1915- 



Irish Sotieiics. 



59 



IRISH SOCIETIES. 



ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Recent gifts include a Bonnet Monkey from Mr. Bryan, a White -nosed 

 Monkey from Dr. Coady, and a Jerboa from Mr. E. Touche, and a large 

 assignment of Salmon and Trout eggs from the Irish Fisheries Office. 

 Several Dingo pups have been recently born in the Gardens, as well as 

 four Lion cubs — three males and a female — the parents being " Red Hugh " 

 and " Nigeria. ' ' 



January 27. — Annual Meeting held at Leinster House (by kind per- 

 mission of the Council of the RoA'al Dublin Society), Sir Charles Ball, 

 Bart., M.D., in the chair. The Hon. Secretary (Prof. G. H. Carpenter) 

 moved the adoption of the Council's Report for 1914. 



The sudden outbreak of the Great War in August was a heavy strain 

 0.1 the Society's resources, and brought about a great reduction in the 

 number of visitors to the Gardens, so that there was a decrease of 7287 in 

 the gate receipts as compared with 1913, a year much below the average. 

 Fort}' new members (including twelve life -members) were admitted during 

 1914. 



The year 1914 has been perhaps the most noteworthy in the whole 

 history of the Society as regards the large Apes. The Orang-utan, 

 " Sandy," procured in 1913, has remained in good health throughout the 

 year. In October, 1914, a handsome male Hoolock Gibbon was offered 

 for purchase at a low price ; the animal had been a pet among the officers 

 of a battalion, of the Gordon Highlanders ordered to the Continent. As 

 the state -of the Society's funds m.ade purchase in the ordinary way im- 

 possible, some members of the Council raised the necessary money and pre- 

 sented the Gibbon to the collection. Of the Chimpanzees in the Ape 

 house at the beginning of the year the young female and the Hon. Walter 

 Rothschild's great male " Tom"' have, unfortunately, died. The other 

 male, " George," is, however, still in splendid health, and deserves mention 

 as one of the most amusing and friendly Apes ever kept in Dublin. In 

 September a pair of large Chimpanzees were obtained from London in 

 exchange for two lion-cubs ; the male appeared to belong to the rare 

 " Bald" species {Anthropopithccus calvus), not to the common kind (A. 

 troglodytes) usually imported from West Africa. Unfortunately, these 

 specimens survived only a few weeks. A small, rather delicate, female 

 Chimpanzee was placed on deposit in the summer, and, though at first 

 sickly, became much stronger after a month's careful tendance in the 

 Iveagh Hospital. In January, 1914, a small male Chimpanzee was 

 purchased, and is still alive and healthy. The Council decided to acquire 

 this animal, because it had been imported from West Africa in company 

 with a female Gorilla, which was offered along w-itlx it. Never before 

 has a Gorilla been kept alive in either the Dublin or London Gardens 

 for more than a few weeks ; the Council is, therefore, much gratified 

 that under the care of the Superintendent and the Keeper, J. Supple, 

 "Empress" has remained in splendid health throughout the year. 

 Probably the companionship of the Chimpanzee has been of great benefit 



