SMITHSONIAN EXPLORATIONS, I929 5I 



of rare things are sometimes maintained. For instance, at the time of 

 our visit, one hundred penguins were disporting in two large rock- 

 work pools. There were a whole troup of elephants with Hindu 

 mahouts, elephant seals, and large flocks of flamingoes at liberty 

 about the grounds. 



Here we find one of the best insect exhibition houses in all Europe. 

 The curator is an elderly German entomologist, who takes the same 

 care of and interest in his specimens as the elephant man takes in his. 

 In showing us his charges, he took into his hand big scorpions, a six- 

 inch centipede, and giant spiders. 



BERLIN (Director, Dr. Ludwig Heck) 



The Berlin Zoological Park is the third oldest in Germany, having 

 been opened to the public in 1844. The present director. Dr. Ludwig 

 Heck, has 1)een in charge since 1888. The l)uildings, of which there 

 are many, are commodious, well-planned, and most attractive to 

 look at. Some of them are l^eautifully decorated, and the archi- 

 tecture, borrowed from many lands, is usually suited to the nation- 

 ality of the inmates. Many of the buildings boast paintings, carvings 

 and stained glass windows. Some 3,000 animals and birds are exhib- 

 ited, 400 species of the former and 1,000 of the latter. 



The newest building is the aquarium, a mammoth three-story struc- 

 ture, the first floor devoted to fishes, the second to reptiles, and the 

 third to insects. The bird house is at present lieing remodeled, for 

 in spite of the fact that the buildings are among the very best in 

 European zoos, they are continually being improved and enlarged, 

 and new ones are being built. The rodent house is two stories high, 

 the lower story being cut into the bank and with outside barless pits 

 for many small animals, an exhibition fascinating to children. 



The collection is superb. Thirty species of deer are exhibited, 6 

 giraffes (of three species, including the rare cottoni), 12 gelada 

 baboons in one cage, a black howling monkey that has lived here two 

 years, and 9 species of lemurs living together. The number of young 

 animals born here is surprising ; we saw a black lemur with two 

 babies, some young hyrax, and a mother elephant with young. 



DRESDEN (Director, Dr. Gustav Brandes) 



The Dresden Zoo was started by a society of poultry fanciers in 

 1859, and in i860 a corporation was founded which took over the 

 gardens and added to the collection, forming a more comprehensive 

 zoo. 



