THE ROYAL 
Zoological & Acclimatisation Society 
OF VICTORIA. 
Fifty-Fourth Annual Report. 
The Council of the Royal Zoolog’ical and Acclimatisation 
Society of V'ictoria. in submitting its Fifty-fourth Annual Re- 
]>ort to the Suhscril^ers and .the supporting Pul)lic, has much 
satisfaction in being able to announce that the past year of 
the Society, m:»twithstanding the continued calamitous war 
experiences, has been on the whole a prosperous one in the 
several branches of effort. 
Tlic first consideration of the Cc^uncil, as in previous 
ygars, has been towards tlic maintenance and enlargement of 
"the Fauna collection, while the floral beautification of the gar¬ 
dens has alsi’) progressed witli results that are admired by all 
visitors. 
These to the number of 126,645 on week days and 157,984 
on Sundays, making a total of 284.629, have enjoyed their 
visits, and in doing so contributed to the Society’s revenue, as 
collected at the gates, the sum of £3,856 18s. 8d., or £820 is. 
4d. in excess of the amount obtained from the corres])onding 
source for the jircvious year. From other sources, excluding 
the f}ovcrnment (irant, the receipts were £1,017 3^1** 
£154 i8s. 3d. in excess of the ])rcvious year. The total re¬ 
venue, excluding the Government Grant, therefore amounted 
to £-1,874 13s. I id. Soldiers and large numbers of children 
from State and F’rimary Schools and Charitable Institutions, 
impossible of enumeration, were accorded free admission. 
The maintenance of buildings, fences, grounds generally, 
and permanent imimovements has been limited only by the 
Society’s finances: a notable instance of work is in the pro¬ 
vision of a siiecially and substantially constructed new yard 
for the Elephant, in which she can be fully viewed across an 
open excavation instead of through a fence as previously. 
