[7] In 1833, Downs met with John James Audubon, the famed French-American ornithologist, who had published the first volume of "The Birds of America".
[6] Downs' zoological grounds received many distinguished guests, including the Prince of Wales (future King Edward VII), Admiral Henry Seymour, Sir Richard Grant the explorer, Lord Lucius Cary, 10th Viscount Falkland and Lady Amelia Cary, Viscountess Falkland, Prince Jérôme Bonaparte, and King Victor Emanuel's daughter, Princess Maria Clotilde.
[8] The committee for game preservation reviewed Downs' petition, toured his property, admired his birds, and valued his breeding efforts.
[6] Downs proposed annual flower and poultry shows to the Nova Scotia Assembly that year to boost livestock quality.
[8] Campbell Hardy of the Royal Artillery credited Downs with introducing both the English pheasant and the Canadian red deer to Nova Scotia.
[9] When the Prince of Wales visited his gardens in August 1860, he admired the California quails, leading Downs to send six to Windsor, England.
[6] After receiving a rat that was "taught to draw a small cart" and a saw-whet owl from George Piers, Downs stuffed the two specimens and dispatched them to the 1862 International Exhibition in London.
[4] He had collaborative or collecting relationships with several notable naturalists and scientists of his time including Charles Waterton, John James Audubon, George Augustus Boardman, Spencer F. Baird, H.G.
[13] The site, which included a greenhouse, aviary, and aquarium, developed extensively due to Downs' rising stature and consistent government support.
King Victor Emanuel II, known for his zoological enthusiasm, had Downs supply 25 moose and caribou for his acclimatization garden in Pisa, Italy.
[14] The naturalist also received significant support from officers of Her Majesty's Army and Royal Navy, who sent him animal specimens from wherever they were stationed around the world.
[15] Among donations arranged by British Army personnel, his personal collecting was supplemented by imports from the Zoological Society of London, and Downs' own work during three European trips in 1862, 1864, and 1867.
[20] At the 1867 Universal Exhibition held in Paris, France, the Canadian exhibitor was awarded a silver medal for his contribution of 68 stuffed Nova Scotia birds.
[21] In Illustrated London News on 24 August 1867, Charles Wyville Thomson critiqued the natural history section of the exhibition and made particular note of Downs' bird collection.
[3] He donated a portion of his stuffed bird collection to the newly founded Nova Scotia Provincial Museum and relocated to New York in preparation of taking up the position of superintendent.
[1] At a meeting of the Nova Scotian Institute of Natural Science on 11 May 1868, they expressed regret and extended support in wake of the forthcoming departure of Downs.
[24] Despite the move to New York by him and his family, a complication in the negotiation caused the proposal to fail, and American zoologist William A. Conklin was instead named director of the Central Park Menagerie.
[7] Charles Hallock, an American naturalist and publisher of Forest and Stream, claimed that "some political jugglery" prevented Downs from securing the position.
[8] After returning to Halifax on 1 January 1869 aboard the steamer City of Cork, he settled at the corner of Inglis Street and Tower Road.
The new grounds, as described by the editor of the Acadian Recorder, were "naturally more beautiful and romantic than the old place in which so many days and hours of healthy recreation were so enjoyably spent."
He planned numerous innovative and refined improvements in the spring of 1870 and, after depleting his funds, turned to the Halifax City Council for financial assistance.
[6] At the 1883 International Fisheries Exhibition in London, Downs contributed to Canada's taxidermy display, which showcased mammals, birds, and fish from Canadian regions, highlighting species vital to the economy and ecosystem.
Specimens of preserved fish were supplied by Laval University, the Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island governments, and both Downs and Halifax-based Thomas J. Egan.
[29] On 10 May 1886, he presented a paper to the Nova Scotian Institute of Natural Science detailing the rare Labrador duck, a species that had recently been declared extinct.
The catalog featured 240 bird species meticulously documented by Andrew Downs over his 66 years of active birdwatching and field studies.
[10] Downs, aged 79, built a museum annex to his residence in 1890 to preserve and display his collection, which included around 14 cases of mounted native birds.
[34] Downs and his Zoological Gardens are honored with a stone monument located on Joseph Howe Drive (formerly Dutch Village Road) in Halifax.