. Many of the large species are fed with living fish, and it was interesting to watch them catching the small prey. From the top of a high tower over the aquarium, which forms with the duck lake below it one of the most picturesque spots in the Garden, a good view is obtained of the palatial concert-house across a large lake. In this old tower are owl cages, containing, amongst others, the beautiful snowy owl.
The monkey house is close by, containing a rich collection, as well as reptiles and a row of small rodents. An orang-outang came as a present from Sumatra, and is a fine specimen, extraordinarily clever,
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ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, FRANKFORT-ON-MAIN 155
and almost intellectual. Gigantic pythons are here seen, lolling on the warm sands or bathing in the water-tanks. There are also enormous lizards and iguanas. Next to this house are the hyzenas, wolves, jackals, and ice foxes, the latter even in spring keeping their white coats. In 1890 half a dozen wolves were born in the Garden.
Passing wild-sheep and goat enclosures, we find in house No. 10 the German native birds on one side, prettily arranged in cages framed with tree-cork, and on the other side of the house are the ostriches and casso- waries, with outside cages. House No. 11 is an extra- ordinarily well-arranged structure of iron and glass, containing parrots and small tropical birds on one side, and on the other the wading-birds, with outside cages. The exotic-bird collection is contained in 120 small cages and many large cages, forming one of the richest collections in Germany. In 1901 there were exhibited in this house such varieties as the Oriental roller (Hurystomus orventalis), Leache’s laughing kingfisher (Dacelo Leachu), and many others of equal value.
We now come to an unusually good collection of wild swine, including a paw of African wart hogs. Opposite these sheds are a number of extremely well- laid-out tlower-beds; in fact, the whole Garden is rich in plants, flowers, and shady trees.
The elephant house, with large open-air enclosures, no longer contains ‘Betsy,’ the great female elephant, which has just died; whilst another male Indian ele- phant has been killed, as he was becoming dangerous. To-day only ‘ Fanny’ (who came ten years ago), and a ‘small African elephant, just acquired, are to be found.
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There is a fine Indian rhinoceros, his attendant keeper on the occasion of my visit being busily engaged in cleaning his hide and searching for ticks, much to the delight of the great pachyderm. There was a pair of hippopotami in a large bath, both females, which were born in Antwerp. They were presented by M. Conrad. ‘Binding’ arrived when quite young, and soon de- veloped into a great mass of flesh and fat ; and when- ever ‘Elizabeth’ opens her mouth wide, everybody falls backwards in astonishment.
In another enclosure are two American tapirs. We next come to a really imposing and lofty bird-of-prey aviary of very large proportions, and then to the bear castle, with ivy running all over it. In a neighbouring tank are some green cormorants, perched on little rocks. Close by is a large enclosure for storks, cranes, stilts, gulls, herons, and flamingoes.
The herons here, contrary to their usual habit, build their nests on the ground and rear young ones every year. These birds are allowed full liberty, for their wings are never cut, but they are, in spite of this, very punctual to meals. One went away with the winter migration, but came back at supper-time the following spring. Here is to be seen the Goliath heron (Ardea goliath), rarely seen in confinement.
We now come to the antelope house, which contains quite a large herd of black buck. I counted ten of these animals in one enclosure, including two young ones, There is an Oryx leucoryx, an Oryx beisa, a number of water-bucks, nylgai, and some brindled gnus, which have bred here several times. There is an anoa from the Celebes, born in the Garden, and a half-grown
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ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, FRANKFORT-ON-MAIN 159
giraffe, for which the sum of 16,000 marks had to be paid when it was about two years old. It is aspecimen of the Southern form ; ‘South’ Africa gives one a wrong impression as to its habitat. There are no giraffes now alive in ‘South’ Africa. The Kalihari Desert is the most southern limit of the giraffe in Africa to-day.
We now reach the deer sheds, containing wapiti, roe (many albinos), red, fallow, rein, axis, sika from Japan, and deer from the Moluccas. There are the inevitable herd of American bison, a fine collection of llamas and alpacas, some camels, yaks, buffaloes, zebus, asses, and Burchell’s zebras, an ant-eater near some very old elms, some giant tortoises from the Galapagos, and the ever- present Shetland ponies.
The magnificent concert-house, which has been added to of late and redecorated, contains the largest rooms in the city of Frankfort. Here are given two concerts daily by the Garden’s own band of thirty-five per- formers. In the summer two bands play. Ten special symphony concerts are given each year.
In September, 1901, three giraffes, forty ostriches, seven lions, five jaguars, black and ordinary leopards were exhibited, but the above have now nearly all been sold.
In 1892 the following animals were bred in the Garden: gnu, nylgai, water- buck, jaguar, wolves, guanacos, etc.
Every May or June the Garden exhibits for some days its collection of Lepidoptera, one of the richest butterfly collections on the Continent, containing, as it does, about 25,000 specimens, including 1,500 Hes- perides and more than 2,000 Geometre.
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The number of big, shady trees, the ponds, the pic- turesque buildings, the neatly-laid-out walks, the large open lawns, and the beds of flowers, all help to make this Garden one of the prettiest in Europe. The view from the restaurant terrace of the lake and tower, surrounded by trees, is one of the most striking I can remember.
