HAMLYN'S MENAGERIE MAGAZINE. 
59 
All our man-apes, both the Chimpanzees and 
the Oranoutangs, with the Gibbons, have died, 
but those 21 fine Chacma Baboons which we bought 
from you are still living, and doing well, also your 
Secretary bird. 
In case you_are interested to know what! ani- 
mals we have at present in our gardens, I hereby 
send you the last copy of our guide, in which you 
will find the English names printed by most of 
the animals. 
Looking it through you will find 3 male and 1 
female Ostrich, 21 Anoa Buffaloes, 2i Cape Buffa- 
lies, 2 Giraffes, 2i Hippopotamuses, 1 Indian Tapir, 
13 Bears, 4 Hyaenas, 4 Wolves, 1 Sable Antelope, 
2 Gnus, 1 South African Gemsbok, 1 Nylghaie, 21 
Binturongs, 1 Hornbill, 2; Lynx, and many more 
small animals. 
I only want to add that a Glutton has born 
young ones three times here in the gardens during 
three years. 
By the first and second births she had 3» 
young ones, by the third birth she had only 2i; 
unhappily she died shortly after the last birth, so 
we had to> feed the little ones by giving them milk 
from a flask and they grew up to be fine healthy 
animals. 
Sincerely hoping for better times in the future 
also for business purposes, 
I am, dear Mr. Hamlyn, 
Yours faithfullly, 
W. DREYER, 
Director. 
P.S. — If you think this letter would interest the 
readers of your Magazine, you are at liberty 
to publish it. 
To my knowledge "it is the first and only 
time a Glutton has born young ones in cap- 
tivity, that is in a zoological garden. 
REMINISCENCES OF THE LONDON 
ZOO. 
By F. Finn, B.A., F.Z.S. 
My reminiscences of the London Zoo extend 
pretty continuously over nearly forty years, for I 
could not have been much over twelve years old 
when the most memorable treat of my juvenile 
existence was a trip to London with my parents 
to see the Zoo for the first time. Afterwards, 
with a school-fellow of kindred tastes, I used to 
i^o there once a year or so, and when at Oxford 
often managed to have a look in during vacations; 
the same was my practice when on leave from 
India, on which occasions I used to live in London 
for the most part, and on leaving India finally I 
settled down within five minutes' walk of the 
Gardens, which I usually visit at least once a 
week. Thus I have had an unusually good oppor- 
tunity of noting whatever progress was made, 
and of comparing the old management 1 and ar- 
rangements with those of the present day. 
As a youngster I was mainly interested in 
birds, but my interests have widened with age, 
and I always kept in touch with any remarkable 
events and novelties. When I first used to visit' 
the place, that fine old Victorian naturalist, Mr. 
A. D. Bartlett, was at the helm, and at the 
museum at Maidstone, my native town, we then 
had his son as curator — a real chief of the kindly 
Bartlett stock. Both were always most kind to 
me, and I am also indebted to Mr. F. E. Beddard, 
the former Prosector of the Society, for a course 
of instruction at the Zoo laboratory, where the 
animals which d'e are dissected and their structure 
studied. This was then situated in the part of the 
Gardens where the Mappin Terraces now are, 
and the part of Regent's Park just back of it was 
as wild as a little bit of the country; I have even 
seen the British turtle-dove there. The dissecting 
rooms and sanatorium — the latter a new institu- 
tion — are now behind the peacocks' aviary and 
reptile house at the south end of the grounds. 
Of the larger and more sensational animals, 
lions, etc., elephants, giraffes and hippopotamii, 
I have/ little to say, and their quarters have not 
been appreciably altered in my memory. The 
bears, as everyone knows, have of late been mostly 
moved to the Mappin Terraces, and part of their 
quarters under the old terrace which still stands, 
have been turned into refreshment alcoves; but 
this alteration is quite recent. The small cats, 
civets, etc., were housed in a little building on 
part of the site of the Library and Office building; 
this place was once the reptile house, but I do not 
remember visiting it when tenanted by the scaly 
tribe. But what it lacked in the terror of venom 
it made up for in smell; it was a common sight 
to see a visitor enter the "Small Cat's House," 
get half-way up to it, and then put his handker- 
chief to his nose and beat a swift retreat. I am 
pretty tough myself in the way of smells, and in 
the hutches — they were no more — in this house I 
have seen some interesting animals, notably a 
specimen of the curious Fossa of Madagascar, a 
beast very rare in captivity anywhere or at any 
time. It is a long, lithe, light brown beast, like 
a small short-legged puma with the foxy head of 
a civet, and is supposed to be very fierce. 
Hardby was the Sloths' and Ant-eaters' 
House, where these quaint animals did remarkably 
well; and here used to live the celebrated bald 
chimpanzee, Sally, whom I knew well. Here, 
too, was passed the infancy of Micky, the senior 
chimpanzee in captivity, who stf.ll at' the time of 
