The zoological gardens of Europe, their history and chief features

by C. V. A. Peel

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 pens, without enough room to move about. An armadillo 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 containing 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 in a long row. The small deer and the hardier kinds of antelope are found here. Water-buck, nylgai, and two white-tailed gnus are to be seen. Père David’s deer is one of the occupants of the deer sheds. Other deer found are the Virginian deer, axis deer, sika from Japan, and a very grotesque-looking deer from China—Reeves’ muntjac (Cervulus Reevesi). 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 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 restaurant 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 moufflon—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. Besides 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 hyænas and one spotted hyæna 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; 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 (Hydrochærus 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.

STORKS.
BATELEUR EAGLE.
COCKATOO.
STORK NESTING ON THE GROUND.
(Photo by Ottomar Anschütz, Berlin.)
CRANES.

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 of the birds as well as for the pleasure of the visitors. These plants help to improve the air.