FEMINIST FORUM.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 282, 28 November 1931, Page 4 (Supplement)

FEMINIST FORUM.

A RARE SPIRIT.

A NATURALIST OF GENIUS,

(By A Feminist Correspondent.)

When visitors from the ends of the earth visit the London Zoo, if they miss the reptile house they miss its greatest wonder. The Zoo in Regent's Park, cramped into all too few acres, is not in layout and other ways a model, although Whipsnade, its new country estate, the biggest zoological garden in the world, hopes to become that. But the reptile house in Regent's Park Zoo is admittedly the best in the world. And it was the creation of a woman, Miss Joan Procter, who has jusb died at the untimely age of 34. Miss Procter was nothing short of a genius. It was genius, too, which transcended every limit of lifelong ill-health and disabilities which that entailed. Her school studies at St. Paul's were much interrupted, but even after long spells away from work, doctors forbade her going to Cambridge, although throughout her school work had been of exceptional promise. A Naturalist Born. Grandchild of William Brockbank, the rich Quaker banker, friend and supporter of pre-Rapiiuelites, and himself an ardent naturalist, Joan Procter from her earliest days showed the blood which flowed inher veins. She had no dolls as playthings, but live pets, particularly of the reptile sort. Even as a small child she carried with her everywhere a green Dalmatian lizard which, sat at table with herl She was the naturalist born. Her insatiable thirst for knowledge about animals, particularly reptiles, came to be known to Dr. G. A. Boulenger, keeper of reptiles and fishes at the British Museum, by her asking, him questions. These revealed that she had already an unusual store of first-hand information. She knew the habitat of every British species, and had made her own little private zoo, with most Ingenious cages for keeping live specimens: Dr. Boulenger encouraged her and when in 1917 the decision had to be made that her health would not be equal to study at. college he invited her to help him at the British Museum. The Tuatara's Home. Sir Chalmers. Mitchell saw the work sh© was doing at the museum, and he it was who invited Miss Procter to undertake the construction of the backgrounds and rock work in the new aquarium, which, with the reptile house, constitutes now the pride of the Zoo. The ingenuity which has been displayed in the museum in realistic display of reptilia exhibits found full play in this work for the aquarium. It was but a natural step that when the new reptile house was being planned Miss Procter should be given a free hand in its construction. The perfection of her planning, so that every animal, from a crocodile to a tuatara, should live in surroundings as near as possible in temperature, moisture and the like natural to it, have made Miss Procter's name resound throughout the world of naturalists. Her work in exhibition of animals was not all. 'She was an adept at doctoring them in their .ailments, and a skilful surgeon, and operated on snakes as calmly as a medical man on an anaesthetised patient. She invented most ingenious mechanical devices for keeping them under restraint whilst they were 'being operated on. In any case she had an uncan'ny power of control over tliem, partly by her utter fearlessness, and partly by her understanding of them. Dragons of Komodo. When the first specimens to be brought to Europe of those allegedly fierce dragons of Komodo—the prototype of the traditional Chinese dragon, spitting fire of ancient heraldry— arrived at the Zoo, one of them was sick. But Miss Procter was not afraid and operated on it, and it became quite friendly with her before it rejoined its two more healthy mates in the reptile house, after a spell in hospital under her care. It seems only yesterday that I spoke to Miss Procter on that roof in the midst of sick animals, which she was tending. It was on that great day of her triumph when the Komodo dragons were first on view to the Fellows of the Zoological 'Society at the opening of the reptile house. ~ New Zeala'nd visitors to London who visit the. Zoo should not fail to see the marble bust of this gifted young scientist. Those who were in London this year may have ,seen it at the - Royal Academy, where it was exhibited this summer. At Whipsnade. Whipsnade, of coursei, brought joy complete to Miss - Procter. In that big couiitry estate her endless plans for Jhe comfort and health of her living charges could be put into execution in such fashion as the London Zoo itself forbade. One story of her control of animals deserves to be told. In oiie of her spells of illness she was in bed at the farm at Whipsnade. She felt rather than heard that a bear was downstairs. She rang the bell for the nurse, who then went down and could see nothing of one. Miss Procter was still convinced there was a bear about, and insisted oil getting out of her bed, getting into a dressing gown and going downstairs and out into the yard, although it was raining. She did find the bear and somehow enticed it into a room and shut it up before se'nding for a keeper. It was a tribute to this rare genius in the naturalist world that Sir Chalmers Mitchell, head of the Zoo, atte'nded Miss Procter's funeral in person, although, as one of the leaders of the scientific world he was expected to be at the Albert Half at the brilliant opening ceremony of the British Association, where scientists from all parts of the world were present. Another Woman Naturalist. Certainly in Miss Joan Procter the world can recognise gifts of a kind which were given full opportunity to develop in an age which has lost the attitude towards women which cramped a'nd wasted the early years of that other woman naturalist, Amalie Dietrich, about whose life work in the Pacific area, I wrote the other day. Amalie Dietrich, more fortunate in health and in long life, had her trials, •but in her maturity she savoured the full joy of complete absorption in a calling which she enjoyed.