TEE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 69 



island of Hawaii, is clearly doomed to extinction before many 

 years are past." 



One report respecting the Lake lias been preserved, from 

 which it appears that in October, 1832, there were on that water 

 common and wild swans ; Chinese, Canada, white-fronted, bean, 

 barnacle, and Egyptian geese ; Muscovy ducks and hybrids, shel- 

 drakes, pintails, wigeon, gadwalls, teal, and wild duck. With 

 the exception of the last-named species, only one or two pairs 

 of each were kept. The season was bad; and at that time 

 there were sixteen goslings and about forty wild ducklings, 

 exclusive of those which had flown away, but would return in 

 the winter. 



The gallinaceous birds kept on the islands for breeding and 

 crossing were duck-winged game, Indians, silkies, and bantams- 

 More than a hundred chicks were hatched out, but the rats took 

 heavy toll of them. Benjamin Misselbrook, who was afterwards 

 head-keeper, and retired on a pension in 1889, had charge of 

 the birds. 



Mr. Bryan Hodgson, the British Resident in Nepal, made an 

 extensive collection of the splendid and interesting pheasants of 

 that country, as well as of other birds. Nearly a hundred were 

 despatched from Katmandu ; " many perished in the sultry 

 plains of India, and nearly the whole of the remainder died 

 in Calcutta." Of the few that were shipped to England not 

 one survived the passage. Although greatly disappointed, Mr. 

 Hodgson did not lose heart, and later attempts were more 

 successful. 



In 1834 an Indian rhinoceros was purchased for a thousand 

 guineas. It was said to be about four years old ; the length from 

 the root of the tail to the tip of the snout, in a straight line, 

 measured 10 ft. 6 in., and the height at the loins was 4 ft. lOJ in. 

 The Council reported that it " was scarcely inferior in its 

 dimensions to the largest specimen yet recorded as having 

 existed in Europe." 



Late in the autumn of 1835 a young chimpanzee was 

 imported from the Gambia. No example of this anthropoid 

 had as yet been exhibited by the Society. Having received 

 information of the arrival of the animal at Bristol, the Council 

 sent down one of the chief keepers to purchase it. In this he 



