I04 April, 1902, 



IRISH SOCIETIES. 



ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



We have received the Seventieth Annual Report of the Society giving 

 an account of the work for the year 1901. We regret to see a falling off 

 in the number of visitors (154,444 last year as against 156,012 in 1900 ■>, and 

 in the receipts (j^2,iog 14s. id. from all sources as against ^2,365 15. 8^/. in 

 1900") ; but the Council consider that this falling off is due to " two tem- 

 porary causes' —the war and the Glasgow Exhibition — and are convinced 

 that " there is no reason for anxiety or even for discouragement." The 

 statement of account shows a debit balance of ^^^224 igs. id., which con- 

 trasts with the /'500 odd balance in hand at the beginning of the year. 

 The most encouraging feature in the financial position of the Society is 

 the increase of over ;i<"36 in the receipts at cheap rates of admission as 

 compared with 1900. A large expenditure has been incurred in the com- 

 pletion of the new "Roberts" carnivora house, which will soon be read}' 

 to receive its inmates. The house and its inhabitants will together 

 make a goodly show, for " there has never been in the Gardens so large 

 or so fine a stock of Lions as at present"; two litters of three cubs each 

 were born during 1 901 (by " Caesar " of ' Stella,- on June 8th, and by 

 « Csesar " of " Lady Macbeth," on September 12th), but two of " Stella's " 

 family have not survived. Among the specially noteworthy acquisitions 

 are the large Chacma Baboon brought from South Africa by the North 

 Cork Rifles, the Indian Swine from the Royal herd at Windsor, and two 

 Chimpanzees and a Sea Lion (purchased). Unfortunately several 

 valuable animals have died. The fine Lioness " Germania " succumbed 

 to sudden peritonitis, due to an unexplained rupture of the stomach ; the 

 Bactrian Camel and her calf both died from some unknown cause ; the 

 female Chimpanzee, like so many of her race, contracted phthisis. The 

 Report is adorned with several excellent photographs. 



Together with the Report the Council issues an interesting and valu- 

 able booklet by Professor Cunningham on the " Origin and Early 

 History" of the Society. Despite several gaps in the official records, due 

 to the loss of documents through the repeatedly changing honorary 

 secretariat, the author has produced a fairly connected history of the 

 Society, and deserves the hearty gratitude of Irish zoologists for his labour 

 of love. The Society was founded at a public meeting held in the 

 Rotunda on May 10th, 1830, and one of the leaders in the new undertak- 

 ing was the great surgeon, Sir Philip Crampton, who was the first Presi- 

 dent (in 1833), and was six times subsequently re-elected to that position 

 of honour. Dr. Whitley vStokes was the first secretary, but he resigned 

 when, in 1833, the constitution of the Society was modified and improved. 

 Professor Cunningham has taken pains to trace the origin of the famous 

 Saturday breakfasts, and concludes that they began regularly in 1835, 

 though Morrison's Hotel was at first the rendezvous, the custom of 

 meeting at the Gardens not being adopted until several years later, 



