148 THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF EUROPE 



house and the civic magistracy, the Zoological Garden 

 is at the present day one of the chief sights of the 

 town and surrounding country. 



This Garden is approached up a steep hill. It is 

 not pretty, but contains some good animals. Passing 

 through a large cafe, we come to the entrance-gate 

 (fifty pfennig), and find on the left a large bird-of-prey 

 aviary. This is followed by a pen containing a herd 

 of American bison, one cow having a calf at her heels. 

 In a large Oriental house ai'e a fine Indian elephant, 

 some pigmy cattle, and a tapir. Opposite is a monkey 

 house, containing a pair of most amusing chimpanzees. 

 There they sat at two school-desks, quietly picking 

 their noses. Anthropoid apes are almost human ; they 

 make such a business of doing nothing. 



In another house was a pair of white-tailed gnus 

 (how restless and timid these animals are !), a pair of 

 black bucks, and a zebra. Then a deer enclosure 

 follows. In a house devoted to the smaller cats are 

 some good specimens, notably, several servals, caracals, 

 and a beautifully marked ocelot, a genet from South 

 Europe, and an ichneumon from South Africa. 



According to the labels on the cages, one might 

 imagine that there were thousands of animals in Cape 

 Colony, but this is not so at the present day. South 

 Africa means, probably, anywhere south of the Zambesi, 

 which is a totally different thing. Opposite a large 

 open space occupied by rows of seats was a big circular 

 cage, containing Friiulein Clair Heliot's performing 

 lions, and a magnificent lot of animals they are. I 

 made the acquaintance of this charming lady, and she 



