ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF THE WORLD. 



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II. Early Zoological Gardens. 



The ancient Egyptians, as is profusely demonstrated by in- 

 scriptions and mummied remains, kept various species of wild 

 animals in captivity, but the first Zoological Garden properly so 

 called appears to have been established in very early times in 

 China. This institution was founded by Woo-Wang (Wong- 

 Wang), the first Emperor of the Chow (Tscheu) Dynasty, who 

 ruled over the northern parts of China rather more than a 

 thousand years before the Christian era. It is noteworthy that 

 the Chinese, thus early realizing the educational value of such an 

 institution, called it " The Intelligence Park." 



In Greek and Eoman times, as is well known, collections of 

 wild beasts were made in foreign lands and brought to the chief 

 towns for exhibition. This was not done however from purposes 

 of interest in the animals themselves or for the cause of science, 

 but for display and public slaughter. It is recorded that Lions, 

 Leopards, Bears, Elephants, Ehinoceros, Antelopes, Giraffes, 

 Camels, Hippopotamus, Ostriches and Crocodiles, in incredible 

 numbers, were killed in the arenas of Koine : killed either in 

 mutual combat, or at the hands of professional gladiators or 

 condemned criminals and slaves, in order to gratify the popular 

 appetite for sensation. 



An exception to this brutality can however be made in the 

 case of Alexander the Great (356-323 b.c.) who, it appears, 

 caused extensive collections of rare and unknown animals to be 

 transmitted to his old tutor, the great philosopher and zoologist 

 Aristotle (384-322 b.c). 



In later times Koyal Personages frequently kept menageries 

 of wild animals, aviaries of birds and ponds of fish : partly for 

 sport, partly as pets and partly for exhibition to their personal 

 guests and visitors. 



In these collections, many of which still exist, was the origin 

 of the modern Zoological Gardens. 



In Europe the public Zoological Garden may be said to have 

 gradually evolved from the Boyal menagerie, but in America a 

 period of three hundred and thirty-eight years intervened be- 

 tween the overthrow of the Imperial Mexican Menagerie in 



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