132 
THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY 
and from Darfur, is a tall well-proportioned black, and at 
his own request a little gallery has been erected for him in 
the stable of his charge, where he sleeps and keeps all his 
property. When in attendance he dresses in the turban, 
vest, and full trowsers of his country, but when he walks 
into Paris he assumes the European costume, for in his 
native garb all the children in the streets recognise him, and 
calling out, “ Ati ! Jiti ! comment v a la giraffe?” hurt 
his consequence. He is to be found every Sunday evening 
at one of the Guinguettes in the neighbourhood, dancing 
with all his might, and during the week he devotes his 
leisure to the acquirement of reading and writing. 
The two elephants are much grown, and with the Asiatic 
they do not seem to make much progress; but the African is 
become very interesting; she performs various salutations 
and manoeuvres, obeys the voice of her keeper, kneels down 
to take him on her back, and seldom requires any other 
chastisement than a pull of one of her ears, which are very 
much larger than those of her Indian brother. 
Two very beautiful aviaries have been completed since 
my last visit to the Jardin. The one is appropriated to 
birds of prey, and contains some noble specimens of owls, 
eagles, and vultures; among the latter is the great Condor 
of the Andes (Vultur Gryphus), which requires double the 
space allotted to any of the others. The second aviary 
contains many rare species of pheasants and other birds, 
and both of them have not only covered places for shelter, 
and stoves for heating them, but a large space covered with 
iron network, in which the thousands who weekly crowd 
to see them can watch their movements without the least 
difficulty. Near these are the parks appropriated to pea- 
cocks, domestic fowls, &c. and in which the crown and 
Numidian cranes, and the secretary bird, stalk about and 
dance at sunset, as if under their native skies. The various 
kinds of deer, the chamois, and other goats, are in high 
health; the beavers are thriving, as well as all the known 
species of lama. I was astonished at the fury with which 
these mild-looking animals fight; and on one occasion hav- 
ing caused them to be separated, I was much amused at the 
rage with which they pushed their noses through the rail- 
ings, till they touched, though their attempts to bite were 
fruitless. 
Without actual study, it would be difficult to ascertain 
the additions made of late years to the collection of compa- 
rative anatomy. Several rooms have been added since my 
first acquaintance with it, in 1819, and it is yearly receiving 
new treasures from travellers, or the efforts of Baron Cu- 
vier, who may be said to have created this part of the 
establishment. The upper portion, containing the prepa- 
rations in spirits, &c. separated bones, skulls, teeth, and the 
skeletons of the smaller animals, seems to be crowded; and 
the skeletons of the whales below, among the larger objects, 
excited my astonishment, that the whole Parisian world 
should have run mad after la baleine des Pays Bas, when 
those of the Jardin du Roi are nearly as large, and much 
more interesting, from the whalebone having been pre- 
served, and from the correct manner in which the parts 
have been put together. 
The collection of stuffed animals, at the first coup d’ ceil, 
more completely conveys an idea of its immense riches than 
any other portion of the establishment. To see thousands 
of animals in their living attitudes, so happily prepared as 
to appear in actual movement, and then to pause and find 
all still and immoveable, gives an idea of enchantment 
which it is difficult to shake off, till increasing admiration 
at every step supersedes all other feelings, and till we finally 
turn from it lost in wonder at the magnificence of creation, 
and adore the mighty Hand which has formed these endless 
varieties, and yet bound the whole together in one common 
link. The division allotted to the stuffed deer, &c. has re- 
ceived several curious additions of the antelope kind ; and 
there are two tufts of hair, said to belong to the tails of the 
grunting cow of the East, which is such an object of cu- 
riosity to naturalists, and which tufts are all that has yet 
been brought to Europe to prove its existence. The 
giraffes, camels, and oxen still stand together in this room, 
and the enormous basking shark has been hoisted to the 
ceiling. But we feel impatient to get to the birds, the ar- 
rangement of which, from their size, is more complete than 
can be admitted among the quadrupeds. The first cases 
contain the diurnal birds of prey; where the gypactos of 
the Alps seems in the act of pouncing oh its victim, the 
secretary bird appears to have walked in from the menage- 
rie, and the falcon ready to soar from the wrist of the hunts- 
man. The owls of all countries succeed these; and passing 
by the splendid parrots, parroquets, toucans, &c. we stop 
for a long time before the Plsseres. In this order every 
idea of exquisite form, grace, delicacy, brilliancy, and har- 
mony of colouring seems verified. The lyretails (Masnura), 
the parasol birds (Cephalopterus), the lovely birds of para- 
dise, the sugar birds, the gems of humming-birds blazing in 
the light, seem each to demand a whole day’s admiration; 
and then come the Gallinacese, with the red-breasted 
pigeon, looking as if an arrow had just pierced her heart; 
the horned and argus pheasants, &c. The ostrich, the rose 
colored flamingo, the sacred and the scarlet ibis; the kami- 
chi, said to bleed his sick companions with the spur upon 
his wing, all take their place among the Grallse: and next 
to these are the Palmipedes, from the far-famed albatross, 
the awkward-looking penguin, the frigate bird, the stupid 
boobies, to the common duck. 
The two end rooms are still full of bats, quadrupeds, and 
