REALLY A ZOOPHAGOUS SOCIETY.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3090, 13 January 1879, Page 2

REALLY A ZOOPHAGOUS SOCIETY.

At the close of the recent meeting of the British Association at Dublin a breakfast was given to the members by the Irish Zoological Society at the gardens in Phoenix-Park. Professor Haughton made a humorous speech on the occasion; descriptive of the struggles that the Zoological Society has had to keep up its existence, and the scheming and trickery which its impeouniosity had compelled it to resort to. He said, for example, that on one occasion, when the poverty of the society became extremely great, he and the treasurer went as a deputation to the Bank of Ireland, and asked for a loan of two hundred pounds, which, to their great surprise, was refused. A happy thought then occurred to him— namely, to offer to deposit a tiger with, the bank as a pledge. That offer was made, though for some reason or another it was declined by the bank authorities; but the loan of £200 was secured. At one time in order to raise money, they offered for sale a leopardess, which had been caged in the gardens for well nigh 17 years, although she was in good health and condition for an animal of that age. He advertised her for sale for £30. Several offers of £25 were made, but he replied that the market for leopardesses was rising, and that those interest* ing animals no longer continue to look down, and that the next advertisement would raise the rate to £35. Upon this he was favored with sundry offers to the leopardess, all of which offers, except one, contained a very unpleasant inquiry about the animal's age; but by the Diessing of Providence one letter made no illusion to that rather delicate subject. He sent off the animal at once, and received on her arrival a single line by telegraph, expressed in words which showed him that the sender, if an Englishman, must have had a strong dash of Irish blood in his body. The words wera these—" Mr So-and-So, animal dealer, to the Eov. Dr Haughton:—She is as old as the devil." As a further illustration of the straits to which he had been put to obtain numey, he said that he had crossed a fine breed of Australian dingoes with Labrador water-dogs, and advertised splendid watch.dog pups for sale. He sold them off at two guineas apiece until their funds were again replenished. All went well while the dogs were pups, but when the brutes grew up the wild strain of sheep-killing blood burst out, and accounts appeared in the newspapers of strange wildlookinganimalsin Clare, Mayo and Boscommon slaughtering the sheep. He said that from a moral point of view, he ought to resign the post of secretary to the society, and had consulted a clerical friend on the matter. The latter informed him that the case was a difficult one, not provided for in the books. He thought, if the doctor's health allowed it, he might keep the place some time longer, but advised him to retire from it before long, to give time for repentance.