FOREWORD 
WHEN Curator of Mammals and Birds at the London Zoo I had 
numerous inquiries from boys about to leave school asking how it 
would be possible for them to obtain such a post, and if it would 
be necessary to undertake special studies or pass examinations. 
It was perhaps only natural that such inquiries should take me 
back to the beginning of my own career. What did I do to become 
a Zoo curator? The answers are in this book, though I am not 
suggesting that any schoolboy should set out on such a crazy path 
in order to obtain a similar post. For one thing the path would be 
too long and, I am afraid, too strenuous for most, but for me it 
was just one long glorious adventure. 
In my case the position was not a goal, but was reached by 
accident rather than design. I merely set out to lead a care-free 
existence, traveling round the world collecting strange and won- 
derful birds and mammals in tropical countries; but alas, after 
thirty years of this freedom, I have found myself becoming a 
slave to people, to routine, and to possessions. Owing to present- 
day difficulties such as sterling control, long waiting-lists for 
steamers, immigration laws, and many other irksome restrictions, 
traveling to a time-table is more of an ordeal than a joy—hence 
my reluctant decision to take root for a while. 
For me this was almost terrifying, for previously I had for 
most of my life lived on my wits, which even if hazardous was in 
itself great fun. It was also great fun being a migrant; every year 
I planned to leave England in early winter and return the follow- 
ing spring. My idea was to choose a new tropical country each 
time, or at least a different part of one I had already visited, and in 
so doing I was able to emulate the swallows and follow the sun. 
At no time had I much desire to see the things that tourists 
normally make for when “doing” a foreign country—museums, 
bull-rings, cathedrals, mosques, ruins and, perhaps, night-life. All 
Vil 
