ZOOLOGICAL 
As the representative of the Zoological Soci- 
ety, the writer was privileged to visit various 
European gardens during the summer of 1920 
for the purpose of learning conditions, reestab- 
lishing broken contacts and, incidentally, 
acquiring such stray specimens as might 
be available in the wild animal markets. 
The trip was fully successful in all these fields. 
Even the acquisition of animals for our collec- 
tions was favored by fortune. After the long 
dormant period, arrivals are becoming fairly 
frequent in the English market. This is true 
more particularly of African species but the 
selection is quite varied and many good things 
are to be secured. It is a curious fact that buy- 
ers who quarreled over the scanty arrivals dur- 
ing the period of restriction, now appear apa- 
thetic, and really rare and interesting creatures 
ean often be found in the shops of dealers, 
awaiting purchasers. 
On the. continent, conditions are quite dif- 
ferent. There have been few arrivals in Hol- 
land and Belgium. The shops of the Paris 
dealers, along the Seine, are well stocked with 
desirable birds, but the prices asked are so ex- 
orbitant that few can atford to buy. 
To one equipped with a preconceived idea of 
desolation and ruin, molded by dark and alarm- 
ing rumor, the present condition of most of the 
Gardens is a pleasant shock. Almost without 
exception, reconstruction is already well ad- 
vanced and, except for infrequent signs, seen 
only by the practised eye, there is no indication 
left of the fearful time of privation and desper- 
ate expedients through which even the neutrals 
have passed. 
Living up to its splendid traditions, the 
Zoological Garden of London is still the first in 
Europe. The imposing Mappin Terrace has 
been completed and is well stocked with a fine 
series of bears. ‘The Apes’ House contains, 
among other things, an Orang-utan that cer- 
tainly is the largest and finest specimen in 
captivity. The remarkable Gorilla, John Daniel, 
while still privately owned, is exhibited at the 
Gardens three times weekly. He is proving a 
tremendous attraction and may well be con- 
sidered the most valuable exhibit in Europe. 
The good health, happy disposition and gentle 
manners of this animal make it a most unusual 
creature. The Monkey House is full to over- 
flowing and contains an unusually large series 
of the species of Cercopithecus. 
The London Zoo is fortunate in the possession 
of fine pairs of both American and European 
Bison, which are kept side by side in commodious 
yards. The European bull is the finest the 
SOCIETY 
BULLETIN 21 
He is taller than the 
well-grown American bull in the next compart- 
ment but the comparatively long legs are very 
heavy in bone and the weight of this animal 
seems greater than that of his New World 
cousin. The relatively small head, however, pre- 
vents this splendid bison from attaining the 
majesty of the American species. 
writer has ever seen. 
The bird collections are in very good condi- 
tion and contain many rarities. Perhaps the 
most striking are the curious knob-billed Fruit 
Pigeon (Globicera pacifica) and a gorgeous 
Ross Touraco (Musophaga rossae). There is a 
large flock of penguins, including two speci- 
mens of Catarrhactes. The Parrot House is 
well stocked, and in spite of all obstacles, still 
contains the world’s finest series of these birds. 
The Zoological Gardens at Antwerp are in 
excellent condition and maintain their reputa- 
tion as one of the best kept in Europe. The 
grounds are laid out with an eye to scenic effect, 
and lawns and flower-beds leave no hint of what 
has passed. There is even no sign of the damage 
done by a great German shell, which demolish- 
ed a section of the Lion House and destroyed a 
number of the feline inmates. The searcity of 
arrivals in the continental market has prevented 
raising the collections quite to the old-time level 
but the exhibits are well spread out and there 
seem to be no empty cages. The series of eagles 
and vultures at Antwerp, as in pre-war days, is 
the best in Europe. It contains many rarities, 
including a very fine White-headed Vulture 
(Lophogyps occipitalis). The collection of 
birds, mammals and_ reptiles presented by the 
New York Zoological Society, in the autumn of 
1919, continues to thrive, and makes a fine dis- 
play. 
While the Zoological Gardens of Holland did 
not suffer directly from the effects of the war, 
as did those of the belligerent countries, they 
naturally were affected by the scarcity of food 
and the lack of new specimens to fill gaps. In 
spite of these conditions, however, the gardens 
of both Amsterdam and Rotterdam came through 
in excellent condition. The lawns were as fresh 
and green, the ornamental shrubs and well- 
arranged flowering plants as brilliant, as in 
former times. All of the European gardens are 
far stronger in man-power than our own, because 
of the low cost of labor, and nothing that hands 
can do to beautify them is neglected. Rot- 
terdam, as usual, has a very fine collection of the 
wading birds with which the country abounds 
The water-fowl collection is unusually good and 
the Monkey House, like those of most of the 
other gardens, was very well stocked. In the Bird 
