25 
Hippopotamus in the Society’s Gardens was received by 
the Society as a present from the then Viceroy of Egypt 
in May 1850. he female was obtained from the same 
source four years later; but although the pair have been 
kept together for the last eighteen years, no symptoms of 
the female being likely to produce young were ever ob- 
served until the autumn of 1870. “All that is worthy of 
record of the mode of birth, and of the endeavours made 
to preserve the young one, have been duly recorded in 
Some notes on this event prepared by the Superintendent, 
Mr. Bartlett, which will be found in the Society’s ‘ Pro- 
ceedings’ for the past year. It having unfortunately been 
impossible to exhibit the young Hippopotamus while alive, 
it was thought advisable to have its skin carefully mounted. 
This, together with a plaster cast of the little animal pre- 
pared and presented by Mr. F. Buckland, F.Z.S., have 
been placed for exhibition in a recess of the Giraffe-house, 
while the skeleton and various preparations of the internal 
organs have been preserved in the Museum of the Royal 
College of Surgeons. 
The Council regret to have to add that a second young 
Hippopotamus, born in the Gardens early in the present 
year, was likewise lost shortly after its birth. They have, 
however, ordered certain alterations to be made ‘in the 
house assigned to the female Hippopotamus, which will, 
they trust, render it more easy to get access to the animal, 
and, in the event of a third interesting occurrence of this 
nature, allow the young one to be easily removed, and 
brought up by hand. 
The total number of registered additions to the Society’s 
Menagerie in 1871 was 1180. 
The most remarkable accessions to the collection during 
the year 1871 were as follows :— 
January 1871. 
1. A living specimen of the Kakapo, or Ground-parrot 
of New Zealand (Strigops habroptilus), presented by D. 
L. Murdoch, Esq., of Auckland, New Zealand. 
2. Two Derbyan Screamers (Chauna derbiana), imported 
from Santa Martha by one of the Royal Mail Steampacket 
Company’s vessels. 
3. An Annulated Snake (Leptodira annulata) from Pa- 
nama. This is a well-known Central-American species, 
