55 
magnificent trees and thronged by countless numbers of 
water-loving birds, the most abundant species being the Little 
Cormorant, Phalacrocorax javaniciis^ and the Indian Darter, 
or Snake-bird, Plotiis melanogaster. Some Malay Tapirs, 
Tapirus indicus^ have been turned loose in this lake ; it is 
found that they do no ^daniage, either by frightening the 
birds or by injuring the vegetation, and the presence of 
these large, parti-coloured animals, add interest to the scene. 
Installations for Animals. 
The principal buildings in which the animals are caged 
may be thus summarized : — 
(1) Primates. — The “ Dumraon House,” named in honour 
of the Maharaja of Dumraon, built in 1878, and the “Gubbay 
House,” named in honour of the late Mr. Elias Gubbay. 
Both these houses were remodelled in the years 1906-1907. 
(2) Carnivora. — The ‘‘ Burdwan House,” built at the 
expense of the Burdwan Raj Estate, contains the lions and 
tigers, adjoining which is an open-air enclosure, the cost of 
which was met from the fund provided by the late Maharaja 
Bahadur Sur}"a Kanta Acharya Chowdhury of Mymensing, 
surrounded by an iron fence curved inwards at the top, the 
height of the fence from the ground level where the animals 
walk to the top of the curve of the fence being apparently 
about 22 feet (6*70 metres). 
The “ Small Carnivora House,” built in 1898, contains 
leopard, wild cat, hyaena, etc. 
The “New Bear House,” a present from the Nawab 
Bahadur of Dacca, and the “Abdul Ghani House,” provide 
accommodation for the bears. 
The “ Mullick House ” contains mongoose, otter, etc., and 
was named in honour of Raja Rajendra Nath Mullick of 
Chorebagan, Calcutta, who, I learn from Mr. Basu (“Guide 
to the Zoological Garden, Calcutta,” 1910, p. 26), was an 
enthusiastic animal fancier and maintained his own private 
menagerie long before this zoological garden came into 
existence. 
