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 Menelik 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 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 (M. giganteus), 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, etc. 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.
TOWER AND LAKE, FRANKFORT-ON-MAIN.
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, 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 hyænas, 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 cassowaries, with outside cages. House No. 11 is an extraordinarily 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 (Eurystomus orientalis), Leache’s laughing kingfisher (Dacelo Leachii), and many others of equal value.
We now come to an unusually good collection of wild swine, including a pair of African wart hogs. Opposite these sheds are a number of extremely well-laid-out flower-beds; in fact, the whole Garden is rich in plants, flowers, and shady trees.