It was proposed in the setting up of ZSL that there would be a museum for zoological specimens, and items began being collected c.1827 including a collection of Sumatran specimens donated by Lady Sophia Raffles, widow of ZSL founder Sir Stamford Raffles. The museum was housed firstly within our office building at 33 Bruton Street in central London, and charged entry for people to visit. Many specimens were donated by fellows, John Gould donated his collection of Himalayan birds in 1831 to the museum, for example. The museum proved very popular, and grew at such a rate that it was one of the reasons for moving office to Leicester square. It was decided that the Society either needed to purchase a dedicated building for it - or to disperse the collection. ZSL Council chose the latter, and by 1855 the collection had been dispersed to various other collections including the British Museum (Natural History) and Norwich Museum.
Sem títuloLetter regarding notes on various lizards and a West African Echis
Letter from Edward Burton to say that he has discovered changes to a specimen on which he had prepared a draft paper. He suggests change of scientific name accordingly
Letters from Sir Lawrence Alma Tadema regarding an unmounted lion's skin and a letter in support of an artist being allowed to study in the Zoological Gardens
Correspondence between Sir Arthur Landsborough Thomson and L Harrison Matthews regarding Council Meetings, a proposed educational exhibit, a museum of the Zoological Society of London, the Scientific Fellowship, and the Department of Zoology in Cambridge
Letter from the Secretary of the United Services Museum, accompanying two specimens of birds killed in Mexico and of a Scoter killed at Southampton. The letter asks the Zoological Society of London to inspect and return them
Letter from M Swainson regarding the collection of fish purchased from the Zoological Society of London from the museum of Mr Guilding
Correspondence between Pat Maxwell and George Soper Cansdale regarding sending dead snakes to the Royal Albert Memorial Museum at Exeter
Letters from Phineas Taylor Barnum to Philip Lutley Sclater regarding the purchase and transfer of Alice the elephant. Also a letter regarding the purchase of specimens for Barnum's Zoological Museum