THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 51 



THE ZOOLOGICAL AND ACCLIMATIZATION SOCIETY. 



The Council of the Zoological and Acclimatization Society held 

 its fortnightly meeting on Monday, 7th July. The president 

 referred to the great loss which the society had sustained by the 

 death of the late Mr. C. J. Jenner, who had been a most regular 

 attendant at the meetings since his election to the Council in 1883. 

 It was unanimously resolved to send a letter of condolence to 

 Mrs. Jenner. The director reported that the new artificially 

 heated monkey-house was now finished and occupied, and that 

 the orangs and other rare monkeys felt quite at home in its 

 tropical temperature. By the almost simultaneous arrival of the 

 steamer Australasian from London and the Cape of Good Hope, 

 the Bancoora from Calcutta, and the Airlie, a China service 

 steamer, most valuable and interesting additions have been made 

 to the collection ; by the Australasian, a wild Burrbel sheep, two 

 Prince Albert curasows, an Illiger macaw, a pair of crowned 

 cranes, a black-headed jackal, a Chacma baboon, and a varied 

 collection of European water fowl were received ; by the Ban- 

 coora, a fine Bengal tigress, a female Himalayan bear, a mag- 

 nificent specimen of the gelada (the largest and rarest of the 

 baboon family, and more like a bear than a monkey), a pair of 

 Cashmere cranes, a large Putna goat (this curious creature is a 

 Goliath among goats, being as large as a small donkey), a pair of 

 Indian otters, a pair of adjutants, a yellow baboon, and an Indian 

 sheep ; by the Airlie, from China and Singapore, a pair of deer 

 new to the collection, a Mexican ant-eater, and a racoon. The 

 director submitted a schedule of important improvements which 

 have been contemplated for some time past, and it was adopted 

 unanimously. The most important of these is a large exercising- 

 yard for the great carnivora, where the lions and tigers will be 

 seen to much greater advantage than in the ordinary cages. This 

 improvement has been contemplated for some years, but it has 

 been deferred in the hope that the society would some day be 

 in sufficient funds to erect a more commodius carnivora-house, 

 with exercising-yards attached. But as such a building would 

 necessitate an expenditure of some thousands of pounds, and will 

 be for some time beyond the means of the society, the next' best 

 course has been adopted. The following stock has been presented 

 since the last meeting, for which the Council desires to return its 

 thanks : — One owl from Mr. M. J. Power, St. Kilda ; one ringtail 

 opossum from Mr. Longbottom, Malvern ; two opossums from 

 Mr. C. E. Hirst, Spencer-street ; one cyclodus from Mr. Hugh 

 Evans, of Beechworth ; one native bear from Mr. M. J. Brennan, 

 Melbourne ; one Nicobar pigeon, two fruit pigeons, and a great- 

 headed maleo from Mr. George Arnold, Hawthorn ; two opossum 

 mice frorii Mr. H. A. Halliday, Heathcote ; two wood duck from 

 Mr. T. Stanford, East Melbourne ; one copper-head snake from 



