\ Wale dal! iy ro Ayes pers : 1 fait, fi un Fh em — oe ‘ = — NEWS BUL OF THE LETIN ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY Number 1. Issued by the NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY, 69 Wall St. N. Y. June 1, 1897 GRANT OF SOUTH BRONX PARK, THE MAYOR AND SINKING-FUND COMMISSIONERS UNANI- MOUSLY ACCEPT THE PROPOSALS OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. bringing the proposed foological Park into official ex- ~ istenee. This resolution is ver y lengthy, and embodies the terms of what is really an elaborate and carefully wrought-out agreement for the future relations be- tween New York City and the Society. Its terms are entirely satisfactory to the Zoological Society, and it received the vote of every member of the Sinkine- fund Commission, as follows: Mayor Strong, Comp- troller Fiteh, City Chamberlain McCook, Recorder Goff, and Alderman Oakley. This result of the Society’s negotiations for the past twelve months with the city authorities is most grati- fying. The Society’s proposals have, with some very - reasonable modifications, been met most cordially by q i : and common-sense. > logical Gardens.” Mayor Strong, his Cabinet, and the Park Commission- ers; and through these officers the city has consented to bear its fair share of the burden of establishing here a free Zoological Park—founded by the people, for the people. From this time forward the duty of fulfilment rests upon the shoulders of the Society. It must not only plan successfully, but it must successfully execute. ‘The undertaking is a very great one, considering how much the Society res S ae accomplish within a short a: : B DWO yeuls cats fufolly es and determining exactly what if Wishes to do, and how it is best to go about it, “fhe principles iavolyeda in ithe arrangement of the collections are laid down by the laws of experience The various physical features of ‘South Bronx Park themselves determine the uses to which its different portions shall be put. There are comparatively few difficult problems to be solved. As has already been stated, the key-note of the work to be done is the adaptation of Nature’s own handiwork rather than the alteration and emendation of it. Thus far the Society’s original intention “ to reproduce natural conditions” has been closely ad- hered to. The zoologists who have examined the Zoological Park site have been fairly captivated by its wonderful perfection and adaptability to the end in view, and thus far the plans for its utilization have received their unanimous approval. THH ANNUAL REPORT. On March 24th the Zoological Society issued its First Annual Report. It makes a handsome octavo pamphlet of SiRiy ares pages, and is a fairly complete ot OT O re eee On a OVS Ofe Tie SOciet. ie Se UTD a, S. a) LIV “These are followed by the Treas- urer’s statement, various official papers, and a very interesting communication from Mr. Ernest Seton Thompson in regard to “ The Privileges of Artists in the Zoological Park.” Of illustrations the volume contains a fine bird’s- Ul -eye view of South Bronx Park (from a photograph of the topographic relief model prepared by the Direc- tor), two half-tone illustrations representing ‘“ The Zoological Garden Idea” and “The Zoological Park Idea,’ and the Consulting Architect’s ground-plans of tlie lion-house and monkey-house. There is also a folding map showing the plan of the proposed Zoologi- eal Park, and a sketch map showing its location and present means of access. A copy of this report will be mailed to any one who desires full information regarding the Society with a yiew to becoming a member or otherwise aid- ing In its work. ADVANTAGES OF MEMBERSITIP. Beyond question, there are in Greater New York and vicinity enough men and women who are inter- ested in popular zoology to form one of the most FOOW OLEH \ f all should feel that this 1s ti fair. he Zoologt- cal Park will be what they make it. Besides the large sum of money that is to be raised by subscription, the Society must have the co-opera- tion and the financial support of a large permanent membership. Each member will contribute $10 per year towards the Society’s work, in the form of annual dues. ‘Three thousand annual members means an an- nual income of $30,000, and the accomplishment of great ends. The membership of the Zoological Soci- ety of the comparatively- small city of Antwerp now stands at the handsome total of five thousand persons. Among the advantages of membership are, first of all, the satisfaction of ‘taking part in a great popular enterprise of the utmost interest to ever y lover of Nature and her works. Of direct practical benefits to members are the following: Admission to the Zoological Park on the two we of each week when to the general crowds it will be closed, except by ad- mission fee; the privileges of the proposed library building, the library, and its picture collections; the receipt of the Society’s ne aa many of which will undoubtedly possess considerable artistic and literary value, and will be free to members only; the iets dacs ora ears nani ia ureet, Ole L Weetor ot heSociety’s oflice, No, 69 Wall arene There is no initiation fee. The annual dues