18 



III. GARDEN ESTABLISHMENT. 



The Establishment at the Grardens, as the department 

 most generally attractive and interesting to the great body 

 of the Fellowsj has received a corresponding share of atten- 

 tion from the Council during the past year, and absorbed 

 the greatest portion of^the Expenditure. No opportunity of 

 acquiring new or rare animals for the Menagerie has been 

 allowed to pass ; various works of greater or less magnitude 

 have been undertaken, and the substantial repairs of the 

 different buildings attended to : whilst arrangements fqr the 

 better accommodation of some parts of the Collection have 

 been already completed, and others are in contemplation, 

 should the favourable anticipations of increased income du- 

 ring the ensuing season be realized, and the Council there- 

 by enabled to carry out a portion of their general plan, 

 without infringing upon the Funded Capital of the Society. 

 By the general plan here intimated, the Council allude to their 

 conviction of the propriety of providing, in all future build- 

 ings, for a more perfect classification of the animals con- 

 tained in the Menagerie, than has hitherto been generally 

 attempted ; and they conceive that this may be most readily 

 accomplished by concentrating the same tribe or class of 

 animals as nearly as possible in the same locality, if not ac- 

 tually under the same roof. By this means, the real value 

 and extent of the Collection will be more justly appreciated ; 

 its interest as an exhibition will be materially enhanced ; the 

 arrangements for attending, feeding and cleaning the ani- 

 mals simplified and rendered more efficient ; and a more 

 perfect control and responsibility established, than can pos- 

 sibly be enforced whilst the animals of the same natural 

 family are dispersed over every part of the Gardens, and 

 under the charge of four or five different keepers. If any 

 proof were wanting of the justness of the principle, that the 

 interest and utility of the Collection are essentially pro- 

 moted by concentrating all naturally-allied animals in the 

 same locality, the Monkey- and Parrot-houses might be 

 confidently referred to, as incontrovertible evidence of the 

 fact. 



