Whistling ducks, sheldrakes, and garganey teal, are here also to be found. The llama house has its large court-yard behind, and both are on a scale befitting personages of such importance. At present we see a pair of dromedarics are taking the air in the latter, and putting their heads over the palings to make acquaintance with us, and who could refuse anything to such gentle and expressive looks? Finely has the dromedary been called the Ship of the Desert, not simply from his being the grand agent of commerce and travel over the vast seas of sand, but from his very appearance; that long curving neck, and loftilyborne, outstretched head, might have been the origin of the prow of an ancient galley. As they here slowly move to and fro, one would hardly suppose they are the animals so famous for their speed as well as power; whose fleetness, indeed, has passed into a proverb, in a country distinguished at the same time for the finest horses in the world. "When thou shalt meet a heirie," say the Arabs, referring to the dromedary, " and say to the rider, Salem Alcik,' ere he shall have answered thee Aleik Salem,' he will be afar off, and nearly out of sight, for his swiftness is like the wind." In the centre of a piece of pastureground, adjoining the llama precincts, is a curious little open hut, with projecting eaves, raised upon large masses of rock. A horned sheep, the mouflon, is confined in it; an animal so little like its parents (for it is supposed to be originally but the descendant of some of the common sheep that had escaped from human dominion), as to require to be strongly chained up, where he can do no harm with that tremendous butt of his, which is so powerful as to break down the strongest ordinary fences. To the right of the llama house, is a court-yard surrounding the base of the viaduct at this end, and lined with cages. Here is the Siberian bear, with a broad white band round its neck, and its small sharp-pointed nose, forming a marked contrast with its gigantic round body and head. Here, too, are the wolves, the original, according to our best naturalists, of all the varieties of dog. One of the most interesting, though of course by no means the most conclusive evidence to be given of this, is its capability of an attachment to man, as strong as that of the dog. These Gardens furnish one very striking illustration, where a she-wolf some years ago actually killed all her young, in the warmth of her zeal, in bringing them to the front of the cage, and rubbing them against the bars, to receive the caresses of those persons she knew, among whom Mr. Bell, the naturalist, from whom the account is derived, was an especial favourite. Among its descendants of the dog kind, if descendants they be, two of the most interesting are to be found in close approximation to the wolves-the Esquimaux dog, and the Cuba bloodhound, whose deep, yet loud bay, we have before referred to. This clean limbed, handsome-looking animal, with his light fawn-coloured skin, suggests but little in his appearance, of the terror his very name yet excites, under certain circumstances; and which led to the introduction of a great number of them, during the Maroon war in Jamaica in the last century, to which their very presence put an entire stop, the Maroons being too much alarmed to continue the contest. The ordinary use to which these dogs are put by the Spaniards is to drive the wild bullocks from the more inaccessible parts of the country, to spots convenient for the hunters, who slaughter them for the sake of the hide. They thus obtain the skill and habits desired for the more terrible

purposes which they occasionally subserve under the care of their masters, the Chasseurs, as they are called; such are the pursuit of murderers and felons, whom it is said they will not harm, unless resistance be offered. Having stopped the fugitive, they crouch near him, and by barking occasionally, guide the Chasseurs to the spot; should the miserable wretch but stir, there is a most ferocious growl by way of warning. In Dallas' History of the Maroons,' an anecdote is given of the extent of their accomplishments in this way, which seems truly marvellous. A ship, attached to a fleet under convoy to England, was manned chiefly by Spanish sailors, who, as they passed Cuba, took the opportunity of running the vessel on shore, when they murdered the officers, and other Englishmen on board, and carried off all the available plunder into the mountains of the interior. The place was wild and unfrequented, and they fully expected to elude all pursuit. The moment, however, the news reached the Havanna, a detachment of twelve Chasseurs, with their dogs, was sent off. The result was that in a few days the whole of the murderers were brought in and executed, not a man having been injured by the dogs in the capture.

