THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 149 



Laughing Jackass, looking as sedate as if in his far-away Australia, 

 and "laughing" with a heartiness that was quite enchanting to me. 

 I stopped a long while by this spot ; the Jackass, somehow, 

 seemed to me the most characteristically Australian thing I had 

 seen since I left Australia. Amongst the parrot cages were quite 

 a number of our Australian Parrots and Cockatoos, and even far- 

 off Fiji was represented by the Green and Red Lories of the South 

 Seas. 



The next zoological collection of any importance which I visited 

 was that in the Fairview Park, in Philadelphia. To me quite the 

 most interesting object in this garden was the great American 

 Bison. This noble animal is well represented by a number or 

 healthy individuals, which have a fine roomy paddock and shelter 

 sheds, and are evidently well cared for. Another animal of the 

 greatest interest is the American Elk, or Wapiti, fine examples 

 of which are here preserved. 



Perhaps the strong point in this gardens is the fine collection of 

 birds, particularly the Parrots and Cockatoos, and the brilliant 

 Macaws, of which there is a superb series. There are very many 

 Australian birds, including our friend the "Jackass" and numbers 

 of our pigeons. The kangaroos were the most healthy-looking 

 collection I saw out of Australia, and were represented by six or 

 seven species. An animal which interested me a good deal was 

 the Prairie Dog, a curious, little burrowing rodent, and afterwards, 

 in the course of the railway journey across the Western Prairie, I 

 saw the same animal in its native haunts. Some of the main 

 buildings are very fine and substantial, in particular the house for 

 the large carnivora and the reptile and monkey houses. I must 

 not omit to mention the very beautiful group of bronze statuary 

 which stands in front of the main entrance. It is entitled " The 

 Dying Lioness," and represents a lioness stricken by an arrow; 

 some cubs are scrambling about her, and the old lion is standing 

 over her in an attitude of protection. The group is finely 

 designed and executed, and forms a most attractive and appro- 

 priate ornament. There is a splendid seal pond, in which are 

 many seals, and also the Sea Lion and the scarce and interesting 

 Sea Elephant. 



The collection of animals in the Central Park, New York, is 

 scarcely worth mentioning. I was much surprised that a mighty 

 city like New York, which excels in the magnificence of its great 

 public works and in its lovely Central Park, should be so far behind 

 in a matter of this kind. I greatly pitied the dejected-looking 

 lions, cooped up in the smallest of cages, with no proper shelter 

 and no exercising yard. One of them was obviously dying of 

 lung disease, and was coughing in a pitiful manner, while the 

 other was thin and half-starved looking. The Hippopotami are 

 perhaps the finest specimens in the collection, and are about 