for Members are $10; the Life Member’s fee is $200; Patron’s fee, $1000; and Founder’s Fee, $5000. FUND FOR GROUND IMPROVEMENTS. In the formation of the Society’s plans for the Zoological Park, it became apparent that a very con- siderable amount of improvement work would be re- quired to prepare the grounds for the reception of buildings and to provide for the comfort and con- venience of the public. At present the Zoological Park site contains not a foot of concrete walk, no shelter, no sewerage, nor even a Croton-water hydrant. At one point a sewer opens into the park, and sends a foul stream flowing openly into the Bronx River, nearly half a mile away, What should be beautiful ponds and lakelets are now marshes and bogs. It is the unanimous opinion of all parties interested in the Zoological Park, city officials as well as mem- bers of the Zoological Society, that it is the duty of the city to bear the eae of making the ground in question availa forthe public, a for the uses to A ' 4 | " TO s MT Tt Was placed IN { Has OTF men taneously in their respective houses, and pushed it with special interest, Thanks to their vigorous efforts, and in spite of the very late day on which the bill was intro- duced, it was passed by both houses, promptly received the approval of the Mayor, received the Governor’s signature with equal promptness, and is now a law. The prompt passage of this vitally important meas- ure, and at this juncture, is very evatifying. It means that the development of the Zoological Park will march steadily forward, provided the Society is suc- cessful in its effort to secure subscriptions to the amount of $100,000 within the next sixty days. If this can be accomplished by the time the improvement plans are completed, and approved by the Park Com- missioners, no time will be lost. The act provides that the fund shall not be available until the Zoological So- ciety has raised by subscription at least $100,000 of the total $250,000 required for its buildings and collections. fect as PSE Jenoset ce ane eupenence can make Page and Assemblyman Austin, who introduced it simul- A CALL FOR FRIENDS AND FUNDS. For the erection of animal buildings, aviaries, and other enclosures, and for the purchase of a fine series of trannies: birds, and reptiles Ww a es to fill them, nires 5250,000. hotaown evevroyes “ve re rely upon taxation alone, but for the public-spirited citizen to plan and assist the tax-payer. Fortunately for the friends of the Zoological Park, there is a rapid increase of public spirit, and of pride in our public institutions. We have already made substantial progress, Twenty years ago New York had little to show. People w ho wished to see particu- larly beautiful or interesting publie buildings and col- lections found it necessary to visit London, Paris, Vienna, or Berlin. Now, however, this condition is swiftly changing. In ten years more New York City will contain one of the finest museums of natural his- tory in the world. Already its Museum of Art is the best on this continent, and, unless all signs fail, three more institutions of grand proportions will rise simul- taneously during the next five vears—the Publie Li- brary, the Botanical Gardens, and the Zoological Park. The power to contribute and take part in building up these institutions is a privilege not granted to all. In this city there are thousands of men and women who would gladly give money to the Zoological Soci- ety Fund —if they had it to give. But surely there are enough persons who can give, and who are in sym- proper for the Society to obtain’ desi donation whenever it is possible to de so. It is earnestly hoped that the Endowment the Society may come in for a fair share of subserip- tions and bequests, In the encouragement of animal painting and sculpture, money for prizes is imperatively necessary, and it is to be hoped that funds for that special purpose will be offered. Coincident with the official action of the Mayor and the Sinking-fund Commission, the Board of Managers began the “circulation of papers calling for subserip- tions to the Society Fund. It is necessary that $250,- 000 shall be subscribed, of which $100,000 must be pledged before any work on the Zoological Park can begin. This latter sum is imperatively necessary, and should be obtained by August 1st. The plans for buildings and other permanent im- provements will very shortly be submitted to a care- fully selected body of experts, and will finally be laid before the Park Commissioners for their considera- tion. The plan of the entire Zoological Park, and the details of all its various features, will be made as per- Z I i PULP Ag _ ee rT wade ONL. WL CLASSES. OT BX repardine the focations, eeneral design, lig ventilation of the buildings and other enclosth. every possible precaution will be taken again. takes. The various buildings must be not only modious and comfortable for the animals within them, but they must also be pleasing and beautiful to the eyes of the visitor. The friends of this undertaking are now invited to aid it by increasing the membership, by raising money for the Society Fund, and by contributing zoological books to the Society’ s library. Other cities are watching to see what measure of suecess we attain in this great undertaking ; and there will never be a time when help will be so much appreciated as during the present year. Thus far not a day has been lost through mistakes or unnecessary delays, and it is to be hoped that this good record may be preserved unbroken until the Zoological Park is formally opened to the public. THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY ae 4 z Sa re 2s SE a inget +5 LONDON GARDENS—INTERIOR OF THE REPTILE-HOUSE. ANTWERP GARDENS—INTERIOR OF THE LIONS? PALACE. The Cages are on the Right, COLOGNE GARDENS—SEA-LION POOL AND ROCKS. The best Sea-Lion Installation and the bes -work in Euro es = — = (ts . CAGES OF THE LION-HOUSE. yt iP ; Wat Oitined. 