444 The Smithsonian Institution 



which appeared in that monarch's coat- of- arms. These ani- 

 mals, with an elephant sent not long after by Louis IX of 

 France, formed the nucleus of the famous Tower Menagerie, 

 that was kept up until 1834, when it was merged with the 

 Zoological Garden now in Regent's Park in London. 



The well-known collection of exotic animals in the Jardin 

 des Plantes in Paris had a similar origin, being derived from 

 the royal menagerie maintained with different degrees of in- 

 terest by various kings, and finally, at the time of the French 

 Revolution, turned over to the people. 



The conditions prevalent in these royal collections were 

 not as a rule favorable to the study of animals, and we con- 

 sequently find that with few exceptions they aided the ad- 

 vancement of zoology but little. The animals were usually 

 kept in small and badly ventilated cages with slight regard 

 to their proper food or natural habits, and it is therefore not 

 at all surprising that the mortality among them should have 

 been very great. It was not until the care of such collections 

 was intrusted to scientific zoologists that any improvement 

 was manifested. 



The collections of Europe seem, however, to have been 

 surpassed in extent, variety, and magnificence by those of 

 the New World, where an equable climate, a rich fauna, and 

 a natural fondness of the natives for animals appear to have 

 combined to produce much better results. The accounts 

 of the menageries of Montezuma and the Incas read like 

 fairy tales. They were doubtless of great size and richness, 

 but the conquerors of Mexico and Peru left nothing of these 

 extraordinary collections. 



In the United States the establishment of permanent col- 

 lections of animals for public exhibition is comparatively 

 recent. The menagerie in Central Park in New York was 

 not contemplated by the original plan of that park, but grew 



