PUBLIC SERVICES AND PUBLICITY

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES AT L O N D O N ZOO

Lectwe-Demonstrations for School Pupils. The Education scheme (see Vol. I of the Yearbook) continues to meet with increasing success. During 1960 the length of the autumn term was increased, with a corresponding increase in the number of visits by pupils from Second- ary Schools and students from Technical Col- leges. During the past year, 17,166 pupils have taken part in the scheme. This represents an increase of 23-5 per cent over the numbers attending in 1959. As is to be expected, the majority of these pupils come from schools in the Greater London areas, but schools from towns as far away as Rye, Cheltenham and Birmingham have also sent pupils. Addition- ally, a number of students from Teachers’ Training Colleges have attended the lectures to observe the teaching methods and visual aids employed, and to study the work-sheets provided for use by pupils during the tour of selected animal houses which follows each lecture. The programme provides lectures on various topics for three different levels of pupils, and many schools attend every lecture appropriate for their pupils. New topics intro- duced durin the past year include ‘Animal

Level of the General Certificate of Education, ‘The Variety of Mammas’ for those working for the ordinary level of GCE, and ‘The Food of Animals’ for pupils of eleven to thirteen years of age. The lectures are well illustrated by films, especially film loops, illustrating animal movement and behaviour, and live animals are used for demonstration purposes. During the spring, two courses for University Students were held, and were well attended, as was a twoday course for students from Training Colleges.

Young Zoologists’ Club. Membership of the Club, which exists to foster the interests of young eople between eleven and eighteen

has been maintained during the year. Zoo

Behaviour’ B or pupils studying for Advanced

years o P age, in natural history and zoology,

Magazine, the Club Journal, has been pub- lished three times during the year in an en- larged form and has received favourable com- ment from several educational authorities. The centre pages of the magazine constitute a guide to popular groups of animals, and reprints of these pages have been put on sale to non-mem- bers of the Club. The Club meetings have been well-attended and the competitions have proved to be increasingly popular. Members continue to bombard the Club Information Bureau with questions, some of which prove surprisingly difficult to answer, and reveal the breadth and scope of the members’ interest in animals. There can be no doubt that the Club is fulfilling a very real need in catering for such interests.

GUIDED T O U R S AT DALLAS ZOO A N D A Q U A R I U M

CO-OPERATION between the Dallas Zoo and Aquarium, USA and the Dallas Public Schools is being co-ordinated by the Dallas Junior League, a voluntary group of young women who devote several hours of their time each week to worthy public service pro- jects. The young women have been instructed and trained to escort classes in Art, Zoology, Biology, General Science and Photography, on tours of the zoo and aquarium. The tours are more thorough and longer than would be

ossible if the staff of each institution had to Eave their regular duties to escort students. The tours have proved to be most instructive and have been a great time-saving innovation to all concerned.

N E W LABELLING SYSTEM AT CLEVELAND ZOO

by D.]. Goss Director of Cleveland Zoo, U S A

A mw process which permanently inscribes otosensitized anodised aluminium signs and fh abels is being used at the Cleveland Zoo,

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