( 207 ) 



OBITUARY. 



Abraham Dee Bartlett. 



Mr. A. D. Bartlett, late Superintendent of the Zoological 

 Gardens, was born in London on October 27th, 1812, and died on 

 May 7th last. He received a humble education in London, and at 

 a very early age evinced a great delight in all matters connected 

 with Natural History, and commence'd business as a taxidermist 

 in a house in Little Russell Street. In those early days scientific 

 men and collectors of rare birds, and especially birds' eggs, made 

 his shop a perfect resort, and his extraordinary art in taxidermy 

 became so widespread that he was obliged to remove into larger 

 premises ; and there are few, if any, of those early zoologists and 

 collectors left to remember that he started again in a large house 

 in Great College Street, Camden Town. In that place his 

 circle of admirers increased, and his first connection with the 

 Zoological Society of London commenced. His first commu- 

 nication to that learned 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 the 

 Queen and the late Prince Consort. It was in that house that 

 he prepared all his exhibits for the 1851 Exhibition, and among 

 them were, by permission, several of the Queen's specimens 

 which are now believed to be at Windsor Castle. After the close 

 of the Exhibition of 1851 the Crystal Palace Company started, 

 and, not being able to find a more proficient taxidermist, engaged 

 him as Superintendent to form the Natural History department 

 in the South Transept; afterwards adding to his charge the 

 aviaries and aquarium in the North Transept, besides which he 

 attended to endless matters of a similar character in other places. 



After working laboriously for the Crystal Palace up to 1859, 

 on the death of Mr. John Thompson, then Superintendent of 

 the Zoological Society, Dr. P. L. Sclater, the newly appointed 

 Secretary, in course of conversation with Mr. Henry Walter, of 