I visited other Zoological Gardens in Germany besides those described above. There is one at Augsberg, one at Karlsruhe, one at Mulhausen, and one at Nymphenburg; but as there is nothing very remarkable about them, and one or two possess no carnivorous animals, they may well be passed over in a work which is already far too long.
CHAPTER XXVIII
ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN, ST. PETERSBURG : DIRECTOR, ANTUSCHEWITZ
THIs is a curious Garden in a curious city. When I say ‘Garden,’ I mean a collection of animals in cages, with a number of cafés chantants dotted about. After passing the entrance, there is a large café in front of one, in which a really good band plays. Just opposite is a huge theatre, partly open to the air, and surround- Ing it are other smaller theatres and cafés. On the left are some bears and a good collection of foxes and wolves. In another house, in which is a large tank, there are two fine hippopotami. In this house is the stuffed skin of a baby hippo which was born in the Garden, as well as some living tapirs and some curious- looking Russian dogs. The next house contains a pair of very handsome Burchell’s zebras, some nylgai, brindled and white-tailed gnus, and some rare little dwarf antelopes.
Opposite this house are stork and crane pens. In an elephant house, built in 1892, are two large Indian elephants, and close by them are some duck-ponds, containing ducks, geese, flamingoes, storks, and pelicans. Next to these ponds we come to some large aviaries, the first containing birds of prey, including some large
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102 |) LAE ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN Ss ORS Oie@ r=
condors, and the second pheasants and_ peacocks. Passing on, we reach the lion house, in which is a really good collection, and opposite to it are some wapiti and other deer sheds. There is the usual herd of American bison, which seem to be more common in Zoological Gardens than in their native haunts, and next to them some Indian water-buffaloes and four
AMERICAN BISON, ST. PETERSBURG.
enormous camels from Russian Turkestan. Rabbits, seals, ostriches, and rheas helped to form an extremely good collection. Although there was very little snow about (May 24), it was quite cold enough for a great- coat.
There was a great deal of painting and a great deal of rehearsing in the various theatres going on
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during my visit. This is quite one of the ugliest ‘Gardens’ in Europe ; there is scarcely a tree or a blade of grass to be seen, and it is not worthy of the magnifi- cent city it is placed in.
Entrance fee thirty-two kopecks, which equals about ninepence.
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CHAPTER XXIX
ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN, MOSCOW : DIRECTORS, MESSRS. BAUMWALDT AND HOLTZ
How nice it was to get away from the cold wet north and see the sun again at Moscow! There was scarcely a cloud in the sky on the occasion of my first visit to the Zoological Garden at Moscow.
After entering, on payment of thirty-two kopecks, one is confronted by a large boating lake, with cages of small birds and animals on the right bank. But, as usual, let us keep to the left, and, passing some vertebrze and jaw-bones of a gigantic whale, the first house that will be encountered is the lon house, con- taining, amongst other things, a bay lynx of America (Felis ruta), and a serval (ever snarling), a magnificent pair of large snow leopards from Thibet, and a common leopard with three tiny babies. In another cage to- gether are two hyzenas, one dog, one wolf, and one bear. The next house contains bears, and there is a monkey house close by containing, amongst other things, a flying fox. In a paddock in the Garden, next to a Thibetan kiang, or wild ass, is a specimen of the newly discovered Prejevalsky’s wild horse. This animal came out of the herd imported by Carl Hagen- beck, and from the same herd came the specimens of
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the curious yellow-coloured horse now to be seen in our London Garden. Carl Hagenbeck informed me that these animals were caught in three different districts south of the Mongolian town of Kobdo, near the Altai Mountains. The horses travelled twenty days to Kobdo, and ninety-five days from Kobdo to the Siberian Railway, so that by the time they reached Kurope they must have had about enough travelling.
MOOSE YARD, MOSCOW.
The foals are caught with slings on long sticks by the Mongols, a number of whom gallop down upon a large herd at a given signal. When caught they are fed by Mongol mares, which act as their foster-mothers. There were signs of great activity going on in this Garden, houses of various sorts being in course of con- struction in every direction, including a good new set
166) HE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF VEORORE
of bear cages for the fine collection of these animals, which have now to be housed separately in various parts of the Garden. Passing a moose yard, with a North American Indian wooden shed, we mount up to a com- paratively new house on a bank, and find within two Indian tusker elephants, one of which is the largest Indian elephant in Europe. It is very old, and there is a great deal of white about the head and trunk, the latter being very short in comparison with the immense body. Ten years ago it grew very savage, and has since then killed two men.
In this Garden are to be seen specimens of the Russian bison (Bos bonassus) ; a herd, now reduced to 500, is protected by the Czar in Lithuania, Russia. When I asked an official if it was possible to get per- mission to shoot one, he said it would be cheaper to kill a man. ‘It would cost you,’ he added, ‘three years’ hard labour, with a fine of 800 roubles to kill a bison ; whereas, if you kill a man, it costs you only three years in Siberia, without any fine whatever.’
