ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF WESTERN EUROPE. 367 



the legs regularly striped. An equine hybrid (Asiatic Wild Ass, 

 $ X Burchell Zebra, ? ) now living in the Jardin des Plantes is 

 rufous grey in colour, having the body and legs ornamented with 

 long thin stripes, but the hind quarters boldly marked with 

 broad dark bands like its mother. 



Cervus davidianus (Pere David's Deer). — Much interest 

 attaches to this very rare animal, since probably it is now utterly 

 exterminated in the wild state, those now in captivity — a scanty 

 band indeed — being all that is left of the species. I recollect 

 seeing several in the Jardin d'Acclimatation some years ago, but 

 they are all gone now. An old male still survives in the Jardin 

 des Plantes — a faded-looking specimen, and not at all attractive, 

 save for his great rarity. When I saw him a few weeks ago he 

 was standing still, with muzzle on ground, sleepy and lethargic, 

 as if the fate of his race was beginning to personally oppress him. 

 The note of this Deer is a disagreeable bray; in fact, Cervus 

 davidianus cannot be considered a nice animal at all. 



RODENTIA. 



Cynomys ludovicianus (Prairie Dog). — These little rodents 

 flourish abundantly in captivity if allowed plenty of room, frisking 

 about in broad daylight like so many Ground Squirrels, and con- 

 tinually popping in and out of their burrows. Such individuals 

 as I have been able to observe delved with tremendous energy 

 and enthusiastic perseverance, the earth being rapidly thrown 

 out between the straddled-out hind legs. As far as one could 

 judge, the shape of the mounds thus thrown up by these Prairie 

 Dogs was flatter and somewhat more elongated than that of the 

 typical watch-tower structure usually figured in works of natural 

 history. The Prairie Dog " town " in the Jardin d'Acclimata- 

 tion consists of a number of somewhat widely separated burrows, 

 and none of the mounds are very large ; in fact, at a short 

 distance they are hardly distinguishable from the surrounding 

 earth. Prairie Dogs will breed readily in captivity, and make 

 interesting pets. 



