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SUMMARY:
Multiple newspaper clippings from early September 1923 report Miss Joan Proctor’s appointment as Curator of Reptiles at the London Zoo/London Zoological Gardens, noting her prior work with reptiles and aquarium rockwork design. One clipping discusses Miss Cheesman’s temporary withdrawal from the insect curator post for a South Pacific expedition and mentions related figures and institutions.

CONTENT:
SEPTEMBER, 1923
THE CHURCH MILITANT

Miss Joan Proctor, F.L.S., F.Z.S., has been appointed
Curator of the Reptiles at the Zoo, in which department she
has been working since 1916.

THE NEWS OF THE WORLD SEPT. 2. 1923.

THE ZOO LADY CURATOR OF REPTILES.
Miss Joan B. Proctor, who has been appointed Curator of Reptiles at the London Zoo. She
is seen wearing one of her charges as a necklet.

Cutting from the Worcester Daily Times
Address of Publication
Issue dated 4.9.23

In view of her appointment on the personnel
of the Scientific Expeditionary Research As-
sociation's coming expedition to the South
Pacific, Miss Cheesman, who in 1917 became
curator of insects in the London Zoo under
Professor Maxwell Lefroy, will be temporarily
withdrawn from that position. Miss Chees-
man enjoys the distinction of having been the
first lady curator appointed by the Zoological
Society, and during her tenure of the post she
has created almost a revolution in the beauti-
ful insect house presented some years ago by
the late Sir William Caird. The Society has
also quite recently appointed a lady curator of
reptiles, in the person of Miss Jean Proctor,
F.Z.S., F.L.S., who for several years she
worked in the reptile department of the Brit-
ish Museum as voluntary assistant to Dr. Bou-
lenger, and latterly in full charge. It was
curious that the only lady curators who
specialise in creepy-crawly forms of life.

Canadian
Lepto
Bosses Snakes
CANADIAN

Miss Joan Proctor, an English girl
of 25, has just been appointed curator
of reptiles at the London Zoological
Gardens. She is one of the best
known experts on snakes in the
world.

Cutting from the Liverpool Courier
Address of Publication
Issue dated 4.9.23

HER REPTILIAN FAMILY.
The second of the lady curators
appointed by the Zoological Society, Miss
Joan Procter, will take over her duties
in charge of the reptiles at Regent's
Park during the autumn.
Miss Procter has plenty of practical
experience of these strange pets, for,
apart from work which she has fulfilled
in the reptile department of the Museum
at South Kensington, she has for several
years kept a private collection of live
snakes and batrachians. She has designed
the whole of the rockwork for the new
aquarium at the Zoo.

SUMMARY:
Clippings announce E. G. Boulenger’s promotion to Director of the new aquarium and Joan B. Procter’s appointment as Curator of Reptiles, outlining her background and expertise. Additional coverage describes progress and features planned for the new aquarium.

CONTENT:
THE TIMES, THURSDAY, JULY 19, 1923.

Mr. E. G. Boulenger has been appointed
Director of the new Aquarium at the Zoo,
and Miss Joan B. Procter has been appointed
Curator of Reptiles. (p. 9)

WOMAN CURATOR OF
REPTILES.

APPOINTMENTS AT THE
ZOO.

Mr. E. G. Boulenger, at present Curator of
Reptiles at the Zoological Gardens, has been
appointed Director of the new Aquarium.
He will continue to exercise a general super-
vision over the reptiles, but for some time he
has been very fully occupied with superintend-
ing the construction of the aquarium, and
when the tanks are ready for occupation it is
anticipated that his time will be almost com-
pletely engaged by his new duties. Mr.
Boulenger is a son of Dr. G. A. Boulenger,
F.R.S., for long chief of the Department of
Reptiles, Batrachians, and Fishes at the
British Museum of Natural History. Since
Mr. Boulenger has been Curator at the Zoo
the reptile-house has been greatly improved,
and the collection made one of the finest in
the world. During the war he served in
France with the balloons.

Miss Joan B. Procter, F.Z.S., F.L.S., has
been appointed Curator of Reptiles, and will
assume her duties in late autumn. She was
educated at St. Paul's School for Girls, and
since 1916 has worked in the Reptile Depart-
ment at the British Museum, first as voluntary
assistant to Dr. Boulenger, and, since his
retirement, in charge. She is the author of a
large number of papers on the anatomy,
classification, and habits of reptiles and
batrachians, and for many years has kept a
private collection of living snakes and batra-
chians. At present Miss Procter is still carry-
ing on the work of the Reptile Department
at the Museum, but is also engaged in design-
ing the rockwork for the aquarium tanks at
the Zoo.

Cutting from the Hull Daily Mail
Address of Publication.
Issue dated. 20.7.25

Miss Joan Procter, F.Z.S., F.L.S., an Englishwoman
of 25, has been appointed curator
of reptiles at the Zoo. She will have com-
plete charge of dozens of venomous cobras,
deadly pythons, boa constrictors, alligators,
and crocodiles. Miss Procter, unknown to the
world at large, is famous among zoologists as
one of the greatest snake experts of the day.

THE EVENING STANDARD.

ZOO AQUARIUM
PROGRESS.

NEW CURATOR ON WONDERS OF
COMING ATTRACTIONS.

£50,000 COST.

HOW LONDONERS WILL SEE
SEALS UNDER WATER.

