The fonds consists of the records of the Zoological Society of Montreal for the entirety of its existence, from 1964-2016. These records were generated in the pursuit of the Zoological Society’s goal to enhance public awareness of wildlife conservation issues through speakers, film screenings, field trips, special events, and large projects. The records also reflect the Society's charity to zoological, ecological and conservation causes. The administration of the Society, its interactions with its members, and its projects and events are documented through minutes, correspondence, communications, published articles, financial documents, reports, and proposals. The Society’s interests and activities are also reflected through books, objects from their offices, audio and video materials, and 5243 photographs, most of which are stored in photo albums. The fonds also contains the records of the Zoological Society of Canada, which were created to administer the Canadian Society similarly to the Montreal Society, with the goal of expanding the organization’s reach nationally.

The fonds is comprised of the following series: 1) Activities (1965-2013); 2) Administration (1964-2016); 3) Artifacts (1980-2004); 4) Books (1967-1991); and 5) Newsletters (1967-2016).

The collection contains business and family correspondence, land grants, financial and judicial records, etc. of the seigneurial families Chartier de Lotbinière, Rigaud de Vaudreuil, Lefebvre de Bellefeuille, Lemoyne de Longueuil, Lambert Dumont, Chaussegros de Léry, Hertel, Harwood, and of allied families. Much of the material concerns the Seigneurie de Vaudreuil. Other material include correspondence (1809-1821) with Joseph Bouchette; extracts from the registers (1667, 1732) of the Conseil Souverain and the Conseil Superieur; and documents concerning Newton Township, the Seigneurie des Mille-Iles.

McDonald's correspondence, 1791-1860, mostly concerns business and property matters, but also includes personal correspondence. There are statements of account with McTavish, Frobisher & Co., 1799; with McTavish, Fraser & Co., 1803-1804; with McTavish, McGillivray & Co., 1808-1809. There are two volumes of autobiographical notes assembled in 1859 and covering the period 1791-1816.

There is a second copy of the autobiography, probably transcribed in the late 19th century. Written on the front fly leaf is the name: A.E. MacDonald. It has 63 leaves, and there are minor textual variants.

These McGill papers are entirely concerned with his property and estate. They comprise legal documents and copies of letters (some in McGill's hand) concerning his land holdings on St. Paul St., Montréal, in Stanbridge, and in Detroit. McGill's cash book, 1809-1815, and copy by W.D. Lighthall of a deed of conveyance to McGill of some land formerly occupied by the city fortifications, 1805, are also included, as is a blue-print and sketch by W.D. Lighthall of the site of McGill's St. Paul St. house. Estate papers comprise a probate of McGill's will, copied by Alice Lighthall, and his executor's cash book.

Contains copies of fur trade documents bearing on the Mandan-Hidatsa trade with North West Company posts in central Canada, 1793-1805. Includes the journals of John Macdonell (McGill), David Thompson (Archives of Ontario), François-Antoine Larocque (LAC & Université de Montréal, Baby Collection. Draft before publication of: Early fur trade on the Northern Plains: Canadian traders among the Mandan and Hidatsa Indians, 1738-1818 : the narratives of John Macdonell, David Thompson, Franc̦ois-Antoine Larocque, and Charles McKenzie / edited and with an introduction by W. Raymond Wood and Thomas D. Thiessen. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, c1985.

Collections consists of holiday greeting cards. Description is forthcoming and will be published as it becomes available.

The David Hume Collection contains letters and other ephemera brought together from multiple acquisitions. The principal manuscripts are found in is the bound volume containing letters from David Hume to the Comtesse de Boufflers. There are also letters from Jean-Jacques Rousseau and others for a total of 59 letters. This collection of letters was the basis for the anonymously edited Private Correspondence of David Hume with Several Distinguished Persons, Between the Years 1761 and 1776. Now First Published From the Originals. (London: Printed for Henry Colburn and Co., 1820.) One of the McGill copies of this book belonged to the Montreal lawyer and book collector Frederick Griffin (1798-1877). In addition to this volume there are eight other Hume letters. Some of these have been published by Professor Klibansky and Ernest C. Mosser in New Letters of David Hume. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1954). Finally, there are photographic copies of Hume manuscripts held by the Royal Society of Edinburgh and typed copies of official letters on Canada from the manuscripts of Sir Mark Dalrymple.

Fonds consists of a manuscript of Mémoires de mathématique et de physique contenant un traité des épicycloïdes (published in Paris in 1674) and illustrated with mathematical diagrams.

Collection consists of programmes, guides, brochures, catalogues, and other ephemera from various world fairs and international exhibitions, including: Expo '86 Vancouver (1986), Expo '70 Osaka (1970), Exposition internationale in Paris (1937), Franco-British Exhibition (1908), Liverpool (1913), Exhibition universelle (1900), Latin-British Exhibition (1912), Canadian National Exhibition Toronto (1908), Golden Gate Exhibition (1939), New York World's Fair (1939), International Exhibition (1862), Irish International Exhibition (1907), New York Exhibition of the Industry of all Nations (1853), St. Louis World Fair (1904), Universal Exhibition Antwerp (1885), World's Columbian Exhibition in Chicago (1893), International Exhibition of 1876 in Philadelphia (1876), Chicago World's Fair (1934), and British Empire Exhibition (1924). The collection also includes postcards for various other world fairs and international exhibitions, and some country publications.

Fonds consists chiefly of ephemera and correspondence relating to the work of wood engravers of Thomas and John Bewick of Newcastle, England, in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The ephemera found in series 1 includes various examples of fine printing, including proofs and printed keepsakes featuring Bewick engravings from printers such as Havilah Press and Anchor and Acorn Press. Series 2 contains correspondence, chiefly between Geraldine Cole and booksellers, as well as general correspondence with friends and acquaintances. Series 3 consists primarily of bookseller descriptions and clippings and excerpts from catalogues describing Bewick works (generally with the catalogue cover appended to a loose page on which a Bewick item appears). Some are with accompanying correspondence. Also included in this series are documents listing all of the items found in the Cole-Bewick Collection at McGill Library. Series 4 consists of other ephemera related to Bewick and his life, including short biographical pieces, postcards and products featuring Bewick engravings and watercolours, and articles and clippings. The last file in this series contains 4 original letters from Thomas Bewick to various correspondents, dating between 1819 to 1825. Series 5 contains a number of subject files relate to specific projects or organizations, including the Bewick Society.