SUMMARY:
Press cuttings report Miss Joan Proctor’s appointment as curator of reptiles at the London Zoo, describe her lifelong interest in reptiles and her unusual pets, and note her experiments with axolotls. Additional New Zealand clippings reprise the news and include a light verse celebrating her fearlessness.

CONTENT:
Cutting from the Dundee Telegraph
Address of Publication
Issue dated

23. 7. 23

GIRL ZOO CURATOR AND
HER QUEER PALS.
Boa Constrictor and
Crocodile as Playmates.
Turning a "Water Creature" Dry.

Miss Joan Proctor, the young girl who
has been appointed curator of reptiles at
the London 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 is now busily engaged
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
interested in snakes, she replied—

"I never did begin, I have always been
interested 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 am coming to my new post here in
November.

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

Miss Proctor's own collection of animals,
it may be added, is a considerable one.
The crocodile 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
mongoose 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 experiments
in regard to axolotls. She
managed to change the habits of one of
them by scientifically reducing his allowance
of water, and transformed it from a water
creature to a land creature.

New Zealand
DUNEDIN, SATURDAY, JULY 21, 1923.
THE EVENING STAR,
WOMAN AS SNAKE EXPERT.
IMPORTANT APPOINTMENT.

LONDON, July 20.
(Received July 21, at 11 a.m.)
The Daily Express says that Miss
Joan Proctor, an English girl, aged
twenty-five, has been appointed curator
of reptiles at the London Zoological Gardens.
Her grandfather was a famous herpetologist.
Miss Proctor had her first
pet snake when she was ten years of age.
One day she received a crocodile as a present,
and took it to Dr Boulenger, head of
the department of reptiles in the Natural
History Museum at South Kensington.
He was astonished at Miss Proctor's
knowledge, and offered to train her. She
became Dr Boulenger's assistant when she
was eighteen, and succeeded him when he
resigned. She is one of the greatest
snake experts in the world, and is a
fellow of the Zoological and Linnæan Societies.—A.
and N.Z. Cable.

DUNEDIN, SATURDAY, JULY 28, 1923.
THE EVENING STAR.
New Zealand

Joan Proctor was a little maid
Who never learnt to be afraid
Of caterpillars, slugs, or worms,
Or anything that creeps or squirm.

The birthday gift that first would fill her
With gladness was a caterpillar.
But great was her rejoicing when,
Attaining to the age of ten,
Some kindly friend contrived to make
A present of a lovely snake.

This gift with some might well beget
Dislike of a reptilian pet;
But Joan's small soul was tickled greatly.
She loved that serpent passionately!
And often (when the day was fine)
She bathed it in the Serpentine.
This lasted for a little while,
And then the sweetest crocodile,
With legs and jaws and tail complete,
Was sent her for a birthday treat.

Too lovely to enjoy alone,
She took it to South Kensington.
Thus opened her career of fame,
And soon our heroine became
The highest number on the lists
Of female serpentologists.
So great her reputation grew
That now she's been promoted to
Command the snake-house at the Zoo!

MORAL
So, little girls, be sure you keep
From fear of things that crawl and creep.
Whene'er you're terrified or scared,
Just think of how Joan Proctor fared.

SUMMARY:
Clippings report on the Zoo’s teguexin lizard being treated and moulting, the arrival of saw-bill ducks in the Waders’ Aviary, and renovations and handling practices in the Reptile House with notes on crocodilians’ temper. Articles are from The Daily Mail and The Times.

CONTENT:
The Daily Mail
LIZARD'S NEW SUIT.
ZOO CURATOR MAKES
HIM FIT TO BE SEEN.

The Zoo's new Teguexin has seen
trouble recently—trouble fore and aft.
This fine big snake-killing lizard from
South America had a badly swollen jaw
when he arrived, and while this was
gently being dressed he lashed out with
his long, slender tail and snapped off the
tip.
This made it necessary to bandage up
the tail in the hope of saving the
damaged portion. Eighteen inches of
plaster of paris swathed in lint did not
add to the Teguexin's smartness on
parade, and he also blackened his record
by biting the curator of reptiles through
the finger-nail while his injuries were
being attended to. Sympathetic hand-
ling won him over to better behaviour,
and he has grown quite tame in these
last few days.
His moulting-time was overdue and it
was most interesting to see the curator
remove his old skin-overalls. They were
shiny at the seams and very frayed
round the hem, but gaps in the material
showed a promise of better things in the
background.
When the curator started to peel away
the old suit the great lizard's attention
was distracted with a beaten-up egg in
a bowl. He lapped it up with his long,
flat, forked, pink tongue, while his rags
were coming off with a sound of silky
rustling. As the overalls ripped away
from the back you glimpsed a smart
check suit in black and ivory, and when
his old socks and gloves were also re-
moved the improvement was astonish-
ing.
From a horrid-looking tramp he had
been changed into a little gentleman.
L. G. M.

JANUARY 16, 1924.

THE TIMES,
SAW-BILL DUCKS AT
THE ZOO.

