162 SIR WILLIAM FLOWER 



formed part of the function, and the lawns were like 

 a glimpse of Goodwood or Ascot. After the formal 

 part of the meeting was finished Flower thanked 

 the young Maharajah of Kuch Bahar, who was 

 present with his brother, for the gift of a fine Indian 

 rhinoceros, and presented him with the silver medal 

 of the Society as a mark of their appreciation of 

 his thoughtfulness. 



He then read a complete summary of the history 

 of the Zoological Society from its foundation in 

 1828. This summary, which is published in the 

 Essays on Museums, was based on a perusal of the 

 complete set of the old annual reports. Any one 

 who reads these through, as the present writer has 

 had occasion to do, will find that nothing of note 

 or interest is omitted in this by no means long 

 address, which dealt with the foundation and growth 

 of the Society, its early ideals and objects, its efforts 

 at acclimatisation, its publications, and the story of 

 the animals in the menagerie and their treatment. 

 He concluded by saying, " We have a responsibility 

 to our captive animals, brought from their native 

 wilds to minister to our pleasure and instruction, 

 beyond that of merely supplying them with food 

 and shelter. The more their comfort can be studied, 

 the roomier their place of captivity, the more they 

 are surrounded by conditions reproducing those of 

 their native haunts, the happier they will be, and 

 the more enjoyment and instruction we shall obtain 

 when looking at them." 



