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 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 enclosures, 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 devoted to the German native birds. Each 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 evergreens.
When I got back to the lion 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.
CHAPTER XXVI
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, STUTTGART: DIRECTOR, HERR ADOLF NILL