SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



ABRAHAM DEE BARTLETT. 



A/TR. A. D. BARTLETT, late Superintendent of 

 the Zoological Society's Gardens, Regent's 

 Park, was born in London on October 27th, 1S12. 

 He received a simple education in London, and at a 

 very early age evinced a great delight in all matters 

 connected with natural history. Mr. Bartlett 

 commenced business as a taxidermist in a house 

 in Little Russell Street. In those early days of 

 his career scientific men and collectors of rare 

 birds, and especially birds' eggs, made his house 

 a resort, and the reputa- 

 tion of his extraordinary 

 art in taxidermy became 

 so widely spread that he 

 was obliged to move into 

 larger premises. There 

 are few, if any, of those 

 early zoologists and col- 

 lectors left to remember 

 that he removed his busi- 

 ness to a large house in 

 Great College Street, 

 Camden Town. In that 

 place his circle of admirers 

 increased and his first 

 connection with the Zoo- 

 logical Society of London 

 commenced. His first 

 communication to that 

 society occurred in 1839, 

 and from that time he 

 worked not only for the 

 society, but for nearly all the scientific men and 

 established museums, including Her Majesty the 

 Queen and If R.H. 1'rince Consort. It was in that 

 house he prepared all his exhibits for th< 

 Exhibition, and among them were, by pern li 

 several of the Queen's specimens, which are believed 

 to be now at Winds After the close 



of the Exhibition of 1-151, the Crystal Palai • 

 pany started, and not being able to find a more 

 proficient naturalist to take charge of the collection 

 Of living animals which was estal.li .he! there, he 

 received the appointment TM 

 placed in the south tranicpt, and aft' ; 

 added the aviaries, etc . in the north transept. 

 About this time ' ett was occupied with 



Jtur. 1S97.— Ko. 37, Vol 



The late Mr. 

 From a photograph by I 7 . 



attending to endless other matters of a similar 

 character in various places. After working labo- 

 riously for the Crystal Palace Company up to 1S59, 

 and at the death of Mr. John Thompson, then 

 superintendent of the Zoological Gardens, Dr. P. L. 

 Sclater, the then newly-appointed secretary, in 

 course of conversation with Mr. Henry Walter of 

 The Times, remarked that they were seeking a new 

 man for the post. Mr. Walter at once recom- 

 mended Mr. Bartlett, and he was immediately 

 communicated with, and 

 accepted the post, which 

 he has held ever since up 

 to the time of his death. 

 It would be difficult, and 

 beyond the limits of this 

 notice, to give a detailed 

 account of the vast 

 amount of work carried 

 out by the Zoological 

 Society on their menagerie 

 during the years from 

 1859 to the present day. 

 We are, however, given 

 to understand these par- 

 ticulars will be compiled 

 before long in a collected 

 and chronological form. 



Mr. Bartlett wasawarded 

 the medal for taxidermy 

 at the 1S51 Exhibition, 

 the bronze and silver 

 medals of the Zoological Society, and a very long 

 series of the highest testimonials from different 

 societies and exhibitions. He also received the 

 bronze medal, conjointly with his eldest son 

 Edward, at the 1.S72 Exhibition, and also testi- 

 monials, with his sons Edward and Clarence, at 

 the Colonial Exhibition. The latter son has for 

 some time past assisted his father in the onerous 

 but successful duty of caring for the welfare of the 

 very numerous and valuable denizens of the finest 

 zoological gardens in the world. 



During his life in the Zoological Gardens, 

 Mr. A. D. Bartlett devoted his whole energy 

 with ^reat success to the study of captive animal 

 life. All those who knew him can testify to 



A. D. Bartlett. 



C. Brook, rValton-on-Naze 