THE WADERS' AVIARY.
The Waders' Aviary at the Zoological
Gardens has been enriched by the addition
of six ducks with serrated bills, purchased
from Holland. Four of these are goosanders,
the largest of the British "saw-bills," and two
are smews, or "nuns," the smallest of the
mergansers which visit us in winter. The
goosander reaches the length of 26in., and the
males are brilliant birds with blood-red bills,
glossy bottle-green heads and necks, the
under parts white with a tinge of salmon-
pink, the upper back and scapulars black.
The female is a dull, washed-out imitation
of the male. The male smew has a slate
blue bill and the general colour of the plumage
is in strongly contrasting bands and markings
of black and white.
The goosander and the smew visit our
estuaries and inland waters in the cold season,
sometimes remaining as late as May. The
goosander nests in Sutherland and many parts
of the Highlands, but most of those seen in
this country are visitors from Europe. The
smew nests close to the Arctic circle. Both
species prefer hollow tree stumps for breeding,
but have also been found in clusters of roots,
in hollows in peat, and even on sheltered
rocky ledges. They are fishing birds and
their elongated, narrow bills are armed with
a short down-turned "nail" at the tip, and
with transverse saw-like ridges along the
sides. The goosander in particular does
much damage to fishing streams, and there
is a conflict of interest between owners of
fishing rights, who justly regard these fine
birds as vermin, and bird lovers generally,
who with equal justice wish to protect these
attractive winter visitors.
The Diving Birds' house is now nearly
reconstructed, two large aviaries with pools
and rockwork having been provided for
delicate waders. The very beautiful scarlet
ibis, snowy egrets, and several other semi-
tropical waders will be on view there again
in a few days.
Two of the large lizards known as teguexins,
which have been on deposit at the Reptile
House, have now been purchased. They are
forest-living creatures from Trinidad and
tropical South America, reaching a total
length of nearly four feet. The head is very
large, and passes almost without change of
size into the neck and body. The cheeks
have pouches which are inflated with air
when the lizard is angry. The markings are
beautiful, the ground colour being olive-brown
with transverse bars of black. When they
arrived the teguexins were in poor condition,
the mouth of the larger one being badly
affected with a kind of canker. At first they
were wild and very shy, and as they not only
bite severely but use their powerful rounded
tails as weapons, they were not easy to treat.
The new Curator of Reptiles succeeded in
taming them, inducing them to take raw
eggs until they became sufficiently docile to
be handled, and to submit under not more
than reasonable protest to dressings. They
are now in good condition and, with some
assistance, have sloughed off their old skins,
so that they are extremely beautiful.

JANUARY 19, 1924.

CHANGES AT THE ZOO.

THE TEMPER OF
CROCODILES.
In this cold weather the Reptile House,
which was supplied with a new heating
system last autumn, is one of the pleasantest
resorts at the Zoo. Nearly all the fish which
were formerly exhibited there have now been
transferred to the Aquarium tanks and the
new Curator has had the opportunity of
making many changes which will give the
snakes, lizards, crocodiles, and terrapins
better accommodation. The high spirits in-
duced by the more genial temperature add
to the health and appearance of the reptiles,
but also increase the risk of handling them.
The poisonous snakes are not the most
difficult to tackle, as few of them are
specially strong or specially irritable.
Most trouble has been given by a
giant python, which, with a mate, occupied
one of the large cages. It was desired to
move it to a smaller adjoining cage in order
that its own compartment might be cleaned
out and provided with a more suitable bath
and sliding partitions for convenience in shut-
ting it off for cleaning purposes. Force could
not be used as it would have required a
dozen strong men to hold it, and the first
few who entered the den would have had
to face alarming trouble. It was deprived
of its bath but seemed contented with the
empty tank; the substitution of cold for
warm water only made it sulky. Its prey
(freshly killed rabbits and fowls), was
dangled in its view in the cage into which it
was to be lured, but it either took no notice
or was so quick as to get the food and retreat
again to its old home. After some weeks it
was shifted by a steady spray of warm water
with an unpleasant disinfectant, and now its
house is being refitted.
The crocodiles, alligators, and gharials show
a marked difference of natural disposition.
The gharials, now in the Tortoise House, are
quick, savage, and cunning. They appear to
take no notice of the keeper, but their alert
little eyes are watching him unceasingly, and
if there seems the slightest chance, their
narrow and well-armed jaws are shot out at
him. Alligators even of large size are
dangerous only in a blundering way; they
might mistake a hand or arm for food and
snap at it by mistake. But young alligators
become tame very easily, and can be handled
and petted with safety. Adult crocodiles are
always treacherous, and baby crocodiles in
good health have always bad tempers. Pond
nurseries have been made for the young
crocodilians, which have to be carefully
graded in size, as the smaller ones are fre-
quently attacked and always bullied by their
larger relatives.
P.C.M.

SUMMARY:
Pathé Frères Cinema Ltd. requests permission to film Joan B. Procter at home with her pet snakes for the weekly 'EVE & EVERYBODY'S FILM REVIEW'. They propose arranging the shoot on any convenient day, including weekends, weather permitting.

CONTENT:
PATHÉ FRÈRES CINEMA LTD.
REGISTERED OFFICE: 21 BUCKS ROW, E.C.4

Telephone:
REGENT 2836
(3 lines)

HEAD OFFICE:
103-109, WARDOUR STREET,
LONDON, W.1.

Telegrams:
PHONOFILM, WESTCENT, LONDON

Branches:
BIRMINGHAM
CARDIFF
GLASGOW.
LEEDS
LIVERPOOL
MANCHESTER.
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DUBLIN

TRADE MARK

All Communications to be
addressed to the Company
and not to individuals.

IN REPLY PLEASE QUOTE
FW/RS
PICTORIAL
DEPT.

4th Sept. 1923.

Miss Joan B. PROCTER, F.Z.S., F.L.S.
The Royal Zoological Society
Zoological Gardens.
Regents Park.
N.W.

Dear Madam,

We are very anxious to procure, with your
permission, a series of Cinematograph pictures of
yourself at home with your pet snakes.

These pictures would be published in
our well-known weekly Interest film "EVE & EVERYBODY'S
FILM REVIEW", which deals entirely with Women's
Activities.

Any day that is convenient to you would
suit us - weather permitting of course - and if
you are engaged during the week, Saturday or Sunday
would be quite convenient for us to take this film.

Thanking you in anticipation of your kind
permission.

Yours faithfully,
Patrice
PATHÉ FRÈRES CINEMA, Ltd.

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