5 recat Be AMSTERDAM GARDENS—OPEN SIDE OF THE LION-HOUSE. THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF EUROPE. From Harper's Weekly. Copyright, 1897, by Harper & Brothors. an NEWS BULLETIN OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY | a THE NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL PARK. To the average American who finds his recreations in his own country, the number, popularity, and elegance of the zoological gardens of Europe are almost beyond belief. The American who does visit Hurope, however, and is heguiled into visiting all the zoological gardens that lie in his path, soon finds himself a prey to a curious succession of emotions. ; At London, which is the best place to begin, he is hon- estiy and openly delighted with the bewildering array of living creatures. There are sixty different collections, representing nearly every country on the globe, and the specimens to be seen are so great in number, so rare and interesting, so well housed, and so comfortable that it 1s a matter of days, not hours, to see everything. He heartily congratulates the mother-country on the possession of the richest and most productive zoological society, and the richest series of living animals to be found in all the world—and passes on. At Antwerp he is at first fairly dazed by the beauty of that is—stunnine! No wonder the society numbers 5000 members, and has ‘‘ money to burn’! Ev- ery afternoon and evening in pleasant weather the gardens are the grand centre respect as are the cities of Germany, for example, we would have in New York city one of the finest gardens in the world, there would be another in Brooklyn, Newark would have one, and so would Harrisburg, Baltimore, Hartford, New Haven, Providence, Springfield, Bridge- port, and Boston. ; Tt is not necessary to point out one by one the ways in which a great collection of living animals, comfortably housed and fully labelled, yields both pleasure and benefit to the people. Even intelligent savages are animated by a desire to know personally the living creatures that share with us the possession of the earth. The people of western Europe, who move through life less rapidly than we do, have taken time to consider the solid, healthful ben- efits and influences for good that emanate from every 200- logical garden ; and the result we know. But in rushing, noisy New York, with its superabundance of haste and its lack of repose and restfulness, may now be seen the strange spectacle of a society of public-spirited men, who individually have nothing whatever to gain save the satis- faction that comes from the doing of a good thing, actually oni we i ivwuece & nates NCLEL Tt We gardens of the Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, and dollars—with the certain prospect of their eventually But, be that as it may, there Is no reason why zoological spending much more than that—our prospect for a park is sons are there in New York city who can, without special preparation, sit down and write correctly, in the order of their size, the names of the ten largest species of hoofed: animals in North America? The average man knows that we have at least two species of squirrels, but beyond that all is mystery. And yet we have the richest and most varied ‘‘line” of rodeuts to be found on any one con- tinent, If we have here a zoological park, i6 will contain a collection of North American squirrels and burrowing rodents, and hares and rabbits, living actually in a state of nature, in trees and meadows all their own, which will really be something new under the sun, Tf human knowledge can bring it to pass, there will he collections of North American game-birds, both of the land and water, such as have never yet been seen in @ Z00- logical garden. There will be a reptile-house, and a col- lection of serpents, saurians, and other reptiles which will at least strive to rival that admirabie feature in the gar- dens of the London Zoological Society. If we do not have a collection of eagles, hawks, owls, and vultures (hat will TT Lie hoes Ce garden labels should not be far more complete, more interesting, and more valuable to the public than they have ever yet been made. —\ of attraction to the best people of Ant- werp. If New York city possessed a duplicate of that zoological garden, the lear price of a kingdom could not buy it, nor tailed could all the legislative power of the | Empire State ever despoil it of