Mr. E. G. Boulenger, the curator of rep-
tiles at the Zoological Gardens, who has
been appointed director of the new aquarium
which is expected to be completed at the
end of the year, gave some interesting de-
tails in an interview to-day of the progress
of the work.

Mr. Boulenger is a son of Dr. G. A.
Boulenger, F.R.S., formerly chief of the de-
partment of reptiles and fishes at the British
Museum of Natural History, South Kensing-
ton.

One of the Finest in the World.

"We began building the aquarium," he said,
"at the beginning of December. When it is
finished—we hope before the end of the year—
the aquarium should be one of the finest in
the world. It is being built under Mappin Ter-
races, and the tanks have been supervised by
myself and Miss Joan Procter, who has just
been appointed Curator of Reptiles, and is
taking over my duties in the autumn.

"The aquarium will be for fresh water and
marine animals, and the tanks will be faced
with plate glass 1¼ inches thick. This glass is
very expensive, and is a big item in the total
cost of £50,000.

"We are getting our sea-water from the Bay
of Biscay, and it will be brought in the ballast
tanks of large vessels to the docks and trans-
ferred there to barges, which will bring it up
along the Regent's Canal to the Zoo. It will be
piped from the barges into the tanks by means
of long fire hoses.

"Mr. Compton Mackenzie has given us a
quantity of shell sand from the Island of Herm
which he owns for some of the tank floors. This
shell sand is remarkable, for every grain is a
tiny shell.

Open Trout Pool.

"We will have an elaborate system of reser-
voirs, filtering arrangements, and plant for
heating, lighting, and ventilating, and the
aquarium, which will be 400ft. long, will be
divided into three parts.

"The fresh-water hall will have 25 tanks, the
marine hall 20, and the tropical hall 40. We
will have an open trout pool, a big octagonal
tank for marine turtle, and a tank for seals
under water.

"We will have a wonderful collection of
tropical fish brilliantly coloured and equal to the
finest in the world.

"Not even the New York Aquarium will sur-
pass it in the beauty of its contents."

The new aquarium, when it is completed, will
probably prove one of the biggest attractions at
Regent's Park.

Miss Procter, the new Curator of Reptiles,
was educated at St. Paul's School for Girls,
and since 1916 has worked in the Reptile De-
partment at the British Museum, first as volun-
tary assistant to Dr. Boulenger.

SUMMARY:
A set of newspaper clippings reports Miss Joan Procter’s appointment as curator of reptiles at the Zoological Gardens and profiles her expertise with snakes. Additional short items cover women’s higher education at Cambridge, married women’s financial dependence, international peace efforts, and grants for women sculptors.

CONTENT:
FRIDAY, JULY 27, 1923. THE VOTE 235

WOMEN AT HOME AND ABROAD.

Empty Titles at Cambridge.
One hundred and twenty-two Cambridge women
students have recently received diplomas of the title
of the degree of B.A. Fifty belong to Girton, and
seventy-two to Newnham. Ninety-six women students
have received diplomas of the title of the degree of
M.A. Thirty-six belong to Girton, and sixty to Newn-
ham. Two Girton students have also obtained, respec-
tively, diplomas for Bachelor of Law, and one for Mas-
ter of Law. The number of students in residence during
the last Easter term were 180 at Girton, and 257 at
Newnham.

Woman Curator's Appointment.
Miss Joan Procter, F.Z.S., F.L.S., has been ap-
pointed curator of reptiles at the Zoological Gardens,
and will assume her duties in the late autumn. Miss
Proctor was educated at St. Paul's School for Girls,
and, since 1916, has worked in the reptile department
at the British Museum, first as voluntary assistant to
Dr. Boulenger, and, since his retirement, in charge.
She is the author of a large number of papers on the
anatomy, classification, and habits of reptiles and
batrachians, and for many years has kept a private
collection of living snakes, frogs, and lizards.

Married Women's Dependence.
Speaking at a recent women's luncheon party at the
Lyceum Club, Mrs. Champion de Crespigny said that,
while the unmarried woman now had opportunities not
thought of in the last century, the married woman of
small means was cramped and nullified by her absolute
dependence. A married woman should be entitled to a
definite proportion of the salary of her husband, and it
ought not to be given as a favour.

Women and Peace.
At the recent meeting of the Board of Officers of the
International Council of Women, held at the House of
Cromar, Aberdeenshire, it was decided to hold a Con-
ference of women's international organisations next
March in London, to discuss the "Prevention of the
causes of War, and how women can promote World
Peace."

Grants for Women Sculptors.
It has been decided to use the money collected for the
Lady Feodora Gleichen Memorial Fund, amounting to
over £2,000, in giving grants to women sculptors for
the purpose of their work. The original object of the
Fund was to provide studios and materials for women
sculptors.

Cutting from the Birmingham Weekly Post
Address of Publication
Issue dated 28-7-27

English Lady Snake Charmer.
Miss Joan Procter, F.Z.S., F.L.S., who
has just been appointed curator of reptiles
at the Zoo, is English, and only twenty-five
years of age. She will have complete charge
of dozens of venomous cobras, deadly
pythons, boa constrictors, alligators and croco-
diles. Miss Procter, though unknown to the
world at large, is famous among zoologists
as one of the greatest snake experts of the
day, and her interest in the subject is
probably hereditary, as her grandfather was
a famous entomologist, and she had her
first pet snake when she was only ten years
old.

Cutting from the Hampstead Advertiser
Address of Publication
Issue dated 26-4-29.

