THE CRYPTOPBOCTA. 

 (Dec. 13, 1890.) 



AN addition to the Zoo Gardens of far more than 

 usual interest has been made by the acquisition of 

 a Cryptoprocta (Cryptoprocta ferox) purchased by 

 the Society on November 12 last. The animal 

 an inhabitant of Madagascar, the home of so many 

 curious forms of animal life is "new to the 

 collection," which fact alone renders its appearance 

 in the Gardens a matter of interest. Our reason, 

 however, for attaching unusual importance to its 

 arrival is that it is not only ' ( new to the collection," 

 but it is also an extremely rare animal so rare, 

 indeed, that it is little known to science. It is, of 

 course, no uncommon thing for the Society to 

 obtain animals specimens of which have never 

 before been seen in the Gardens, or indeed even in 

 Europe the gaur, for example yet which are 

 perfectly well known both to scientific men and to 

 sportsmen; but Cryptoprocta is not one of these, 

 as very few specimens have been obtained, and 

 only two, so far as we are aware, have previously 

 been seen alive in Europe, one of which was living 

 in the Zoological Gardens at Rotterdam in the year 

 1873, and the other in the Jardin des Plantes, at 

 Paris, in the year 1874. The fact that the animal 