a single brick or bar. Rotterdam is only two hours distant, and the visitor to its zoological garden is charmed afresh by entirely new fea- tures, one of which is the very pictu- resque lake that has been mude for the landscape—and the ducks. In the tall trees that surround the huge flying-cage ‘Se Min) SS Virginia Deer Gray Rabbit, Opossum Red Deer! (of Europe ) —the first one built in Europe — vd herons are nesting and rearing their 8 young! And as the American visitor Z looks at this novel sight, and at the gor- 3 geous flamingoes and scarlet ibises, and Entrance|for Teams the snow-white herons and egrets and storks, wheeling and circling in the top of their monster cage, he is sensible of a distinet feeling of envy and regret. At Amsterdam, where he enters anoth- zoological society also has a niet bershi of over 4000, and seemingly possesses all the various kinds of wild animals that money can buy, But how do they keep everything in such fine condition? A few leading questions easily reveal the secret—rigid adherence to the merit sys- tem in the selection and pay of keepers and helpers. In Hamburg there is still another nov- elty—a zoological garden with a beauti- fully undulating surface, and the shade trees all disposed according to order. There is still the same succession of broad and smooth shaded walks, shaded yards, exquisite landscape effects, fine 1, Hlephant House: Tapir, Hippopotamus, Rhinoceros 2. Library and Offices 3.Winter House for aquatic birds BRADLEY & POATES, N.Y. BRONXpk ¥, Lom 7 = Raccoon 8 [{] pe House Sub-tropteal px te) House ie : Childrens Lion House , Monkey 9 Play Grounds Houses 5 an : 't Rest {} Store-house, House’ i? iy) 1 || Shops ete." o> olves and American Bison Jack Rabbit Prairie Spermophile ors REFERENCE FOR NUMBERS 4, Burrowing Rodents 5. Hagles Aviary 6.Upland game birds 4. Pheasants Aviary VILLAGE cal pee onset aA WEST FARMS iia i The zoological park is to be open free to the public at least five days of each week, and wide open on every Sunday and holiday. It will be quickly aeccessi- ble, and for a very low fare, from several directions, and by several lines. Its many collections will entertain and instruct, is great play-ground will furnish delight to throngs of little people, and its quiet, rest- ful woods and picturesque water-sides will be to the tired and nervous business man more restful and soothing than any other spot within easy reach of Greater New York. Stated briefly, the Zoological Society offers to plan the zoological park, to spend $250,000 in the erection of buildings, avia- ries and cages, and in the purchase of col- lections with which to fillthem. It will also be responsible for the successful management of the institution it creates. All this it will do if the city will allow a portion of Bronx Park to be thus pub- licly dedicated to zoology, and will main- ~ increase of the collections, for courses of public lectures, and for facilitating the work of animal-painters and zoological students. It is the intention of the so- ciety to do more for the promotion of animal painting and sculpture than has ever been done heretofore in any similar institution. The proposition means more to the people of Greater New York and the Empire State than the general public has yet even begun to realize. The pro- position is really of national importance, and thus far it is absolutely without an buildings, and mountains of masonry, in- habited by fine animals in a state of abt solute cleanliness. This high degree of excellence is really becoming monotonous. Not a poor or ill-kept garden has been met with so far. And now our American moves on toward the southeast. At Berlin he traverses the yast Thierpark, which, like Napoleon, is ‘grand, gloomy, and peculiar,” and enters the zoological garden, But it is only to find grounds that are the most spacious he has yet seen (more than sixty BYORE 12 Jareest, most elaborate, and . Vers Dos bye Ye! and finer garden. ; This is really the last straw. Our American turns at bay and indignantly exciaims: ‘‘Why should the cities of Europe have ai/ these things—beautiful gardens and beautiful animals every where—and we have none of them? It isn’t fair !” And this before even setting foot in the charming gardens of Hanover, Frankfort, and Cologne. There is no speculation in regard to what I have written; for quite recently I took to Europe with me a patriotic American in order to study “ The Effects of European Zoological Gardens on the American Mind.” And really, is it not good cause for envy that in Ger- many, Holland, Belgium, and France nearly every place calling itself a city possesses a good zoological garden, and some of those that are gurpassingly fine are only a very few hours apart? Their number and their magnificence are incontestable proof of their value to the public and of their popu- Jarity. If our Eastern cities were as well provided in this an any eve seen In an American ZOolosic THE PROPOSED PLAN FOR THE NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL PARK. very bright. The Zoological Society’s offer is, beyond question, the most liberal offer ever made to the city of New York by an educational body. The idea