Near these dogs, are a miscellaneous collection of American and Indian foxes, racoons, the American black bear, and the brown bear, so well known to visiters for its amusing antics. It is a bear of excellent sense at the same time. As we approach its cage, it reminds us of a very proper preliminary by thrusting its

nose between the bars, and opening its jaws as wide as possible; but our stock of delicacies is exhausted, so, having waited a reasonable time, without any result, it moves away with an air of philosophic indifference, and gets rid of any little disappointment it may feel, by a short walk. We are not much accustomed to look on these animals with any feeling of respect or gratitude for their services to man, yet ask the Kamtchatkan what he thinks of the brown bear; or rather ask him what he does with it, and you will know well enough how he must estimate it. He will tell you he not only eats the flesh, but with a relish; that he makes its skin serve for bed, bedding, hat, gloves, and overalls; that its stretched intestines serve him at once for glass to his windows, and masks to his face, protecting it from the sun's glare in the spring; lastly, that the very shoulder blades become useful in the cutting of grass. This is the same bear which was, at one time, common in our own country, where however we have found no other use for it than such as the bear gardens could furnish, or those itinerating bear-leaders so often seen even but a few years ago in our streets, who, taking advantage of the peculiar formation of the sole of the animal's foot, taught it to dance for exhibition. Several temporary cages and buildings of enclosure are scattered about this part of the grounds, in which are gnu antelopes, Mexican and other deer (among which the beautiful roebuck delights the eye by its feminine grace and delicacy), sloth bears and Malayan sun-bears, the last, the veriest epicures, perhaps, of the menagerie. In their wild state, the tender young shoots of the cocoa nut tree, and honey, form their chief enjoyments, but when domesticated, nothing less than the choicest luxuries of the table will suffice. Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of the Gardens, had one, which he kept in the nursery with his children, and occasionally admitted to his table, where he partook of the finest wines and fruit. Sir Stamford says, the only times he knew him out of temper was when there was no champagne forthcoming. In the same building with the bears are some beautifully spotted Asiatic leopards, and several of those subjects alike of ancient and modern fable, the hyænas, both spotted and striped, from Africa. Some of the old stories have a touch of poetry about them; according to one, the hyæna was accustomed to imitate the language of men, in order to attract wandering shepherds, whom it then devoured. As to modern notions, one of the females here gives a sufficient proof of their incorrectness: it is, in the words of the catalogue, "remarkably tame." After all, it is not unworthy of notice, that the popular faith in marvels generally has some foundation, even if that foundation and the superstructure do not particularly harmonize. The true account of the hyæna, by one who had studied the animal well in all its habits, would need no adventitious aid to give it interest. The real stories told of it are most appalling; especially those relating to its love of human flesh, as in the case of children, whom it can manage to carry off without difficulty. "To show clearly," says Mr. Steedman, in his Wanderings and Adventures in the Interior of Southern Africa,' "the preference of the wolf (Spotted Hyæna) for human flesh, it will be necessary to notice, that when the Mambookies build their houses, which are in form like bee-hives, and tolerably large, often eighteen or twenty feet in diameter, the floor is raised at the higher or back part of the house, until within three or four feet of the front, where it suddenly terminates,

leaving an area from thence to the wall, in which every night the calves are tied to protect them from the storms or wild beasts. Now it would be natural to suppose, that should the wolf enter, he would seize the first object for his prey, especially as the natives always lie with the fire at their feet; but notwithstanding this, the constant practice of this animal has been, in every instance, to pass by the calves in the area, and even by the fire, and to take the children from under the mother's kaross, and this in such a gentle and cautious manner, that the poor parent has been unconscious of the loss, until the cries of her poor little innocent have reached her from without when a close prisoner in the jaws of the monster."

