HAMLYN'S MENAGERIK MAGAZINE. 
67 
was, however, getting dangerous, and the Society 
did quite right to sell him. 
The birds have seen many changes in my 
time, and some have lived through most of I hem, 
notably the couple of black hawks — Forster's 
Milvago — from the Falklands, and a common 
crane which was long in the gardens. The crane 
paddocks used to be where the summer aviary now 
is, and were better for hardy species than the 
subsequent accommodation that has been given 
under either the old management or the new, in 
that the pools were big enough for the birds to 
wade and wash freely. 
The Western and Eastern Aviaries have al- 
ways been much as at present, and birds have 
done well in both, and the Pelicans' quarters have 
not changed. The Waterfowls' lawn, when flam- 
ingoes and other waders and waterfowl lived with 
a clipped or pinioned wing, was made into a large 
aviary under the old management, and was the 
first one of that size I believe. The large gulls, 
which have been given a aviary under the new 
management, used to be pinioned, and live inside 
a fence, but it must be admitted they have lived 
and bred well both ways. The small gulls, also 
pinioned, were distributed among the duck ponds, 
then more numerous; one is now the sea-elephants 
pond, another the sea-lions' pond, and a third 
the small waders' aviary. Fewer ducks were then 
kept, and they were distributed in groups of a 
few pairs of different species in various enclosures; 
under this treatment they bred much better than 
at present, though less effective as a show for 
the public. 
The Parrot House was much as at present, 
though finches and such birds as Toucans and 
Touracous were also housed there, and did well. 
I saw my first Pekin Robins and YellO'W-winged 
Sugar-bird there, and they lived for years in 
separate cages, as did some of the Tanagens. 
The Birds of Paradise used to be kept in the old 
Insect House, now devoted to small mammals, 
the Small Bird House and Parrot flight aviary, 
now the two greatest bird attractions, were put 
up under the new management, though the former 
has undergone some alterations ( and improve- 
ments, and is well supplemented by the new Sum- 
mer Aviary opposite. 
The Pheasantry and the Owls' Cages along 
the north bank are new and excellent buildings, 
but the pheasants, formerly kept in what is now 
the Peacock Aviary and alongside the Cranes 
near the Ape House, did very well in the old days, 
and I have seen some very rare ones, notably 
L'huy's' Monaul, an even more splendid bird than 
the common Monaul, and the white Crossoptilon 
or Eared Pheasant from Tibet; but I don't remem- 
ber any Tragopans or the green Javan Peacock 
till recent years. 
(To be continued.) 
GENERAL NOTES. 
By John D. Hamiyn. 
THAT Mr. J. Landfear Lucas, 101, Piccadilly, 
writes to "The Daily Graphic" as follows : — 
"The olhcial records, just issued by the 
Zoological Society as to the visits of the public 
to the gardens, and the amounts taken at the 
gates, show continued decreases on both items. 
It costs £8 the first year and £3 annually 
afterwards to be a Fellow of the Society, and if 
these Fellows arc diminishing it is hardly sur- 
prising, in view of the greater calls and lessened 
incomes all round owing to the war. In Paris 
at the Jardin d'Aoclimatation the system of 
season tickets is successful, and if our Zoo 
issued a six-months' transferable season ticket 
at half-a-guinea, to include Sundays, they would 
probably attract many hundreds of well-wishers 
in and around London who are not in the least 
likely to embark on the relatively high outlay 
of becoming a Fellow of the Zoological Society... 
THAT the Zoological Collection at Regents Park 
has had some serious losses lately — one of their 
largest elephants, an adult yak, Grevy's Zebra, 
with other valuable specimens. 
THAT one of my oldest customers has just as- 
sisted the Great War Fund. I quote the fol- 
lowing from the "Daily Sketch," December 
10th :— 
COMRADES OF THE GREAT WAR. 
The first Club for the Comrades of the 
Great War was opened near Weybridge by 
Lady Norton Griffiths, wife of Col. Sir John 
Norton Griffiths, D.S.O., M.P. 
The club has been presented to the Wey- 
bridge branch by Major Gordon Watney, who 
also gave ^5,000 to the headquarters fund. 
Major Gordon Watney had one of the finest 
collections of birds in England a few years ago. 
THAT at a meeting' of the Council of the Royal 
Zoological Society of Ireland, Sir Fredk. Moore, 
President, in the chair, Prof. Carpenter made 
reference to the death, since last the Council 
met, of Prof. A. E. Mettam, Principal of the 
Royal Veterinary College of Ireland, and a 
member of the Council of the Royal Zoological 
Society. The following resolution, proposed by 
Sir Walter Boyd, seconded by Dr. R. F. Scharff 
and passed, was forwarded to Mrs. Mettam., — 
"The President and Council of the Royal Zoo- 
logical Society of Ireland desire to place on 
record their deep' sense of the loss suffered by 
the Society through the lamented death of their 
valued colleague, Prof. A. E. Mettam. During 
the fourteen years of his service on the Coun- 
cil Prof. Mettam save ungrudeingflv his time 