animating the New York Zoological Society is distinctly different from that which yields the typical zoological garden. The latter usually means about thirty Parsi sr A Z well-ornamented and hich ’ x ")) 5 \ oolopical par he otment OL space to each species will be far more generous than has ever before been attempted in a public park or garden. Instead of parcelling out square rods of ground to the deer, the elk, moose, bison, and their congeners, each of those species will receive an aliotment of acres. Instead of showing one lonesome beaver in a cage of iron and concrete, ten by fifteen feet, it is proposed to give that very interesting species a quiet pond of an acre in extent, wherein a whole colony can build and maintain their own dam, and carry on their logging operations almost as freely as if they were in the Yellowstone Park. For the collections of apes and monkeys, something is proposed which we be- lieve has never yet been seen ina zoological garden. For the lions and tigers, and their kindred, there will be cage developments of a nature that will surely make those crea- tures more interesting and more instructive to the visitor than any to be found elsewhere. It is to be feared that the people of the Eastern United States are beginning to forget that North America has a Tich and extensive mammalian fauna, How many per- From Harpers Weekly. Copyright, 1897, by Harper & Brothers. Yew York improved ground, in settle the details of its plan with the Board of Park enemy or a detractor. It has received, at. the hands of the two municipal com- missions most concerned, the investigation and areful consideration that every great public enterprise should receive before final action is taken. Mayor Strong, in reply to the earnest addresses of a committee representing 5000 members of the Tax - Payers’ Alliance, who urged that the society’s offer be accepted without delay, declared himself as heart- ily in favor of the proposition. He stated that the Sink- ing-Fund Commission is only waiting for the society to sOCTetys Oller, OT terms Caudal! y (G bi ws an ie society, is only a question of days. The society seeks no personal or selfish ends. It only asks the privilege of building up the new zoological park on Jines which eee the entire success of its expenditure and its work. If half the plans of the New York Zoological Society are realized, New York’s great zoological park will be the most popular resort open to the public within fifty miles of the metropolis; and it will also be the pride and boast of the chief city of the American continent, and of the whole Empire State as well. The society invites every reader of HARPER’s WEEKLY who is interested in the creation of a zoological park in New York city, in the preservation of our native fauna, in the promotion of zoology, and in the painting and sculpture of animals, to become a member of the organi- zation. If the work of the society is sustained by a large membership, results of much importance to all jovers of animated nature will be achieved. WitirAm T, Hornapay. \) ULLETIN OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY : eo . i i : KES . . = sci eaniaval taud synil aisodil ddd 7 . M LU: “ i ab} Fea) ol ‘ v 4 Sy ‘ - 2 ‘ ‘ “J . ~~ sina American Methods ‘Compared YH ZdordeiCad BARE {D HANOVER GARDENS—PART OF A FINE SERIES OF BEAR These were presented to the Gardens by a Private Individual, gor aD ARIS GARDENS—PIGEON AVIARIES. THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF EUROPE. From Harper's Weekly. Copyright, 1897, by Harper & Brothers. Pad Le | NaxX NA+ NEWS BULLETIN OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY Number el Issued by the NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY, 69 Wall St. N. Y. October, 1897, BIRD HOUSE FOR THE ZOOLOGICAL PARK, THE BIRD HOUSE. the bird collections seem rather unfortunately scattered and broken up. To a great extent, this is un- avoidable, for the practical difficulties to be faced in provid- ing comfortable homes for the representatives of the feathered inhabitants of the earth are really very numerous and complicated. Even of our own North American birds, we must provide for the representatives of 18 orders, and as many of our 61 families and 766 species as it is possible to gather. When to the great diversity in size and food habits of birds, we add the requirements as to tem- perature, atmosphere, light and shadow, the nature and complexity of the problems to be solved begin to appear. In the installation of living creatures a systematic arrangement is a practical impossibility. The differ- ent orders must be placed where their representatives will live longest and most comfortably. In the designing of the Zoological Park, it has been possible, however, to accomplish an end which we believe may be viewed with Satisfaction. The various collections of birds, filling ten aviaries and buildings, are to be disposed in two great groups, one in the north-central portion of the Park, and the other around the large pond which lies under the shelter of the timbered ridge near the southwest entrance. ~We present herewith a reproduction of the architect's preliminary design of the proposed Bird