i7 
The next place to visit was Mr. Blaauw’s property, s’Graveland, 
near Hilversum, in Holland. He has a most interesting private 
collection of animals and birds. Among the 
a’Graveland. former are a pair of American Bison and 
their calf, several White-tailed Gnus, Grey 
Kangaroos, Bennett’s Wallabies, Blessbock, &c.; also South 
American Rheas, Emus, and a large number of various kinds of 
waterfowl. Mr. Blaauw is very successful in getting rare geese 
and ducks, such as Ruddy-headed Sheldrakes, Orinoco and Snow 
Geese, &c., to nest and rear up their young, but the reason is that 
the birds have plenty of shelter, and are very little disturbed, which 
is almost impossible in a Zoological Garden. He also strictly 
preserves the game in his woods, and, consequently, there are 
plenty of Squirrels, Stockdoves, Wood-Pigeons, Herons, Jays, 
and other birds ; also, in one enclosure, a colony of Prairie Marmots. 
I left the same evening for Hamburg, arriving there at 
7 o’clock next morning. I then went to Carl Hagenbeck’s, and there 
met Dixon Bey, from Port Said, and who was connected with the 
Cairo Zoological Gardens, and Mr. Sanyal, of Calcutta. We 
looked over Mr. Hagenbeck’s collection of animals. I bought 
several that I thought would stand our climate. As Mr. Sanyal 
was going on to Berlin that same afternoon I decided to go on with 
him, and we reached that city at 9 o’clock the same evening. Next 
day, September 18th, we went to the Aquarium. The Fish were 
not of much interest, but there were two splendid specimens of the 
large Indian Snake-Eating Snake, the Hymadryad. Mr. Sanyal 
has promised to procure a specimen for our Gardens. In a large 
aviary were a number of Weaver Birds. They had made many 
large, bulky nests on dead branches hanging from the roof. The 
birds also seemed very fond of weaving the fibre with which they 
were supplied in and out of the wire netting of their cage. There 
was also one Seal in a small pond that had been there for twelve 
years. 
We then went to the Zoological Gardens. They are large, 
but much shut in by the number of trees that are growing all over 
the grounds, and which quite prevent any good 
Berlin Zoo flower-beds being formed. The Gardens are a 
Gardens. portion of the City Park, and a municipal by-law 
prohibits any trees being cut down, except in case 
of the erection of buildings. The houses of the animals are very 
fine, the Elephant-house especially, and attract almost as much 
attention as the animals themselves. There is a Malayan Tapir 
that has lived in the Gardens for seven years, a long time for such 
a delicate animal. They have also a splendid aviary—about 40 ft. 
high and 50 ft. wide. The back is composed of a sloping rockery, 
well planted and having water running down from the top into a 
clear pool at the bottom. Gulls and Herons are the principal birds 
in it, and there they nest and rear their young. 
