xin ACCLIMATISATION 175 



expected of it, and being a source of expense which the 

 Society could not then well afford, was gradually allowed to 

 fall into neglect, and finally abandoned in 1834. 



The mention of this establishment, however, causes me 

 to allude to one of the objects on which the Society laid 

 considerable stress at its foundation, and which is defined in 

 the Charter as " the introduction of new and curious subjects 

 of the Animal Kingdom/' but which, as may be gathered from 

 the Annual Eeports of the Council and from other documents, 

 meant not only the temporary introduction of individuals for 

 the purpose of satisfying curiosity about their external 

 characters and structure, but also the permanent domestication 

 of foreign animals which might become of value to man, either 

 for their utility in adding to our food -supplies or for the 

 pleasure they afford by their beauty. 



Abundant illustrations of the vanity of human expectations 

 are afforded by the details of the hopes and disappointments 

 recorded in the reports of the Society relating to this subject. 

 It is mentioned in the report of the year 1832 that " the 

 armadillo has three times produced young, and hopes are 

 entertained of this animal, so valuable as an article of food, 

 being naturalised in this country." More than fifty years 

 have passed, and British-grown armadillo has not yet appeared 

 upon the menu-cards of our dinner-tables. At one time the 

 South American curassows and guans were confidently looked 

 upon as future rivals to our barn-door fowls and turkeys. 

 Various species of pheasants and other game birds from 

 Northern India, collected and imported at great expense, were 

 to add zest and variety to the battue of the English sportsman. 

 The great success which for many years attended the breeding 

 of giraffes in the Gardens not unnaturally led to the expecta- 

 tion that these beautiful creatures might become denizens of 

 our parks, or at all events a source of continued profit to the 

 Society ; and it is possible that some who are here now may 

 have been present at the feast, for which an eland was 

 sacrificed, amid loudly-uttered prognostications that the ready 

 acclimatisation of these animals would result, if not in super- 

 seding, at least in providing a change from our monotonous 

 round of mutton, beef, and pork. Unfortunately for these 