House. planned to afford, both within and without, a great amount of cage room for the benefit of the perching birds, parrots, lories, macaws, pigeons and doves, diving birds, owls and hawks, and the general omnium gatherum of birds which cannot well be accommodated elsewhere in separate collec- tions. The interior of the building, which on the ground is shaped like a T with the top toward the north, as shown in the engraving, will afford 330 lineal feet of cage room, on a large portion of which small cages will stand in three tiers. The outside of the building affords room for 332 Tineal- feet of cages for hawks, owls, the hardy perching birds, and certain others that with proper shelter can endure winters. There will be six large and handsome dome cages, similar to that shown in the illustration. The interior of the building will be made attractive by the introduction of plants and vines, descriptive labels, diagrams and other aids to a proper appreciation of the living inh te cages. Perhaps the most interesting feature of the whole interior will be the diving birds and their huge glass tank att Aaa A Ae ‘d nahitapte af — tJakelits — filled with water, in which one of the most interesting sights — i | of the whole bird world will be distinctly seen. J9th, It has been — bo PROGRESS OF THE PLANS. Since the appearance of the previous issue of the BuL- LETIN, the Executive Committee of the Society has addressed itself to the task of perfecting the scheme of arrangement of the buildings and collections of the Zoological Park, and the elaboration of the final plans for the animal buildings, As may readily be inferred from the number of large and costly buildings, aviaries, and other enclosures to be constructed, this has been an undertaking demanding long and careful study, and close attention to innumerable details. Naturally the Park Commissioners will expect to pass upon a complete scheme of development, adequately representing the finished Zoological Park. ‘The preparation of such a scheme on cor- rect lines, is no child’s play, and the work involved was not to be accomplished in a few weeks. For several months, the plans have engaged the attention of the Architect, the Landscape Gardener and the Director. We are now able to report that the preliminary plans have been completed, and will be submitted on October. first to the President and to the Executive Committee, then toa committee of three experts, consisting of Prof. Charles S. Sargent, Director of the Arnold Arboretum, Mr. Thomas Hastings, Architect, and Mr. W. Barclay Parsons, Civil Engineer. If their reports are favorable the plans will then be submitted without delay to the Board of Park Commis- sioners. The original scheme of arrangement, as laid down in the published ‘‘ Preliminary Plan,’’ has met every test that has been applied to it, and, with the slight exceptions t9 be noted, has been closely adhered to. ‘The four large buildings in the glade, and the adjacent Elephant House, have each been shifted a few feet to meet the requirements of the best architectural effec’. ‘The Administration Building has been assigned an an ener- getic fighter, and apparently desirous of long life, fate proved unkind. For such a delicate and sensitive animal, it was brought across the Atlantic a little too early. On the voyage over it contracted a severe cold, which resulted in its death only five days after it reached Boston. I am tempted to mention one other of the numerous anthropoid pets of the Edwards brothers. Probably no orang-utan, nor chimpanzee, has ever proven more intelli- gent, amiable or obedient than the wonderful orang-utan called ‘‘Joe,’’ now known to thousands of people on the Pacific coast, and in Boston. Joe’s special mission in life seems to be the caricaturing of humanity. Unlike most individuals of his species, he is fond of human society, and not only permits himself to be dressed up and posed and exploited as a man, but he enjoysit. I once had the pleas- ure-of meeting Joe, and of being presented to him. At a gentle hint from Mr. Edwards he saluted me by taking off his cap and shaking hands with me, after which he put on his coat, and for half an hour entertgined me to the best! of his ability,—which was great. He understands, and without hesitation obeys, about twenty-five different commands. Through the kindness of the Messrs. Edwards, we also reproduce herewith a picture of another anthropoid travesty on the genus Homo,an amiable chimpanzee dressed in human garments. It is merely the idea of relationship carried one step farther than unaided nature can go. W. T. H. AN ANTHROPOID TRAVESTY. NEWS BULLETIN OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. © | 7 REPORT OF ZOOLOGICAL EXPERTS ON THE PLAN OF THE ZOOLOGICAL PARK., Some months ago the Director of the Zoological Park re- quested the Executive Committee to submit his pteliminary plan of installation to three experienced field naturalists, three zoological garden experts and three landscape gar- deners, for critical examination and report. In compliance with the first part of this proposition, the Society at once sought the advice of Dr. C. Hart Merriam, Chief of the U. S. Biological