At some distance beyond the termination of the viaduct, and in the same line, a piece of water attracts attention, even more by its own beauty than by the variety of its aquatic inhabitants. Small but luxuriantly-wooded islands are scattered about the centre, the banks are thickly fringed with reeds, and bordered by elegantly-flowering shrubs, suitable to the kind of scenery indicated; and altogether it is impossible to imagine a much happier existence than these waddling, and swimming, and diving rogues here enjoy-these Brent, and Canadian, and Chinese, and Egyptian, and laughing geese-these tufted, and crossbred pintail, and penguin ducks-these teal, and shovellers, and pochards. In his way, too, the polar bear, in the neighbourhood of the pond, is luxuriantly lodged; he has got his comfortable den, and his pool of water, where he may swim about, and fancy he is once more breasting the seas of the polar regions, swimming his thirty or forty miles at a time, as they have been seen in Barrow's Straits. It is true a seal now and then would perhaps make him more comfortable, of which animal he is the great tormentor; but Can't-be is the most persuasive of practical philosophers, and seldom fails in teaching resignation. The monkey-poles, close by, are as yet unoccupied, through the coldness of the season, so we pass on to the condor's cage. This bird's real size, which is among the largest of the vulture family, measuring occasionally no less than fourteen feet from tip to tip of wing, when outspread, is perfectly insignificant compared to its old repute, when it was esteemed to be the veritable roc of the Arabian Nights.' And that there was such a bird who could doubt, after seeing or reading of that famous "claw of the bird roc, who, as authors report, is able to trusse an elephant," which was in the famous museum of the Tradescants? there was no resisting the claw. Fortunately, however, the roc still keeps in his mysterious solitude, and the condor proves to be a very different bird; which is also fortunate, for as there is scarcely any killing him, but that, such as he is, he must remain till he pleases in his own good time to die, there is no saying what would become of the world had a race of immortal rocs taken possession of it. As an instance of this remarkable tenacity of life in the condor, we remember that Humboldt describes some Indians strangling one with a lasso, who afterwards hung it upon a tree, and pulled it forcibly by the feet for some time. They then took it down, removed the lasso, and the condor got up and walked about as though nothing particular had happened.

But what is this great pile of rock-work, almost big enough for a human habitation, covered with foliage, and surrounded by its own little but deep lake

of water? The tenant must be of sadly vagrant habits to desire to leave such a complete little estate, yet the wire-work over the whole seems to indicate as much. That is the otter's home, one of the great centres of attraction in the Gardens at the animal's dinner-time, when live fish are thrown into the water, which he catches with astonishing skill and rapidity. The means at his disposal for this purpose have been thus beautifully described: "How silently is the water entered! The eyes are so placed that, whether the animal is swimming below its prey, behind it, above it, or beside it, their situation, or, at most, the least motion of the head and neck, brings it within the sphere of the pursuer's vision. The whole framework of the animal-its short fin-like legs, oary feet, and rudder of a tail-enable it to make the swiftest turns, nay, almost bounds, in the water, according as the rapidity of its agile prey demands a sudden downward dive, an upward spring, or a side snap. The short fur, which is close and fine, keeps the body at a proper temperature, and the longer and outer hairs, directed backwards, enable it to glide through the water, when propelled horizontally by its webbed feet beneath the surface, noiselessly and speedily. Easy and elegant in its motions, there are few objects more attractive in menageries than the pond, especially if it be kept clean and supplied with clear water, wherein the otter is scen to hunt its living prey;"* as is the case in the interesting little spot before us. An enclosure eastward of the otter's cage contains two weazel-headed armadillos, from South America, where the carcases of the wild buffaloes, slaughtered as before mentioned, form a never-ending feast for these little gluttons, who go on eating and eating, and fattening and fattening, till their plump condition attracts the eyes of the human inhabitants of the district, who then, placing them on the fire in their shell, make the (for them) most delicious of all roasts.

We have now reached a kind of central spot of the portion of the gardens that lies on this side of the Park-road, and a charming little place it is, with walks branching off in different directions, each between its own high green and blooming banks, with lawns, and beds of flowers in the centre, a pretty-looking and elegantly furnished-building for refreshment on one side, the monkey-house on another, the otter and other cages, just mentioned, on a third. The monkey-house has a wired enclosure, extending all along one side, for their out-door enjoyments in the summer; but as, it appears, we are not to have any of that almost forgotten season, in this year of 1843, we must step into the house, if we wish to pay our respects to these most amusing of organised beings. For our part, we do not understand how it is physicians are so often puzzled by cases of hypochondria: why do they not send their patients here? Look at that beau, examining his nails with as much attention as if to have a fine hand were the end and aim of monkey existence. Another, after a series of gambols, for your especial benefit, apparently, as a stranger, stops suddenly, and cocks his eye, and tail circling over his head, at you with the most irresistible effect. This little fellow here appears to be puzzled to know what we are doing with our note-book and pencil, so mounts quietly up the wires, till he can look down upon the paper. As to their

*Penny Cyclopædia,' article Otter.