Miss Joan Procter, F.Z.S., has been
appointed curator of the reptile house at
the Zoological Gardens. She is regarded
as one of the greatest experts on snakes
in the world.

Cutting from the Manchester Evening News
Address of Publication
Issue dated 28-7-29

Eve and the Serpents.
AT the Zoo in London a girl has been
appointed curator of reptiles. This
unusual course has been adopted because
the lady, Miss Joan Procter, F.Z.S., F.L.S.,
is one of the leading authorities on these
rather terrifying creatures. Ever since
she was a tiny child Miss Procter has
been fond of reptiles, and her list of pets were
of a nature to terrify the average person. She
read every book that dealt with snakes and
lizards, so that when she came in contact with
men who made a life study of reptiles they were
amazed at her knowledge. She adopted her
present career on leaving school, Miss Joan
Procter's fame has penetrated over the world.
The Zoological Society of Bombay made her a
Fellow, and American experts held her in high
regard. She is also one of the experts at the
Museum of Natural History at South Kensing-
ton, and loves and fondles dangerous serpents
as an average woman would pet kittens and
puppies.

SUMMARY:
Press clippings report Miss Joan Proctor’s appointment as curator of reptiles at the London Zoological Gardens, highlighting her expertise with snakes and her work at the British Museum and South Kensington’s Natural History Museum. Items include notices from Ottawa, the New York Tribune, and the Adelaide Register dated October 1923.

CONTENT:
OTTAWA
BOSSES SNAKES.
City (Ottawa)

Miss Joan Proctor, an English
girl of 25, has just been appointed
curator of reptiles at the London
Zoological Gardens. She is one of
the best known experts on snakes
in the world.

RULES SNAKES

JEAN PROCTOR.
(Kadri & Herbert Photo.)
This young woman has special-
ized in the study of reptiles and is
said to be able to handle snakes
which would be enraged at the
touch of the ordinary person and
show the resentment by a poison-
ous bite. Miss Proctor recently be-
came curator of reptiles at the Lon-
don Zoological gardens.

from the
Press of Publication
dated
Register
Adelaide
Oct 16-1923

CURATOR OF REPTILES AT THE LONDON "ZOO," MISS
JOAN PROCTOR, WITH A FRIEND.

Preserving reptile to the daily occupation of Miss Joan Proc-
tor, F.Z.S., F.L.S. In her spare time she studies their habits. One
of the greatest experts on snakes in her day, Miss Proctor has
worked since 1916 in the reptile department at the British
Museum—first as a voluntary assistant, and then as expert in
charge. She is the author of a large number of papers on the
anatomy, classification, and habits of reptiles and batrachians,
and owns a private collection of living specimens.

Cutting from the
Address of Publication
Issue dated
Register
Adelaide
Oct 11/23

Her Reptilian Family.
The second of the lady curators ap-
pointed by the Zoological Society, Miss
Joan Proctor, will take over her duties
in charge of the reptiles at Regent's Park
during the autumn. Miss Proctor has
plenty of practical experience of these
strange pets, for, apart from work which
she has fulfilled in the reptile department,
of the museum at South Kensington, she
has for several years kept a private collec-
tion of live snakes and batrachians. She
has designed the whole of the rockwork
for the new aquarium at the Zoo.

NEW YORK
TRIBUNE
Reptiles Put
Under Care of
Woman Expert

Snakes Are Special Pets of
Miss Joan Proctor, Who
Has Been Appointed as a
Curator in London Zoo

New York Trib. LONDON,
Snakes and crocodiles are not, per-
haps, the most pleasant creatures with
which to live, but Miss Joan Proctor
evidently thinks otherwise. This
young Englishwoman has just been
appointed curator of the reptile house
at the London Zoological Gardens,
where she will have entire charge of
the cobras, the pythons, the alligators
and all the other reptiles.
Miss Proctor's grandfather was a
famous entomologist, so possibly her
interest and aptitude in the subject
are inherited. It certainly looks as
though she is going to become as well
known as he was, for already she is
looked on by zoologists as one of the
greatest of snake experts.
When in her very early teens she
happened to visit the chief of the rep-
tile department at the South Kensing-
ton Natural History Museum and so
astonished him by her knowledge of
ophiology—she had kept snakes and
lizards as pets since her tenth birth-
day—that he offered to train her in
the subject. Accordingly, as soon as
she left school she became Dr. Bou-
lenger's assistant, this at the age of
eighteen, and when he resigned she
was appointed to his post. Last year
the New York Zoological Society of-
fered her a job, but she would not
leave the Kensington Museum. Now,
of course, she will have to give up her
work there.
The young expert came into real
contact with the zoological society at
the age of nineteen when she read her
first paper, on pit snakes, before them.
A year later they made her F. Z. S.
At the beginning of July she gained
another distinction by being elected
F. L. S., Fellow of the Linnean Society,
one of the foremost scientific organi-
zations in the world.
Being surrounded by snakes during
her attendance at the zoo apparently
is not enough for Miss Proctor, and
she keeps six Brazilian snakes in a
glass cage in her drawing-room. These
were sent her as a gift. Noted scien-
tists in South America and South
Africa have frequently sent rare and
deadly reptiles to England, knowing
her interest, and most of these she
keeps at her own home.

SUMMARY:
Press cuttings report Miss Joan B. Procter’s appointment as Curator of Reptiles at the London Zoo, outlining her background at the British Museum and work on the new aquarium. Another clipping notes related staff changes, including Miss Cheeseman’s temporary replacement during a South Pacific expedition.

