136 THE ZOOLOGICAL 80GIETY. 



of Sydney. This very curious bird, the nearest Hving ally of 

 the dodo, lived but a few months in the Gardens. After 

 death, it was sent to the British Museum, and " served to fill 

 an important vacuum in the National Collection of Zoology." 



The Saiga antelope was introduced this year, and towards its 

 close a porpoise was exhibited in the pond by the antelope 

 house — the first example of a cetacean shown to the public, 

 though some had been received before. The attempt to keep 

 porpoises was not very successful. This animal lived for twenty- 

 seven days, and " was only lost through the accident of a severe 

 frost coming on somewhat unexpectedly." 



The first prongbuck, purchased in 1865, is remarkable as 

 having afforded Bartlett the opportunity of establishing the 

 fact that the horns were shed, as are the antlers of a deer."^ 

 The fact had long been known to the native hunters and 

 trappers, who tried in vain to convince Audubon and Bach- 

 man that such was the case. The following is Bartlett's 

 account in the paper referred to: 



On the morning of November 7 the keeper, somewhat alarmed, called 

 my attention to the fact that one of the horns of the prongbuck had fallen 

 off. I hurried to the spot immediately, fearing that some accident had 

 happened, and reached the paddock in time to see the second horn fall to 

 the ground. My astonishment was much increased at observing that two 

 fine new horns were already in the place of those just dropped, that these 

 new horns were soft and covered with long, straight, smooth, and nearly 

 white hairs, and that the bony core (that I had expected to see) was thickly 

 covered with soft, new, horny matter. These new horns appeared larger 

 than the hollow portion of the horns just cast — an appearance due to the 

 fact of their having pushed off the shed horns by their growth. The long 

 hair at the base of the horns had concealed the separation that was 

 taking place. 



Jumbo was the most important arrival, from the Menagerie 

 point of view, and was said to be the first African elephant 

 brought alive to this country. Bell, however, wrote from The 

 Wakes, Selborne, to the Field of July 8, 1865, stating that ho 

 remembered to have seen, some years before, two living African 

 elephants at the Surrey Zoological Gardens ; and he was of 

 opinion that they were not the only ones that had been imported 



* Froceedings, 1865, p. 718. 