There were the usual concert-houses and restaurants. The Garden contains some quaintly built houses, and there are plenty of duck-ponds, trees, and grass to help to make it pretty.
As I had to await permission from the police (I was not ‘ wanted’) to leave Russia, I was enabled to spend a second day in this curious and out-of-the-corner Garden. Here could be seen people out of every country in Europe, mixed up with natives of China, Thibet, Mongolia, Russian Turkestan, Russian Siberia, and other Asiatic races. I chanced upon the younger son of Herr Carl Hagenbeck, the great animal importer of Hamburg, who had just arrived with some American
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racoons, some Shetland ponies, and other animals. I was delighted to meet someone who could speak English, and we lunched together in the Garden. Hagenbeck told me he was awaiting from Siberia a number of roe-deer, ibex, and other animals. He said
TOWER, MOSCOW.
that a gorilla, one of the rarest animals in captivity, and some chimpanzees were on their way to Hamburg from West Africa.
A fine band plays in the Garden in the afternoon, and altogether the place is quite worth a visit.
CHAPTER XXX
ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN, BUDA-PESTH : DIRECTOR, M. CARL SERAK
THis Garden is one of the youngest in Europe. The first impulse was given to the foundation by the naturalists, Joseph Gerenday and August Rubinyi, who had returned from a visit to Vienna in 1856. In 1861 a committee was formed, shares were issued, and plans were prepared. Joseph Gerenday had brought together seventy kinds of animals, and it was found difficult to house them. In 1865 the Society was at last founded, and in 1866 the town sold the company a site, but made them pay a ground-rent for it.
The first President was Johann Xantus. On August 9, 1866, the Garden was solemnly opened to the public. Xantus resigned shortly after, and a Viennese zoologist, Fitzinger, was appointed; he in his turn resigned, and for a time the Garden did not prosper, perhaps owing partly to the many alterations in the management. Its position was so insecure that new and more sensible methods had to be thought out. Valuable aid was given in 1872 by Dr. Szabo, who had always been a zealous supporter of the Garden. He suggested that the company should be turned into a Society of Acclimatization, and that it should include
ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN, EiCiDAia s lie 169
foreign domestic animals as well as cultivated plants. This idea found much approbation, and the Society took up Szabo’s suggestion. M. Carl Serak was chosen Director of the Garden, and he has managed the affairs of the Garden to this day.
Until the year 1873 everything went downhill. To-day the Society possesses a capital of 180,000 gulden, and stands on a level with other similar institutions in Europe. The success of the Garden has been furthered by the help of the Archduke Joseph, for whose gracious support the Garden will always be greatly indebted. Mention should also be made of Andor Semsey, who gave the Society its beautiful aviary. Not only the Government, but also the town, help by continual subscriptions to further the interests of the Garden.
After a laborious railway journey from Moscow of three days and three nights, including fourteen hours of weary waiting at wayside stations where not a soul speaks any language but Russian, I arrived at length at Buda-Pesth.
The town possesses a shady wood of birch, horse- chestnut, and elm trees. After paying sixty filler for entrance, my camera was taken from me, which was all the more to be regretted, as it was such a beautiful day for taking photographs. The first. house opposite the entrance is a very small, very stuffy, and very dark little monkey house, followed by a bird aviary, which was just the opposite—very large, very airy, and very light. Goat sheds follow, and then a good collection of deer, including wapiti (always well represented in
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Continental Gardens), Borneo deer (C. hippelaphus), and others. Below a ruined castle, inhabited by ravens and owls, are two cages containing striped and other hyenas. These animals always have sore places on their heads, caused by rubbing against the bars of their cage. We now come to a beautiful pair of Somali ostriches in full feather, and close by a large duck-pond —which, by the way, contained very few ducks—there was a novel flying-aviary for gulls and peacocks— rather an odd assortment, I thought. A large fishing- net was stretched from the top of a huge pole in the centre of the cage to the iron railings. The lion house, which came next, had in it no less than six lions. There was a beautiful ant bear, with its curious snout and long thin tongue, in a cage by himself, and opposite was a large water-tank containing a hippo- potamus, and on one side of him were four nylgai, and on the other two leucoryx antelopes and a zebra. Next came a great number of domestic-fowl pens, followed by a really fine collection of dogs from all parts of the world—Russian wolf-hounds, Irish setters, Chinese chows, pointers, pugs, fox-terriers, great danes, Newfoundland, ete. Passing a pai of Indian ele- phants, we come to goats, yaks with calves, camels, llamas, zebus, and the inevitable pair of American bisons. A number of bears, including a pretty couple of baby brown bears, brings a good collection to an end. During the heat of the day the hose was turned on to several animals, which seemed to enjoy it thoroughly, with the exception, oddly enough, of the polars, which became very angry and fought savagely with one another.
ZOOLEOGICAE GARDEN, BUDA-PEST EH igi
There were crowds of people, and a band played during the afternoon. Bread was sold for feeding the animals, and a good many people bought some; but I do not like to see the poor brutes teased and tantalized with it. I could not help laughing when I saw a