THE NILGAI ANTELOPE 125 



of hippopotamus frequented the Narbada valley, and 

 a third inhabited the Siwalik marshes, while harte- 

 beestand sable antelope grazed where the Himalayas 

 now stand. Truly to a present-day naturalist would 

 such a world have appeared topsy turvy, and a 

 Chinese giraffe indeed a rara avis ! 



Some ten years after the disposal of Lord Derby's 

 collection, the Jardin d'Acclimatation was established 

 in Paris. In the Bois de Boulogne there arose a 

 greater Knowsley than Lord Derby had dreamt of, 

 and on October 6, 1860, the Emperor himself inau- 

 gurated this magnificent zoological garden, specially 

 designed for acclimatising new and rare animals under 

 the skies of Europe. I ts successes have been many 

 eland, giraffe, waterbuck, wapiti, nilgai, and other 

 animals have been bred here ; the large paddocks and 

 leafy pathways of this naturalists' paradise render it 

 an almost ideal institution. At the much older 

 Jardin des Plantes the writer recently saw a fine 

 exhibit of a herd of nilgai quite a number of these 

 interesting beasts in a spacious paddock well suited 

 to their requirements. 



In conclusion, the nilgai is preeminently adapted 

 for extensive acclimatisation in Europe. Its pleasing 

 outlines, considerable stature, and the handsome blue 

 coat of the bulls render it a truly ornamental species, 

 well suited for introduction into parks as a change 

 from everlasting fallow deer ; a troop of nilgai seen 

 in the distance amid the oaks and elms of an English 