CONTENT:
For
DURRANT'S PRESS CUTTINGS
St. Andrew's House, 32 to 34 Holborn Viaduct
and 3 St. Andrew Street Holborn Circus, E.C. 1
TELEPHONE: CITY 4963.

Pall Mall Gazette and Globe
25 Tudor Street, E.C.4.

Cutting from issue dated. 19 JUL 1929

CURATOR OF REPTILES.

WOMAN'S APPOINTMENT AT
THE ZOO.

Miss Joan B. Procter, F.Z.S.,
F.L.S., has been appointed Curator
of Reptiles at the Zoo, and will as-
sume her duties in late autumn. She
was educated at St. Paul's School for
Girls, and since 1916 has worked in
the Reptile Department at the British
Museum, first as voluntary assistant
to Dr Boulenger, and, since his re-
tirement, in charge.
She is the author of a large num-
ber of papers on the anatomy, classi-
fication, and habits of reptiles and
batrachians, and for many years
(says the "Times") has kept a
private collection of living snakes and
batrachians.
At present Miss Procter is still car-
rying on the work of the Reptile De-
partment at the Museum, but is also
engaged in designing the rockwork
for the aquarium tanks at the Zoo.

25 AUG 1923

An English girl of twenty-five has been
appointed curator of reptiles at the London
Zoo. When one considers how badly
woman managed the first serpent in history,
the appointment seems a little surprising.
Cutting from the People
Address of Publication
Issue dated. 22. 7. 23

WOMAN'S SNAKE PETS.

HANDLED REPTILES FROM
CHILDHOOD.

A woman has been appointed curator
of reptiles at the Zoo and will, from
November next, be responsible for
those creeping and crawling things that
are so fascinating and attractive—be-
hind the thick glass. She is Miss Joan
B. Procter, F.Z.S., F.L.S., and is recog-
nised among scientists as one of the
foremost authorities on snakes.
As curator she will have in her care
deadly cobras, pythons and boa con-
strictors, alligators and crocodiles.
Miss Procter is taking the place of
Mr. F. G. Boulenger, who becomes the
director of the new aquarium.
Seen at the Zoo, Miss Procter was
too busy, she said, and seemed too
retiring and diffident to discuss off-
hand her special interests. She was
consulting over the rockwork of the
new aquarium now being built under
the Mappin Terraces at the Zoo.
Her grandfather was a noted au-
thority on insects, so that her own in-
terest in reptiles is probably heredi-
tary.
At her home in South Kensington she
has quite an extensive collection of
living creatures. At ten years of age
she had a pet snake, and has had
presents of six Brazilian snakes and a
crocodile.
When only nineteen she read a paper
before the Zoological Society, and was
made a Fellow the next year.
Cutting from the Yorkshire Post
Address of Publication Leeds
Issue dated. 3-9-25

Zoo's Lady Curators.

In view of her appointment on the per-
sonnel of the Scientific Expeditionary Re-
search Association's coming expedition to
the South Pacific, Miss Cheeseman, who
in 1917 became curator of insects in the
London Zoo under Professor Maxwell
Lefroy, will be temporarily withdrawn from
that position, and replaced by Mr. L. C.
Bushby, of the Royal College of Science.
Miss Cheeseman enjoys the distinction of
having been the first lady curator
appointed by the Zoological Society, and
during her tenure of the post she has
created almost a revolution in the beauti-
ful insect house presented some years ago
by the late Sir William Caird. The build-
ing took the place of a much older one
which for many years had been specially
associated with insect life, and which stood
close to the south entrance to the Gardens.
The Society has also quite recently
appointed a lady curator of reptiles, in the
person of Miss Joan Procter, F.Z.S.,
F.L.S., who for several years has worked
in the reptile department of the British
Museum as voluntary assistant to Dr.
Boulenger, and latterly in full charge.
She is expected to take over her new duties
in the course of the coming autumn.

SUMMARY:
Mixed Italian and English newspaper clippings report Miss Joan Procter’s appointment as Curator of Reptiles at the London Zoo, succeeding Mr. E. G. Boulenger, with notes on her lifelong interest in reptiles and Boulenger’s work on the new aquarium under the Mappin Terraces. Items include pieces from various UK papers and Corriere della Sera.

CONTENT:
Corriere della Sera, 22 Luglio 1923

La governatrice dei serpenti
al giardino zoologico di Londra

Londra, 21 luglio, matt.
Miss Jane Procter è stata messa a capo del
dipartimento dei rettili al giardino zoologico
di Londra, ciò che significa che ella dovrà
governare una orribile folla di cobra, di vi-
pere, serpenti a sonagli, di boa, di coccodril-
li, ecc. ecc. La nomina interessa il pubblico
non solo perchè gli viene rivelato che miss
Procter, benchè non abbia che 25 anni, è re-
putata nel mondo scientifico come una delle
maggiori competenze in fatto di rettili, ma
anche perché, dopo il peccato originale, si
sperava o si credeva vi fosse una incompatibilità
fra la donna e i serpenti. Invece a dieci
anni, quando le ragazzine di solito si diver-
tono con le bambole, miss Procter aveva un
serpente e varie lucertole come trastullo fa-
vorito. Un giorno le fu regalato un cocco-
drillo: accompagnata dalla mamma essa lo
portò dal dott. Boulenger, allora capo del di-
partimento dei rettili al museo di storia na-
turale al giardino zoologico. Il dottore fu col-
pito dalla competenza della giovanetta in fat-
to di rettili e le promise di prenderla seco ap-
pena avesse finito le scuole. Così fu: a 18
anni miss Procter era sua assistente.

