68 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



THE GIFT TO BELGIUM 



In 1916, when the war was pressing upon the Belgian people 

 with the utmost severity, the Zoological Society resolved to send 

 to the Societe Royale de Zoologie of Antwerp, a large gift of 

 mammals, birds and reptiles to assist in the reconstruction of the 

 Antwerp Zoological Gardens. A communication was despatched 

 to the Antwerp Society declaring this intention, and promising 

 that as soon as the enemies of Belgium were out of that country, 

 and the Gardens were ready to receive new collections, the gift 

 would be forwarded. 



In the summer of 1919 Dr. M. L'Hoest, Director of the Ant- 

 werp Gardens, advised us that the proposed gift might be for- 

 warded forthwith. In furtherance of the plan, the officers of 

 the Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp secured from the owners 

 of the Lloyd Royal Belgian Steamship Line the privilege of free 

 transportation for the entire collection, and three keepers to care 

 for them, over and back. 



On the steamer Eglantier, which left New York on October 



2, 1919, went forward the entire collection of 224 birds, 49 rep- 

 tiles and 2 California sea lions which arrived from Santa Barbara 

 in time to go directly on board. With this shipment went Bird 

 Keeper Louis Wahl. The New York agents of the ship, and the 

 ship's officers, did literally everything in their power to render 

 the enterprise both successful and agreeable ; and the same must 

 be said of the officers of the steamer Indie)- that carried the 

 mammals, later on. 



With only three losses among the birds the Indier reached 

 Antwerp on October 19, and the shipment was promptly taken 

 in hand by Dr. L'Hoest and the Antwerp Society. 



It was arranged in New York that the mammals should go 

 forward on the steamer Indier, that was booked to sail on October 



3. But the longshoremen's strike intervened, and for three 

 weeks or more the Indier lay comfortably at her dock at 41st 

 Street, unable to receive any cargo. 



This exasperating delay eventually led to an entire change 

 in the plans for the cargo of the ship, and in order to get away 

 it was decided to load with grain, off the Jersey shore at Hobo- 

 ken. With that decision the Indier quickly left her home berth, 

 and went to Hoboken. 



