THE ZOO.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 205, 23 May 1908, Page 6

THE ZOO.

LECTURE BY REV. D. C. BATES. CUT SHORT BY THE FIREBELL. Tho first of the winter serios of free lectures in connection with tho Municipal Public Library was delivered in the Town Hall Concert Chamber last night by tho -Rev. D. v >> < s ', on " A Visi t to the Melbourne ,??' , *® r 6° number of excellent lantern slides, which had been lent by Mr. W. D. Le Souef, director of the Melbourne Zoo, and Mr. T. A. Arthur, of Rakaia, wero shown by means of a powerful limelight apparatus operated by Mr. James Macdonald. Mr. Bates accompanied, tho display by unfolding in a pleasant, manner great stores of information about lions, tigers, zebras, zebus, poccaries, dromedaries, giraifos, kangaroos, bears, elephants, flamingoes, seals, and numerous other animals as each came into view on tho screen. The lecturer also mado several allusions to the Wellington.'Zoo. Ho expressed pleasure at the City Council s decision to . spend £1000 in improving it and to appoint an up-to-date curator. He hoped tho management would be, in some respects, more economical than it had been. Much'"of that £400 of:- which everybody had heard'had been spent oil improvements to _ the grounds, but ho was afraid _somo of it had gone t-o buy. beef for iiing Dick, tho lion, wno would.-really have P r ?fe rr ed cheaper meals of horseflesh. Tho lecture'was cut short at 9 o'clock by an untoward incident. Tho firebell rang out loudly at the Central Station just across tho road, and somehow the'idea got abroad amongst the audionco that the fire- was quite n-ear. It is stated that someone raised onoof the Venetian blinds, and .a shaft of light from_ tho largo electric arc lamp's under tho Town Hall portico. stroamed into tho darkened room. Whatever tho immediate cause, of the scare, the audience was thrown into a state bordering on panic. People jumped to their feet-and began to make for the doors, and there was a . good deal of noise and shouting. Tho' chairman (Mr.' J. P.. Luke) -tried to calm the tumult, but in vain. Some rushed to the windows and lookod - out. The glaro of, the big lights, revealing _the smoke that was blowing past from tho lire at .tho Post Office block,' seemed to confirm the'worst fears. Tho-audionoo poured out of tho building, and Mr. Bates was left to.bring his lecture to a rapid con-! mi 1011 i ln tho P r ® sonce of a very few people, i The lecturo will bo repeated shortly, at .Ifewtown by-.special request.' -