Ora il dott. Boulenger deve dedicare tutta
la sua attività alla direzione del nuovo ma-
gnifico acquario che si sta costruendo nel
giardino zoologico, e i rettili sono stati messi
sotto il governo di miss Procter, la quale
maneggia senza timore e con meravigliosa
sicurezza gli esemplari più velenosi e mali-
gni. Arrivano al museo serpenti da ogni par-
te del mondo, e qualche volta avviene che al
momento di aprire le ceste le bestie scappino
o si nascondano dove possono. Miss Procter
è famosa per snidarli e rimetterli in gatta-
buia.

Ma pare che questa sia una qualità di fa-
miglia. Neppur sua madre ha ribrezzo per i
serpenti: ad un giornalista che andò a casa
sua ha fatto vedere sei bellissime serpi bra-
siliane che sono tenute nel salotto in un co-
fano di vetro. La signora ha sollevato il co-
perchio e si è fatta attorcigliare i serpenti
intorno alle braccia mentre il giornalista cer-
cava con la coda dell'occhio una possibile
via di ritirata.

WOMAN'S REPTILE PETS.
Miss Joan B. Procter, F.Z.S., who has
been appointed Curator of Reptiles to the
London Zoological Gardens, has been in-
terested in such creatures since she was
seven years old.
Her present collection of living reptiles
includes a Brazilian house snake, which
is very keen on being handled and petted.
These benevolent serpents are used in-
stead of cats in some parts of South
America, and are most effective in keep-
ing a place clear of rats and mice.
Miss Procter is succeeding Mr. E. G.
Boulenger, F.Z.S., at the Zoo's Reptile
House in the autumn. Mr. Boulenger is
in charge of the £50,000 aquarium which is
now being constructed under the Mappin
Terraces at the Zoo.

From the Paris Daily mail.
Saturday July 21st

Cutting from the Blackpool Gazette
Address of Publication
Issue dated.
21.7.20

Miss Joan Procter, F.Z.S., F.L.S., an
English girl of twenty-five, has been ap-
pointed curator of reptiles at the London
Zoo. She will have complete charge of
dozens of venomous cobras, deadly pythons,
boa constrictors, alligators, and crocodiles.

from the Staffordshire Weekly Post
of Publication
21 7 29

WOMAN CURATOR OF REPTILES.
Mr. E. G. Boulenger, at present Curator of
Reptiles at the Zoological Gardens, has been
appointed Director of the new Aquarium. He
will continue to exercise a general super-
vision over the reptiles. Mr. Boulenger is a
son of Dr. G. A. Boulenger, F.R.S., for long
chief of the Department of Reptiles,
Batrachians, and Fishes at the British
Museum of Natural History.
Miss Joan Procter, F.Z.S., F.L.S., has been
appointed Curator of Reptiles, and will assume
her duties in late autumn. She was educated
at St. Paul's School for Girls, and since 1916
has worked in the Reptile Department at the
British Museum, first as voluntary assistant to
Dr. Boulenger, and, since his retirement, in
charge.

Cutting from the Evening Express
Address of Publication
Issue dated.
21.7.27

Woman Curator of Reptiles.
Miss Joan B. Procter, F.Z.S., F.L.S., has
been appointed Curator of Reptiles at the
London Zoo, to succeed Mr. E. G. Bou-
lenger, who becomes director of the new
Aquarium. Since 1916 she has worked in
the Reptile Department, at the British
Museum, first as voluntary assistant to Dr.
Boulenger, and, since his retirement, in
charge.
She is the author of a large number of
papers on the anatomy, classification, and
habits of reptiles and batrachians, and
for many years has kept a private collec-
tion of living snakes and batrachians. At
present Miss Procter is still carrying on the
work of the Reptile Department at the
Museum, but is also engaged in designing
the rockwork for the Aquarium tanks at the
Zoo.

SUMMARY:
Newspaper cuttings report that Miss Joan Proctor/Procter, aged 25, has been appointed Curator of Reptiles at the Zoological Gardens. Articles describe her background at the British Museum/Museum of Natural History, her expertise handling venomous snakes, and her work designing aquarium tanks and contributing to antivenom research.

CONTENT:
who ever lived. Praise she merits, but
Cutting from the Daily Post
July 19th
One Woman's Speciality.

Not to every woman would the curatorship
of reptiles at the Zoological Gardens
appeal, but to have received the position is
an honour decidedly. This honour has
fallen to Miss Joan Proctor, who will take
up her work in the autumn. Educated at
St. Paul's School for Girls, Miss Proctor
has been in the reptile department of the
British Museum for seven years, and may
be said to know her job backwards. Not
content with studying the habits, anatomy,
and little ways of reptiles and batrachians
in working hours, she keeps a collection of
the living creatures at home. She is at the
moment designing rockwork for the
aquarium tanks at the Zoo.

From the Soho News July 21st
CHAMPION GIRL SNAKE EXPERT.

Miss Joan Proctor, F.L.S.
Miss Proctor, aged 25, as already
described in the "Echo," is one of the
greatest snake experts in the world, and has
been appointed Curator of Reptiles at the
Zoological Gardens. She handles the most
deadly reptiles with the greatest ease.

