OSTRICH HOUSE, BERLIN.
DEER SHED, BERLIN.
After passing several large duck and swan lakes and a wild-sheep rockery, we come to the monkey house, which, however, is comparatively small and disappointing. 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 sliding-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), 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 collection forming one of the most complete in 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 buffalo 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 Europe. 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.