Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 3 (1899).djvu/344

318 hall contained Paradise-fish (Macropodus viridi auratus), colours very vivid; Peacock-fish (Trichogaster fasciatus), in dazzling iridescence of green and orange. The following amphibians were also shown:—Bombinator pachypus, Rana esculenta, R. temporaria, Bufo calamita, Triton tæniatus, T. alpestris, Salamandra maculosa; also seven large Axolotls in a tank, greyish green, marbled and mottled with darker green.

A good Museum, the cases all painted white, was attached to the Aquarium building, and contained a collection of Snakes and Tortoises, well mounted in spirits, and also several other zoological collections.

The Insect-house, close to the Bird-gallery, contained living insects, such as Papilio machaon and large silk moths, in great variety, and in various stages of metamorphosis.

At Rotterdam, the Gardens, which are close to the Delftsche Poort Station, possessed two examples of the Thibetan Black Wolf (Canis niger); a very interesting Siberian Tiger, the fur of which was remarkably delicate, the stripes being long and thin, and the whole animal presenting a pale washed-out appearance, contrasting markedly with the darker coat of the Malaccan Tiger in the next cage.

The Eagle aviaries were fine and spacious, and the Heron pond of very ample dimensions. It was curious to note that just outside the wires a colony of free Herons had taken up their abode.

The Antwerp Zoological Gardens, which are very fine, are close to the principal railway-station; admission one franc. The Monkey-house, a handsome building, contained amongst its inmates a very rare and little known Cercocebus from the Belgian Congo; an example of Cercopithecus brazzæ (Brazza's Monkey), smaller apparently than the specimen in London; and many other animals. Perhaps the most curious building is the Elephant-house, the front of which is decorated, in Egyptian fashion, with figures of the Mountain Zebra and other animals painted on the outside. The Ungulates are well represented at Antwerp, the most noteworthy being two Mountain Zebras (Equus zebra); a Giraffe (North African form), protected from draughts by a huge sheet of plate-glass in front of its cage; a European Bison (Bos bonassus); two short-horned African Buffaloes, darker perhaps than normal (Bubalus pumilus); several American Bison (Bos americanus); Malayan Tapir (Tapirus indicus), in the very best health, as a glance at its beautiful coat testified; Sable Antelope (Hippotragus niger); Roan Antelope (H. equinus); Brindled Gnu (Connochætes taurina); Dama Gazelle (Gazella dama); Addax (Addax nasomaculatus); and a Sumatran Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sumatrensis). The Lions, Tigers, and other large Carnivora were provided, as in London, with outdoor cages.