Survey, (Washington), Dr. Geo. Bird Grin- nell, Editor of Forest and Stream, and Mr. Elwood Hofer, of the Yellowstone Park, official collector of living animals for the National Zoological Park. It would be difficult, if not impossibie, to find in this country three gentlemen who by years of close study of our mammals in their haunts, especially in the western United States, where they are most abundant, are more competent to judge of the merits of the plan submitted to them. Each of the gentlemen named went over every portion of the ground, map in hand, weighed the merits of every proposition, and reported in writing. Two of the reports we publish qherewith, and regret that we have not space for all three. U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, BIOLOGICAL SURVEY. WASHINGTON, D, C. April 15, 1897, PROF. HENRY F. OSBORN, Chairman Executive Committee, New York Zoological Society. My dear Professor Osborn :-—In compliance with your request of March 27, 1807, I visited South Bronx Parl, the site selected for the New York Zoological Park, on the 13th inst., and carefully inspected the grounds in company with your Director, Mr. Hornaday, who pointed out to me in detail the places which, in the preliminary plan, are allotted to the various animals. ‘ Taken asa whole, the ground selected for the Park could hardly be better adapted to the ends in view. I wassurprised to find so near New York City a tract combining such natural beauty and rugged- ness, an abundance of mature forest trees, an unlimited water supply, and sufficient diversity of local conditions to meet the needs of nearly all the animals it is desirable to exhibit in a zoological park. It is true that the Park does not contain ideal places for the Big- horn, Mountain Goat, and Prairie Dogs. With respect to the two former, however, it may be said that no ideal locality exists nearer than the higher peaks of the Catskills. But, by supplementing the rock ridges chosen for the Bighorn and Mountain Goat by artificial masses of rock, I think these animals will secure the best conditions that can be afforded them in the neighborhood of New York City. With respect to the Prairie Dogs, the only spot in the Park really suited, in my judgment, to the needs of such burrowing animals, is | the knoll which on your preliminary plan is surrounded by the four principal houses—the Lion House, Monkey House, Bird House, and Sub-Tropical House. For my part, I see no good reason why these mild-mannered and inoffensive animals could not occupy this prom1- nence without in any way interfering with the animal houses to be erected in the immediate yicinity. If they are put elsewhere it will be necessary to cart in a large quantity of soil to give them sufficient depth of earth for their diggings. The areas selected for the Bison herd, Antelope, Moose, Caribou, and the various Deer, the ledges for the dens of the Bears, Wolves and Foxes, and the ponds for the Beaver and Muskrat, and so on, seem to me serenely. chosen, and well adapted to the wants of these ani- mals, and I do not sce how they could be improyed. Near the north entrance of the Park, on the west side of the road, is a picturesque mass of rock partly concealed by junipers. This, in my judgment, is an almost ideal spot fer colonies of two of the most beantiful and interesting of oursma!] mammals, I refer to the Silver- sided Ground Squirrel of California (Sperma and the Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel of the Cascade Range in Oregon (Spermophilus chrysodetrus), Both of these animals are diurnal, graceful, and extremely beautiful. They nAturally live in loose colo- pile “ey Ji: che e772) ’ ‘the dg can ruminants,, | (2) as to the locality selected for the dens or the tn nies, are easily tamed, and would, in my opinion, form one of the most attractive and interesting exhibits it will be possible to make. In closing, allow me to express the hope that you and your col- leagues will ever bear in mind that the principal object of a Zoologi- cal Park is to keep living animals as nearly as possible under natural conditions, and at the same time where they may be seen by the pub- lic. ‘This being the case, the aim should always be to give each ani- mal the place best adapted to its habits of life. In some cases the selection of a site must be regarded as experimental, and subject to change. In other cases, certain animals will have to be moved from time to time in order to give them fresh ground. For all these rea- sons it seems obvious that the Park should be left as nearly as possible in astate of nature, and that no attempt at landscape gardening should be tolerated—at least for the first few years—until the requirements of the animals and the requirements of the public have become thor- oughly adjusted. I congratulate your Society on having secured so commodious and désirable a site for your new Park, and firmly believe that, under the efficient management of your able Director, it will become the leading zoological park of the world. Very truly yours, C. HART MERRIAM, : Chief, Biological Survey. i a& 4 4 |; at FOREST AND STREAM PUBLISHING CO. : New York, April 24, 1897. Prof. HENRY F. OSBORN, Chairman