Cbe IRo^al 
■^aokoital ami ^ctlimatisatiou f^etidg 
Of inictorta. 
Fifty-Fifth Annual Report. 
The Council of the Royal Zoological and Acclimatisation 
Society of Victoria begs to submit its Fifty-fifth Annual Re¬ 
port to the Subscribers and the Public, and has much pleasure 
in stating that, despite the calamitous war, and the general 
increase in the price of all commodities, the past year has been 
a fairly prosperous one. - 
The Council deeply regret that since the last Annual 
Meeting Mr. T. R. James, the Hon. Treasurer, has been acci¬ 
dentally killed through a street accident.* He joined the 
Society in 1897, was elected Hon. Treasurer in 1900, and con¬ 
tinued in that position until his death. He always took the 
greatest interest in the welfare of the Society. 
The number of exhibits from other countries has naturally 
not been increased to any great extent, on account of the 
shortage of shipping, but the floral display has been unusually 
beautiful, and attracted many visitors. 
The receipts at the entrance gates were £4656 17s. 7d. 
for the year, and from other sources £731 9s. 8d., but this 
does not include the Government grant. The number of 
visitors on Sundays was approximately 285,545, and on week 
days 102,285, making a total of 387,830, being 103,201 more 
than last year, which shows how the Gardens are being ap¬ 
preciated by the Public. These figures do not include children 
from Charitable Institutions, State and Primary Schools, and 
soldiers and sailors in uniform, who are admitted free of 
charge. 
Several improvements have been made during the year, 
including the establishment of a Prairie Dog Village. The 
foundation of this enclosure has all been cemented, so that 
these (juaint little animals cannot burrow out. An adjoining 
yard is being prepared for the Coypu Rats. 
