Item 01: William Burrell diary, 20 December 1915-12 November 1916 - Page 50

[Page 50]

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Saturday : Jan 29th
a fine clear day : cold morning & night : revellie 6 am. physical before breakfast : while out on physical drill we doubled over to a camel corps that was passing & and it was very interesting thousands of them & the natives have complete control over them : they get down & up again at a word from the rider : the tin affair on their jaws seemed to me to be a bit on the cruel side ; altogether it was a weird looking mob : done nothing after brekfast ; went to zoo in afternoon & had a good trip. It is very big & there is a splendid collection of birds & animals. There are two pontoons there where the turks attempted to cross the canal last year : they are bullet & shot ridden : the kangaroos have all been presented by the Australian "boys". The "Hippo" was a beauty & came out of the water at the keeper's bidding & also went back again when told. The crocodiles were nasty looking : the giraffes splendid while the monkeys & pelicans ran a dead heat for first prize on the humorous side : taken all round it was a good interesting outing : came home & finished the evening writing : the tram journey was also interesting : we crossed the nile & the bridges were fine & of the "swing open" type. In the zoo there is a splendid suspension bridge over the water about fifty yards long & it is very pretty : bought some P. Cards at the Zoo