98 



as a footpath. Tlie road on the left in 1879 completed a loop witli 

 the other of the roads from the Main Gate, while that on the right — 

 the persisting road — led straight towards the Office Clate and on the 

 top of the hill joined the Bandstand-Herbarium King system of 

 roads. On the Main-Gate Road near the Gate Xiven had had rais- 

 ed beds which obscured the unevenness of the ground ; these raised 

 beds had been removed, and a certain amount of smoothing had 

 been done by Murton, — not as much as was subsequently done, but 

 sometliing — which still left the lawn too low on the left. From 

 that lawn, Murton had newly removed large trees and a row of 

 Betel palms which lined the boundary stream: clumps of Sago 

 ])alms he had allowed to remain, as they persist still : in front of 

 them he had planted many of his new introductions, and where the 

 Betel palms were he had planted a row of palms of the genera 

 Sfcvensonia and Kentia. Past the second clump of Sago palms 

 Xiven had had two small ponds which Murton had dug into one, 

 at the end of which, had the Zoo grown as its promoters hoped. 

 Alligators w^ere to live; the near half of the pond was occupied 

 by Waterlilies including Vicforia regia, and the further half by the 

 Lotus lily. Just beyond this pond had been the Rhinoceros en- 

 closure with its wallow. Much levelling had been done to accom- 

 modate this animal which lived for such a short time in captivity, 

 and had left the place improved ; while the wallow, at first closed 

 np, was later converted into a small pond. 



From the Main Gate to this point upon the north of the 

 Road the visitor in 1879 would have found the hill side dotted over 

 with disappointingly young plants, being Murton's new in- 

 troductions planted in some order, Conifers near the Gate, Cy cads 

 near the turn by the foot of tlie Lake. The trees of Camarina 

 sitmafrana, now so effective, were then three years old, and could 

 not have been effective then. 



The visitor on arriving at the foot of the Lake found himself 

 in front of the strained wire fence by which the Deer, whose en- 

 closure was between the Lake and Garden Road, were ineffectively 

 prevented from getting loose and doing damage in the rest of the 

 Gardens. Xo path existed at that time west of the Lake. 



The islet in the Lake was occupied chiefly by a large Ficus. 



Following the Lake side the visitor might have noticed that 

 the Lawn on the right had been newly raised to the level of the 

 road, so as to do away with the old embankment ; this Lawn is 

 sometimes called in tlie older papers the " main Lawn," and by 

 that it may be judged that it was more open than now. 



If the visitor had kept beyond the fork of this road to the 

 left, following the Lake side, he would have been led to two 

 small rather unfinished terraces§ upon the side of the Bandstand 

 Hill where Murton had his office and an orchid house, as well as 

 lines for coolies. 



The Orchid house was occupied in 1879 by miscellaneous 

 plants, largely annuals, for the orchids had been placed on trees 



§Cantley smcothei them in 1882. 



