[Saunders' News-Letter^, Wednesday, May S, 1844} . 

 ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF IRELAND. 



The annual meeting of the above Society was held 

 yesterday in their rooms in the Zoological Gardens, 

 Phoenix Park. 



Dr. Hart in the chair. 



Mr. Ball, the Secretary, read the following Report 

 and Statement of Accounts : — 



" At the close of this the fourteenth year of the 

 existence of the Royal Zoological Society of Ireland, its 

 Council have the great satisfaction of stating that now 

 for the third year in succession it has lived within its 

 annual income. It is true the saving is but small, but, 

 coupled with the improved state of the Gardens and 

 collection, there is every reason to congratulate the 

 Society on the steady progress made for the last few 

 years. 



" A course of lectures was given in the Gardens by Dr. 

 Woodroffe, and several lectures were given by members 

 of the Council in the Theatre of the Royal Dublin Society. 

 These lectures have, as usual, attracted large audiences, 

 and have carried out the objects of the Society. 



' Your Council took much pains to encourage drawing 

 from living animals in your collection. They issued a 

 considerable number of tickets of free admission to 

 students, but this privilege was not extensively availed of 

 as may have been expected, and no drawing was produced 

 of sufficient merit to call for a prize. At a later period 

 of the year, however, special premiums were offered for 

 drawings of the Society's Sloth and Tiger Cat, and 

 the offer called forth some very creditable efforts, and the 

 premiums were awarded to Mr. W. Dowling and Mr. R. J. 

 Kelly for characteristic chalk drawings of the animals 

 referred to. The fund for these premiums, as well as 

 for the purchase of the Society's great acquisition, the 

 Sloth, were provided by an English gentleman who 

 forbad the mention of his name. 



" In return for the many kindnesses of the Zoological 

 Society of London, your Council agreed to lend the Sloth 



