Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 3 (1899).djvu/308

282 which had come to hand since 1881 for a new and revised list of species, the author pointed out that the present paper was not intended merely for the use of authors or collectors interested in local faunas, but to give (with references to primary authorities) the spiders at present known to belong to Great Britain and Ireland, leaving the question of their distribution, abundance, or scarcity to be dealt with at some future time, when the present scanty number of spider-collectors might have increased. At present large areas of varied natural characters, in some cases whole counties, and many maritime districts, were entirely unexplored, so far as their arachnology was concerned. With respect to nomenclature and systematic arrangement, the author had mainly followed the plan of 'The Spiders of Dorset' (1881); but in dealing with the large groups represented by Mr. Blackwell's Neriene, Linyphia, and Walckenæra, he had to a great extent followed M. Simon's lead in breaking up these genera in order to bring a large heterogeneous mass of material into a fairly workable form.

Report of the Council and Auditors of the Zoological Society for 1898 is now before us. A continual increase in the number of members is again shown, which has now been going on for the past six years, and the number of Fellows is now in excess of what it has been in any year since 1885. A new Llama-house has been constructed. The reconstruction in an improved form of the Llama-house, one of the oldest buildings in the Gardens, has long been a matter of urgency. It is believed that the new house, which has been built upon the same site from plans drawn up by Mr. C.B. Trollope, is well adapted for the purpose for which it is intended. It is a well-lighted and airy building, and gives excellent accommodation to the Society's stock of these animals. The new Llama-house was built by Messrs. Smith & Co., at a cost of £767 7s. 2d., which has been charged to the extraordinary expenditure of the year 1898. More space being required for the proper accommodation of the Society's fine series of Zebras and Wild Asses, it was determined by the Council, in 1898, to erect a new Zebra-house immediately adjoining the existing Zebra-house, in the further corner of the Middle Garden, upon the site then occupied by the old Ostrich-house, which had become available on the transfer of the Ostriches and Cassowaries into the new Ostrich-house in the South Garden. The new Zebra-house, which was designed by Mr. Charles B. Trollope, and built by Messrs. Smith & Co., will, it is believed, be found to give excellent accommodation to these favourite animals, and at the same time replace an old and ruinous building by an elegant and ornamental structure. The total number of deaths of animals in the gardens during the year 1898 was 1054, showing a decrease of 142 as compared with the previous year. Of these deaths the more important were:—The young Giraffe which was