With a surface area of 154,640m² the parc Montsouris was designed between 1867 and 1878, on the site of former quarries, as the equivalent in the south of Paris as the Buttes-Chaumont. Below its lawns are hidden several air-raid shelters from the 1914-1918 war. This English garden, designed by Alphand, has many decorative characteristics of Haussmannian parks: ramps in false wood, waterfalls and grottoes, intimate corners and elevated viewpoints. The Parc Montsouris adjoins the green belt of the 'petite ceinture' former railway line. All year round the park is home to a rich birdlife attracted by the wild area of vegetation along the area of the disused line. The birdlife is also attracted by a large piece of water in the park. The grey heron has just recently begun to nest on the island there. You can also see 27 species of water birds.