Report, 1855. 91 



respect, has been to avoid the demoralizing effect of 

 children being introduced by Nurses and others into the 

 Garden under false names; and it is hoped the present 

 plan will, with the co-operation of the Members, prevent 

 the evil referred to."' 



Signature of Member, Address, 



Subscription for 185o, paid to 



Signature of Governess or other female inmate of the 

 Member's house to whom he desires that the privilege of 

 introducing his children to the Gardens may be extended. 



Names and ages of his Children under 12 years. 



Many persons having expressed anxiety that Lions 

 should be added to the collection, the Council entered 

 into an engagement with an eminent dealer for a pair, 

 said to be taken at Natal, and these fine young animals 

 are now the property of the Society, at a cost of £285. 

 It may be here well to remark that a very erroneous 

 statement has been made, that the feline animals in your 

 Zoological Garden are remarkably short lived. Now the 

 exact reverse is proved to be the fact, by a careful com- 

 parison with the returns of many other institutions. 

 None of these excel the Zoological Society in the Phoenix 

 Park in keeping such animals alive, while some fall very 

 short in this respect. In proof of the foregoing, it may 

 be stated that the only large feline animals possessed for 

 a considerable time by the Society are a Leopard, more 

 than ten years in the Garden, and a Jaguar and Puma, 

 about four; all these animals appear now to be in better 

 health than when they were received. It should be 

 recollected that the diminution of animals of this kind in 

 the collection is not to be attributed to death, but to the 



