3H 



NA TURE 



[September 2, 1922 



The Zoological Society. 



By E. G. Boulenger. 



BEFORE the foundation of the Zoological Society 

 of London in 1826 there was no organisation 

 in this country devoted solely to zoological science. 

 The Royal Society, as it still does, occasionally published 

 papers of zoological interest, while the Linnean Society, 

 which undertook the discussion of both zoological and 

 botanical subjects, at this time rated the latter science 

 of more importance than the former. As to the 

 exhibition of living animals, during the first quarter of 

 the nineteenth century the only collections in the 

 country were those of the Royal Menageries at Windsor 

 and at the Tower, and the private one of Mr. Cross at 

 Exeter 'Change in the Strand. Hence it came about 

 that a band of enthusiastic zoologists headed by Sir 

 Stamford Raffles, who had just returned from ad- 

 ministrative duties in the East Indies, decided on 

 founding a Zoological Society in London. At the 

 first general meeting, held in the rooms of the Horti- 

 cultural Society in Regent Street, which was attended 

 by more than a hundred persons, Sir Stamford Raffles 

 was elected president. Unfortunately the president 

 and founder died a few months later — some years before 

 the society acquired its charter of incorporation, 

 granted in 1829, in which the Marquis of Lansdowne 

 is named as the first president of the chartered society, 

 and Mr. N. A. Vigors the first secretary. 



Twenty acres of ground in Regent's Park having 

 been obtained from the Government at a nominal 

 rent, the gardens were laid out in accordance with the 

 plans of Decimus Burton, and opened in 1828 with a 

 stock consisting of 152 mammals and 475 birds. The 

 first animals to come into the possession of the society 

 were housed at the offices in Bruton Street, where they 

 were kept until suitable accommodation had been pro- 

 vided for them in the gardens. The first animal to be 

 received was a griffon vulture, which lived in the 

 menagerie for forty years. While the menagerie was 

 being formed in Regent's Park the society was engaged 

 in establishing a museum of preserved specimens in 

 Bruton Street. The museum attracted so many 

 donations, becoming in consequence so crowded, that 

 in 1836 more commodious quarters were taken for it 

 in Leicester Square. In 1843 the collections were 

 transferred to the gardens, and housed in a building on 

 a site now occupied by the society's offices. Indeed, in 

 the early days of the society the museum was regarded 

 as the centre of the society's usefulness. When, 

 however, the zoological department of the British 

 Museum developed, the absurdity of endeavouring to 

 maintain an inferior collection in the same city became 

 apparent, and in 1856 it was decided to part with the 

 collection and present the type specimens to the national 

 museum. 



The establishment of a farm at Kingston was 

 another of the society's early enterprises. Its object 

 was to give accommodation to animals requiring a 

 greater range and more quiet than the gardens in 

 Regent's Park could afford. It was also considered 

 necessary for the purpose of breeding, and rearing young 

 animals, and especially for attempting to naturalise 

 such species as were hitherto unknown in this country. 



NO. 2757, VOL. I io] 



This experiment was a costly failure, and was aban- 

 doned in 1836. 



In the infancy of the society there were no scientific 

 meetings, communications on subjects of zoological 

 interest being submitted at the general meetings. In 

 1829 a special committee of science and correspond- 

 ence was formed, at the meetings of which zoological 

 subjects were discussed. The committee met until 1832, 

 when an alteration was made in the by-laws by which 

 the committee meetings were replaced by general 

 meetings for the discussion of scientific business. 

 These were held first at Bruton Street, but in 1843 

 the society moved to No. n Hanover Square, where 

 it remained for forty years. In 1884 more com- 

 modious premises at No. 3 of the same square were 

 acquired, and the meetings were held there until 1909, 

 when the society moved to its present premises in the 

 gardens. 



The principal features of the gardens at its opening 

 consisted of a lodge on approximately the site of the 

 present main entrance, where visitors provided with a 

 fellow's order paid a shilling for admission ; a bear pit 

 which still existed fifteen years ago on the site of the 

 terrace, built in 1843 ; a yard for kangaroos on the 

 site of the present eland paddock ; sheds for deer and 

 goats, and dens for large "quadrupeds" — tenanted by 

 a lion, a tigress, a pair of leopards, a puma, a hyaena and 

 a pair of polar bears on the site of the Lion House ; 

 a Monkey House with poles outside to which the 

 monkeys were fastened during the summer months, on 

 the site of the recently demolished otter pond ; an 

 enclosure for emus where the pelican enclosure now 

 stands ; paddocks for cranes and other large birds on 

 the site of the present Eastern Aviary ; an aviary for 

 small birds, renamed the Crescent Aviary, which was 

 demolished only last year, on the site of the new 

 tea pavilion ; and a Llama House with clock tower, 

 the present Camel House, which alone of all the original 

 houses and enclosures stands where it did in 1828. Just 

 north of the Llama House was a yard with cages which 

 housed a hybrid between a jackal and a dog, some 

 bears, dingos, and a sable. On the site of the present 

 Llama House were cattle-sheds containing an American 

 bison. Towards the close of the year 1829 the tunnel 

 connecting the south and the middle gardens (then 

 called north garden, the present north garden being 

 acquired at a much later date) was built, and a reposi- 

 tory was constructed on the site of the present offices. 

 The repository served for the reception of the animals 

 on their arrival, and in turn has been converted into 

 a reptile house, a museum, a small cats' house, and a 

 squirrel house. 



The gardens soon acquired great popularity, the 

 annual admissions between the years 1830 and 1840 

 averaging more than 200,000. From the year 1840 

 the income of the society gradually decreased until in 

 the year 1847 there were only 88,500 visitors. In that 

 year Mr. D. W. Mitchell was appointed the first paid 

 secretary, and with the general change of policy which 

 he introduced matters immediately improved. To Mr. 

 Mitchell, who held office till 1859, when he took up 



