86



Lieutenant Delacour.



Such large-winged birds appear in time to accommodate

themselves to the inequality artificially produced in their wings.

There used to be, and very likely still is, a pinioned Black-headed

Gull at St. James’s Park which flew about freely, though it never

went away like the wild ones; and I once saw in Regent’s Park a

Herring-Gull with a clipped wing practising flying on a very windy

day. It mounted to about fifty feet above the water, and then suddenly

dropped as if shot, having evidently failed to regulate its stroke ;

but its attempt gave me some idea as to how a large-winged bird,

though at first disabled from flight, can—accidentally no doubt in

the first place—regain its lost power to a sufficient extent to get

away.



THE COLOGNE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS

AFTER THE ARMISTICE.


By Lieutenant Delacour.


Translated by The Editor.


My duties with the British Army having summoned me into

the part of Germany occupied by the Allies, I was able to visit the

Cologne Zoological Gardens on December 23rd last.


Having many a time heard during the course of the war that

the starving Germans had been compelled to sacrifice their animals,

I supposed that I should see only empty cages. What was my

astonishment to still find there a very fine series of animals, and a

collection, all things considered, better, indeed, than that in Paris

or even London !


On entering one finds on the right some Pheasant aviaries

which only contain common species—Golden, Silver, Sacred, Reynaud’s

—and some Pigeons ; then come, in the enclosures, Fallow Deer,

Hog Deer, Sika, and Red Deer. One of the yards bears this label:

HELDERHIRSCH.

geb. 23-5-16,


St. Gobain (Aisne).


A Stag taken in France during the war!


In the series of cages one finds many Wolves, Foxes, and

other indigenous and exotic carnivora. The Bears are very numerous—