Cutting from the Belfast Telegraph
Address of Publication
Issue dated 20. 7. 21

GREAT SNAKE EXPERT.
GIRL'S CHARGE OF REPTILES.
CAN HANDLE DEADLY SERPENTS.
Miss Joan Proctor, F.Z.S., an English
girl of 25, has been appointed curator of
reptiles at the Zoo. She will have com-
plete charge of dozens of venomous cobras,
deadly pythons, boa constrictors, alligators
and crocodiles. Miss Proctor, unknown to
the world at large, has for several years
gained fame as one of the greatest snake
experts of the day. The large, airy room
in the basement of the Museum of Natural
History, South Kensington, in which she
works, is filled with bottled and occasionally
live specimens of the most deadly snakes in
the world.

Miss Proctor is now engaged in designing
the 60 tanks to form the most wonderful
aquarium in the world, which are being con-
structed at a cost of £50,000, under the
Mappin Terraces in the Zoo. Miss Proctor
is making models of each tank to scale from
her studies of rocks and seaweeds made
during holidays at the seaside. Miss
Proctor has performed work of incalculable
value while at the Museum of Natural
History by preparing a complete series of
the teeth of poisonous snakes for the School
of Tropical Medicine. Her researches have
enabled the school to prepare antidotes for
the bites of various deadly snakes.
Miss Proctor is resigning in the autumn
from her present position as chief of the
department of reptiles at the British
Museum of Natural History at South Kens-
ington. She has already won many honours
that are only as a rule bestowed after a
life-time of research work. She read her
first paper on the pitsnake before the Zoo-
logical Society at the age of 19. She was
made a Fellow of the Society at 20. She
was elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society,
one of the foremost scientific organisations
in the world, a fortnight ago. She is also
a Fellow of the Zoological Society of Bom-
bay, and last year was offered a remuner-
ative post by the Zoological Society of New
York.

Cutting from the Dundee Courier
Address of Publication
Issue dated 21. 7. 20

GIRL AS SNAKE EXPERT.
Miss Joan Procter, F.Z.S., F.L.S., an
Englishwoman of 25, has been appointed
curator of reptiles at the Zoo. She will
have complete charge of dozens of venomous
cobras, deadly pythons, boa constrictors, alli-
gators, and crocodiles. Miss Procter, un-
known to the world at large, is famous
among zoologists as one of the greatest
snake experts of the day. Scientists in
South Africa and South America have sent
Miss Procter rare and deadly reptiles from
jungles and swamps. Occasionally a crate
of them has been overturned on arrival, and
they have been spilled on the floor, Miss
Procter, without the slightest fear, has col-
lected the poisonous creatures from their
hiding places.

• SUMMARY:
  Newspaper clippings from July 20, 1923 report Miss Joan Procter/Procter’s appointment as Curator of Reptiles at the Zoo, outlining her lifelong interest in reptiles and her keeping of snakes, a crocodile, lizards, and axolotls. Articles also note her work at the British Museum, experiments transforming axolotls, and Mr. E. G. Boulenger’s move to oversee the new aquarium at the Mappin Terraces.

CONTENT:
THE EVENING STANDARD
Friday, July 20, 1923.

JOAN & HER QUEER
PALS.

BOA CONSTRICTOR & CROCODILE
AS PLAYMATES.

YOUNG ZOO CURATOR.

TRANSFORMATION FROM WATER
TO LAND CREATURE.

Miss Joan Proctor, the young girl who has
been appointed curator of reptiles at the Zoo,
is somewhat shy to talk about her life work,
which has been the study of creatures from
which the average person turns with a
shudder.

A slightly built, smiling girl, with a pleasant
expression, she was busily engaged to-day in the
new aquarium in course of construction at the
Zoo.

It was with reluctance that she admitted her
identity. Asked when
she began to be inte-
rested in snakes, she re-
plied:

"I never did begin.
I have always been inte-
rested in them. I have
worked among them
since the time I left
school. I have been at
the Natural History
Museum so far, and I
aim coming to my new
post here in November.

Miss Joan Proctor.
"Yes, I have kept a
great many pets of all
sorts" she continued.
"Which is the most
unusual? Oh, they are
all considered unusual. Among them was a boa
constrictor. It is in the reptile house now—
five feet long, and perfectly tame. I kept
it at home and usually had it loose. It was
shut up only at night. Of course, I did not
allow it to be about in the same room with
the cat. It would have eaten pussy.

"I have also had a crocodile, an alligator, and
all sorts of snakes and lizards. I have never
had the slightest trouble with them. They were
all great pets and quite tame."

When asked if she had trained any of her
peculiar pets to do tricks, Miss Proctor merely
smiled and said she did not want anything
theatrical to be said about her and her pets.

She thinks, however, that the reptile house is
one of the most popular places in the Zoo, es-
pecially with children.

"Children," she said, "are not afraid of the
reptiles."

Transformation.

Miss Proctor's own collection of animals, it
may be added, is a considerable one. The croco-
dile to which she referred was her playmate
when she was quite a little girl of seven years
old. It, however, only lived two years.

To see her making friends with a Brazilian
house snake, which is one of her favourites at
present, would scare the ordinary girl. A small
python is also one of her present possessions,
and she has a number of lizards.

