president's address, Ixxxiii. 



require, without recourse to other countries. What may we not 

 ultimately expect in the interests of horticultural science from 

 the devotion, trained knowledge, and energy of these worthy 

 pioneers of civilisation ! 



Zoology. 



The records of the Zoological Society in Regent's Park are 

 alwaj's interesting, and in igoz many specimens new to the 

 Society's collection, besides other rare animals, were acquired. 

 Amongst them may be named one long-haired spider-monkey 

 (atele vellerosus), nine pheasant-tailed jacana (hydrophasianus 

 cherargus), a pair of Prjevolskys wild horses (equus prjevolskii), 

 from Western Mongolia ; a grey teal (querquecula versicolor), 

 from Argentina ; one southern anaconda (eunectes notans), 

 from Paraguay ; a sepoy finch (hoematospiza sipahi), from 

 India ; a young male proboscis monkey (nasalis larratus), two 

 female Grevys zebras (equus grevyi), presented by the Emperor 

 Menelek ; and a specimen of the galapajan barn owl (strix 

 punctalissima), the first example of this rare owl that has 

 reached Europe, which, I feel sure, will be of special interest 

 to Mr. Bosworth Smith. But, whilst calling attention to the 

 acquisition during the past year of animals never before brought 

 alive to this country, we are necessarily drawn to reconsider a 

 danger ever present with us. I mean the more or less rapid 

 extinction of the few wild animals that remain in Great Britain. 

 Something, no doubt, has been done by the Legislature and 

 County Councils in recent years, and a close time has been 

 enacted in the case of birds hitherto unprotected, though not 

 extended as I think would be desirable to four-footed animals 

 like the roe-deer or badger, or to birds like the bustard, the 

 raven, the owl, and the crane. These are at least (whatever 

 their enemies may say to the contrary) rarely noxious to man ; 

 they are seldom known to wander from the path of rectitude, 

 and a place might be found amongst our valleys, heaths, and 

 woods, where their habits could be observed, and their presence 



