The Irish Naturalist 
March, 
serious loss among the Birds was tli-j death of the South American Cariama 
given by Sir Robert Casement. Little has to be recorded of the collection 
of cold-blooded creatures. The two Tuataras from New Zealand still form 
the most noteworthy feature among the Reptiles, and the Axolotls con- 
tinue to breed freely. The first season of operations in the Fish Hatchery 
has passed with considerable success. The Fisheries Oltice gave 10,000 ova 
of the American Rainbow Trout, among which there was heavy mortality, 
but enough fry survived to stock well, with the addition of grown fish 
given by Mr. F. C. Stenning, the large fish-pond and some of the aquarium 
tanks. The Brown Trout and Salmon ova given by the Department 
throve well ; only among the undeveloped salmon eggs received in 
December, 191 2, was there any considerable mortality. At the end of 
the hatching season 20,000 salmon fry and 1,000 Brown Trout fry were 
handed over to the Riparian Owners of the Liffey. 
The improvements to the Haughton House were successfully com- 
pleted by mid -summer of the past year, and the whole outside of the 
House has been repainted. The enlarged Members' Room has proved 
very popular with those privileged to use it ; while the increased size 
of the kitchen and the provision of a new store-room, make the work 
of the staff far easier than formerly. In consequence of the extension I 
of the whole width of the upper floor of the building, 10 ft. towards 1 
the north, a spacious covered area has been made available for the use 
of large parties visiting t^e Gardens. And the additional open-air j 
cages beneath the extended balcony have been well occupied. ! 
Small, but important and necessary, pieces of work carried out during 1 
the year have been the construction of a new roof and the installation of \ 
new heating apparatus for the Elephant House at a cost of Ipo, and the 
erection of several small dens for bears and other Carnivora^on the area ; 
behind the Seal Pond. A larger den, open for the most part to the air, for j 
the Brown Bear, " Nelson," now rapidly growing, will be undertaken j 
immediately. A large paddock for the newly -arrived Canadian Bison 1 
has been enclosed in front of the Hospital and close to the entrance gate. ' 
Into this paddock the Bison were readily turned out from the small ; 
isolation pen to which they had been confined after their arrival, and 
the animals much appreciate their comparative liberty. 1 
Foreseeing the need of increased space in the future, and the desirability ; 
of exhibiting animals, whenever possible, in large paddocks rather than in \ 
confined pens, the Council has requested the Commissioners of Public j 
Works to take into favourable consideration the possibility of granting an | 
extension of land to the Society on the north side of the Gardens. Such 1 
an extension would bring the Garden boundary close to the road passing j 
the Constabulary Depot— a road which runs at the extreme edge of tlie \ 
Park, and is virtually a public thoroughfare, so that from it a sight of I 
many animals in the Gardens might be obtained by passers-by. An j 
extension of the Phamix Park tramway line along this road, bringing the j 
cars to within a few yards of the entrance gate of the Zoological j 
Gardens, would be a great advantage to the Society and a boon to the ; 
public. < 
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