2 Royal Zoological Society of Ireland 



threatened it. Reduction of expense was therefore 

 absolutely necessary and it was determined to effect it in 

 three ways : — 1st, reduction of salary and allowances to 

 Superintendent ; 2nd, employment of a smaller number 

 of men in the Gardens, and 3rd, economical change of 

 food of animals. 



" In effecting the first of these changes the Council felt 

 relieved of much difficulty by the fact that the Superinten- 

 dent's active personal connection with another place of 

 public attraction appeared to them to be incompatible with 

 the situation of a servant of the Society. They accordingly 

 removed him and appointed Mr. Underwood in room at a 

 reduction of more than one half in salary and allowances. 



" Secondly, they reduced the number of men employed, 

 and so regulated the wages as to effect a considerable 

 saving. 



' Thirdly, they adopted the use of horse flesh, instead 

 of beef, for the Carnivora, and with some other alteration 

 of diet, and the reduction before mentioned, diminished 

 the entire expenditure to less than half. Prior to making 

 use of horse flesh, instead of beef, many inquiries were 

 made as to the safety of the proceedings, and much doubt 

 having been expressed, it was considered unadvisable to 

 risk in the experiment animals so valuable as the Lioness 

 and Tigress; besides that, the original object of the 

 Society, was mainly the keeping of animals of a more 

 important character as detailed in the circular issued at 

 the time. Under all the circumstances the Council felt 

 not only justified but called on to sell these animals to 

 reduce expenses and to carry out their experiment with 

 prudence, yet in accordance with the real object of the 

 Society. The result seems to have justified all their 

 anticipations, as is proved by the fact that the receipts at 

 the door for six months since, though the weather was 

 for much of the time particularly unfavourable, have 

 exceeded the receipts of a similar period in the preceding 

 year by about £10. 



' The Council have not lost sight of the subject of 

 enclosing the pond, and other arrangements calculated to 

 give a highly useful popular character to the Society, but 

 their negotiations have not yet led to anything sufficiently 

 definite to enable them to lay them before you. However, 

 in accordance with the fundamental object of the Society, 

 and the spread of zoological knowledge, they determined 