Recently she succeeded with certain experi-
ments in regard to axolotls. She managed
to change the habits of one of them by scientifi-
cally reducing his allowance of water, and
transformed it from a water creature to a land
creature.

FRIDAY, The Daily Mail JULY 20, 1923.

WOMAN'S REPTILE
PETS.

SNAKES, LIZARDS, AND
A TOAD.

Miss Joan B. Procter, F.Z.S., who has
been appointed Curator of Reptiles to the
London Zoological Gardens, has been in-
terested in such creatures since she was
seven years old.

At that age she had a crocodile as a pet,
which she cared for during its two years
of life. At present Miss Procter is carry-
ing on the work of the Reptile Depart-
ment of the British Museum, but she by
no means confines her observations to
preserved specimens.

Her present collection of living reptiles
includes a Brazilian house snake, which
is very keen on being handled and petted.
These benevolent serpents are used in-
stead of cats in some parts of South
America, and are most effective in keep-
ing a place clear of rats and mice. Miss
Procter has also some axolotls, and in
the past has succeeded in transforming
one of them from a water-creature to a
land salamander by scientifically reduc-
ing its allowance of water. Prof. Hux-
ley's thyroid-gland experiments pro-
duced the same results.

Some lizards and a small python are
also included in her collection, while at
the British Museum she has a fire-bellied
toad which she has owned for the past 10
years.

Miss Procter is succeeding Mr. E. G.
Boulenger, F.Z.S., at the Zoo's Reptile
House in the autumn. Mr. Boulenger is
in charge of the £50,000 aquarium which
is now being constructed under the Map-
pin Terraces at the Zoo.

For
DURRANT'S PRESS CUTTINGS,

St. Andrew's House, 32 to 34 Holborn Viaduct,
and 3 St. Andrew Street Holborn Circus, E.C. 1.
TELEPHONE

• CITY 4963.

The Westminster Gazette
104 Shoe Lane, E.C.1.

Cutting from issue dated 20 JUL 1923

WOMAN CURATOR.

Miss Proctor is to be Curator of Rep-
tiles at the Zoo in succession to Mr.
Boulenger, who becomes Curator of the
new Aquarium now in process of comple-
tion.

Miss Proctor, educated at St. Paul's
School for Girls, has worked in the Rep-
tile Department of the British Museum
since 1916, and was at one time Mr.
Boulenger's assistant,

SUMMARY:
Newspaper clippings from July 1923 announce Miss Joan Procter/Procter’s appointment as Curator of Reptiles at the London Zoo, succeeding Mr. E. G. Boulenger, and note her work at the British Museum, education at St. Paul’s School for Girls, and private snake collection. One clipping also highlights other women’s milestones, including Miss M. O. Collins, Miss Margaret Kidd, and Miss Helena Normanton.

CONTENT:
M Miss Proctor No.

From The General Press Cutting
Association. Ltd.
ATLANTIC HOUSE,
45-50, HOLBORN VIADUCT, E.C. 1.
TELEPHONE: HOLBORN 4815.

Cutting from the Sheffield Independent
Address of Publication
Issue dated.

20. 7. 23

Woman Who Likes Snakes.
One of the most remarkable positions as
yet taken up by a woman must be that of
Curator of Reptiles at the London Zoologi-
cal Gardens, a post to which Miss Joan
Proctor, F.Z.S., F.L.S., has recently been
appointed. She has worked in the Rep-
tile Department at the British Museum
for a number of years, and has a private
collection of living snakes. Another
woman has entered the ministry, the con-
gregation of the North Bow Congrega-
tional Church having invited Miss M. O.
Collins to become their minister, while a
Scottish lady, Miss Margaret Kidd, has
just been admitted a member of the
Faculty of Advocates at Edinburgh. Miss
Helena Normanton, in wig and gown, was
this week the first woman barrister to
take her seat among counsel at the Old
Bailey.

Cutting from the Yorkshire Post
Address of Publication
Issue dated.
19 7 23

Woman Curator of Reptiles.
Miss Joan B. Procter, F.Z.S., F.L.S., has
been appointed Curator of Reptiles at the
London "Zoo," to succeed Mr. E. G. Boulenger,
who becomes director of the new Aquarium.
Since 1916 she has worked in the Reptile De-
partment at the British Museum, first as volun-
tary assistant to Dr. Boulenger, and, since his
retirement, in charge.
She is the author of a large number of papers
on the anatomy, classification, and habits of
reptiles and batrachians, and for many years has
kept a private collection of living snakes and
batrachians. At present Miss Procter is still
carrying on the work of the Reptile Department
at the Museum, but is also engaged in design-
ing the rockwork for the aquarium tanks at the
Zoo.

Cutting from the Daily Chronicle
Address of Publication
Issue dated.

20. 7. 23

WOMAN AS CURATOR
OF REPTILES.
Miss J. Proctor's Appointment
at the London Zoo.
Miss Joan Proctor, F.Z.S., F.L.S.,
will take up in November the position
of curator of reptiles at the Zoo, in
place of Mr. F. G. Boulenger, who is
to become director of the new
aquarium.
Miss Proctor, who was educated at
St. Paul's School for Girls, worked for
some years with Dr. G. A. Boulenger.
The newly appointed curator told a
"Daily Chronicle" representative last
night that she has been interested in
reptiles and frogs since her school days,
and keeps her own collection now in
tanks in her Kensington home.

Cutting from the Press Journal Aberdeen
Address of Publication
Issue dated.

