THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



159 



the animals was made in the presence of the Council, the 

 Secretary, the Superintendent, a few visitors specially invited, 

 and representatives of the Press. 



The cost of this house is returned at £11,421; but if the 

 expense of making new walks in connection with it be taken 

 into account, the total must be put at something over £12,000. 

 The plan has been criticised, not without reason, though it 

 should be remembered that the house was designed and built 

 before the views now held on the open-air treatment of animals 

 were generally accepted. Mr. Carl Hagenbeck is reported by 

 Captain Peel, in his " Zoological Gardens of Europe " (p. 240), 

 to have said that the lion house was " no good." In matters 

 concerning the housing of wild animals it is safer to agree with 

 than to dififer from Mr. Hagenbeck. Yet here one need not 

 take his dictum too literally. The great defect is that the 

 animals have not free egress into and regress from the open. 

 This was recognised by Dr. P. Chalmers Mitchell, in the 

 first edition of the Official Guide, for he wrote : " The animals 

 have not free access to the open air all the year round. It is 

 hoped that before long this will be put right, for it is now 

 known that lions and tigers thrive better with constant 

 exposure, even to the cold of winter." 



In 1877 the sheep-sheds were removed from opposite the 

 cattle sheds to a position near the eastern boundary of the 

 Garden; but they were cleared away w^hen the new sea-lions' 

 pond was planned. The Eaffles bust was put up in the lion 

 house in September. This was presented by the late Kev. W. C. 

 Raffles Fhnt, Vicar of Sunningdale, a nephew of Sir Stamford 

 Raffles. Beneath it is the following inscription, recommended 

 by the Garden Committee : 



SIR THOMAS STAMFORD RAFFLES, F.R.S., 



FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE ZOOLOGICAL 



SOCIETY OF LONDON. 



BORN, 1781. DIED, 1826. 



