282 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Balsall Heath, but three years later the collection was dispersed. 

 There were also " Zoological Gardens " at Aston Lower Grounds 

 and Sutton Park. 



In 1910 a new collection of live animals was started in the 

 Botanical Gardens at Edgbaston, the property of the Birming- 

 ham Botanical and Horticultural Society. 



This Society was founded in 1829, and their gardens, planned 

 by J. C. Londoun, were opened in 1831. Lately the annual 

 cost of maintenance has been about £1600, and the subscriptions 

 under £1000, so the Society are making the experiment of 

 adding a menagerie to attract more visitors to their grounds. 



These really beautiful gardens are on the slope of a hill, the 

 highest portion of the ground (near the entrance gate) being 

 occupied by some artificiall}' heated glasshouses, in which the 

 reptiles are kept. The most attractive part of the institution is 

 the ''Hugh Nettlefold Alpine Garden," opened May 29th, 1895. 

 When I visited Birmingham early in July, 1910, the animals 

 already installed in the collection were five African Monkeys, 

 representing three species, three Black Lemurs, some Grey 

 Squirrels, fourteen or fifteen species of birds, several Tortoises, 

 one medium-sized Alligator, a small Crocodile, seven (or more) 

 species of Lizards, including some nice specimens of an Againa, 

 four (or more) species of Snakes, including a Boa constrictor, 

 and also a few Batrachians. Various cages in process of con- 

 struction gave promise of a larger stock being on exhibition 

 before long. 



(ii) Museum. 



A new Zoological Museum for Birmingham is proposed, and 

 when visiting that city in July, 1910, I was told that the 

 buildings were already in course of construction, and the collec- 

 tion meanwhile housed at Aston Hall, which I accordingly 

 visited and very much enjoyed, but it must be confessed that the 

 interests and beauties of the building exceeded those of the 

 specimens that it contained. 



Sir Thomas Holte (1571-1654) began the building of Aston 

 Hall in 1618, but it was not entirely completed until 1635. The 

 Hall now belongs to the city of Birmingham, and is open free 

 to the public daily. 



The Natural History collections are chiefly exhibited in 