20. 7. 23

Lady's Collection of Snakes.
The "Times" announces that Mr. E. G.
Boulenger, at present curator of reptiles
at the Zoological Gardens, has been ap-
pointed director of the New Aquarium. Miss
Joan B. Proctor, F.Z.S., F.L.S., who has
been appointed as his successor, will assume
her duties in the late autumn.
Miss Proctor was educated at St Paul's
School for Girls, and since 1916 has worked
in the reptile department at the British
Museum, first as a voluntary assistant to Dr
Boulenger, and since his retirement, in
charge. She is the author of a large num-
ber of papers on the Anatomy, Classifica-
tion, and Habits of Reptiles and Batrach-
ians, and for many years has kept a private
collection of living snakes and batrachians.
At present Miss Procter is still carrying
on the work of the reptile department at
the museum, but is also engaged in design-
ing the rockwork for the aquarium tanks
at the Zoo.

Cutting from the Westminster Gazette
Address of Publication
Issue dated.

20. 7. 23

WOMAN CURATOR.
Miss Proctor is to be Curator of Rep-
tiles at the Zoo in succession to Mr.
Boulenger, who becomes Curator of the
new Aquarium now in process of comple-
tion.
Miss Proctor, educated at St. Paul's
School for Girls, has worked in the Rep-
tile Department of the British Museum
since 1916, and was at one time Mr.
Boulenger's assistant,

SUMMARY:
Press clippings announce Miss Joan B. Procter's appointment as Curator of Reptiles at the Zoological Gardens/London Zoological Gardens, noting her work at the British Museum and her private reptile collections. Articles reference Mr. E. G. Boulenger, Dr. Boulenger, Prof. Huxley, and the new aquarium under the Mappin Terraces.

CONTENT:
Miss Procter
No.
From The General Press Cutting
Association, Ltd.
ATLANTIC HOUSE,
45-50, HOLBORN VIADUCT, E.C. 1.
TELEPHONE HOLBORN 4815.
Cutting from the Illustrated London News
Address of Publication
Issue dated 28. 4. 23

Miss Joan Procter, F.Z.S., F.L.S., who is to be Curator of Reptiles at the "Zoo,"
is already known to readers of "The Illustrated London News" through her
work on the tanks for the new Aquarium, illustrations of which were given in
our issue of July 14 last. She is twenty-five.

THE ZOO'S NEW CURATOR OF
REPTILES: MISS JOAN PROCTER.

Cutting from the Times Weekly Edition
Address of Publication
Issue dated 26. 4. 23
A Woman Zoologist.

The position of Curator of Reptiles at the
Zoological Gardens would not appear, at first
sight, to be one likely to appeal to a woman,
but Miss Joan B. Procter, F.Z.S., F.L.S., who
has been appointed to succeed Mr. E. G.
Boulenger in that office, is a recognized autho-
rity on the subject. She has worked in the
Reptile Department at the British Museum
since 1916, first as voluntary assistant to Dr.
Boulenger, and, since his retirement, in
charge. She is the author of a large number
of papers on the anatomy, classification, and
habits of reptiles and batrachians, and for
many years has kept a private collection of
living snakes and batrachians. At present
Miss Procter is still carrying on the work of
the Reptile Department at the Museum, but
is also engaged in designing the rockwork for
the aquarium tanks at the Zoo. Mr.
Boulenger has been appointed Director of the
new aquarium which is under construction.
He has made the reptile collection at the Zoo
one of the finest in the world.

Cutting from the Camberwell & Peckham Times
Address of Publication
Issue dated 28 / 4 / 23

Miss Joan Procter, a young lady of 23
years, who is entitled to write goodness only
knows how many initials after her name, has
been appointed curator of reptiles at the Zoo.
Her charges will include cobras, pythons, boa
constrictors, alligators and crocodiles. We
don't know that we should care about the
job. But then, woman always was a charmer.
Even man, the most deadly of reptiles, suc-
cumbs to her charms.

Cutting from the Daily Mail
Address of Publication
Issue dated 28. 7. 23
GIRL SNAKE EXPERT.
TO TAKE CHARGE OF ZOO
REPTILES.

Miss Joan B. Procter, F.Z.S., who has
been appointed Curator of Reptiles to the
London Zoological Gardens, has been in-
terested in such creatures since she was
seven years old.
At that age she had a crocodile as a pet,
which she cared for during its two years
of life. At present Miss Procter is carry-
ing on the work of the Reptile Depart-
ment of the British Museum, but she by
no means confines her observations to
preserved specimens.
Her present collection of living rep-
tiles includes a Brazilian house snake,
which is very keen on being handled and
petted. These bene-
volent serpents are
used instead of
cats in some parts
of South America,
and are most effec-
tive in keeping a
place clear of rats
and mice. Miss
Procter has also
some axolotyls, and
in the past has
succeeded in trans-
forming one of
them from a water-
creature to a land
salamander by
scientifically reduc-
ing its allowance
of water. Prof. Huxley's thyroid-gland
experiments produced the same re-
sults.
Some lizards and a small python are
also included in her collection, while at
the British Museum she has a fire-bellied
toad which she has owned for the past
10 years.
Miss Procter, who is 25, is succeeding
Mr. E. G. Boulenger, F.Z.S., at the
Zoo's Reptile House in the autumn. Mr.
Boulenger is in charge of the £50,000
aquarium which is now being con-
structed under the Mappin Terraces at
the Zoo.