The Carnival of the Animals and xylophone. From the beginning, Saint-Saëns regarded the work as a piece of fun. On 9 February 1886 he wrote to his publishers Durand in Paris that he was composing a work for the coming Shrove Tuesday, and confessing that he knew he should be working on his Third Symphony, but that this work was "such fun" (). He had apparently intended to write the work for his students at the École Niedermeyer, but it was first performed at a private concert given by the cellist Charles Lebouc on Shrove Tuesday, 9 March 1886. A second (private) performance was given
Montreal Winter Carnival ice hockey tournaments Club. Along with the McGill Hockey Club, they organized a four-team tournament, played partly outdoors on the Saint Lawrence River. The trophy for this tournament is on display at the McCord Museum in Montreal. In 1884, the location changed to a rink made on the McGill University grounds. It was moved indoors subsequently. The carnival was not held in 1886 and 1888. In December 1886, the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC) was founded by the four Montreal teams (McGill, Montreal Hockey Club, Montreal Crystals, Montreal Victorias) and the Ottawa Hockey Club. The carnival was held from January 23 to