Executive Committee, New York Zoological Society. Dear Sir :—In compliance with the request contained in your favor of March 27th, I have examined the plans for the Zoological Park now before the Zoological Society, and in company with the Director have visited the tract of landin Bronx Park allotted to the Society by the city authorities. In the lettex referred to you ask me to report especially (1) as to irahility! of the ranges selected for the rfrincipal North Ameri- wolves and foxes, (3) as to the beaver pond and (4) as to the site selected for squirrels and other gnawing animals. | As I have before remarked, the land allotted to the Society for its park is singularly well fitted for the purpose to which it is to be de- voted. In topography, in the quantity, character and distribution of the timber on it,in the abundance of its water supply for purposes other than for drinking, and in the great quantity of rock contained within its limits, South Bronx Park seems to contain a combination of the essential requirements of a Zoological Park such as could hardly be matched anywhere. The ranges selected for the bison, antelope, elk, deer, moose, car1- bou and mountain sheep are well chosen, and with such modifications as will naturally suggest themselves, the etn species named ought to do well. I have suggested to the Director that, in view of the considerable range allotted on the plans to the bison, and the habits of the antelope and the bison, it might be practicable to enclose the prong-horned antelope with them for a portion, at least, of the year, It is not likely that fora long time the herd of bison will be very numerous, and I am disposed to think that the antelope might well range with them, since we know that in the old days of buffalo plenty on the plains these two species associated closely with one another, the antelope feeding in the midst of the herds of buffalo, and the buffalo paying no regard to their presence. If it should be deemed wise to make this change, the tract now marked on the plans as antelope range might advantageously be used for a summer range for the tropical ruminants, or some of them whose pens are adjacent to this tract. In the cases of several species of the North American ruminants I believe that while the ranges selected for them are excellent they may be greatly improved by a little artificial work. Such species as the bison, the elk, the mule deer, and, of course, the mountain sheep, fre- quenut—when it is possible—rough and broken ground, and are very much disposed to climb up to high points of rocky hills or ledges where they stand or he and too over the country. este I have suggested to the Director that in the rangesassigned to the species named, great piles of large rocks should be erected, which 1 believe these animals would use in this way, and which would undoubtedly contribute greatly to their health and would tend to keep them in good condi- \ Vion. The first and most serious difficulty met with in caring for cap- tive animals is to give them sufficient exercise, and if they can be induced to move about, and especially to climb and descend steep ac- clivities, the prospects for their health and well-being will be greatly increased. Such rocks would be used also as scratching places, andin this way would contribute to the animal’s comfort. I have elaborated this idea to the Director, and have suggested how such erections may be made not only without marring the landscape, but may even be made to add to its picturesqueness. It is, of course, well known that the hoofs of the ungulates grow more or less to compensate for the wear to which they are subjected in a state of nature, and in the case of certain species which travel over rocky or gravelly ground, this wear is considerable and the growth of the hoof correspondingly rapid. It is evident that the hoofs of ani- mals confined in pens, or in limited ranges where the soil is soft, will not be subjected to this wear, and yet their growth continues. Pro- _ vision must therefore be_made for an artificial wearing down of the hoof, or the animal's feet must be pared from time to time. The great amount of rock and stone now on the ground allotted to the Society will make it an easy matter to build, within and close to the fences:confining each species of ruminants, a walk of rough broken stone which will be of the greatest value in keeping the animals’ feet in good condition. The locality selected for the dens of the bears is admirable, and I am inclined to approve that: chosen for the wolves and foxes. It may be necessary, however, to plant-a line of evergreens west of these dens. : I heartily approve of the location of the beaver pond, and have suggested to the Director a mode of treating it which I believe will be greatly for the benefit of any animals that may be confined there. As yet Iam somewhat in doubt as to how to treat the accommoda- tions for the squirrels and other gnawing animals. It is quite obvious however, that it will prove impracticable to furnish the squirrels with permanently living trees in their enclosures, unless these enclosures shall be moved from time to time. In other words, if the number of squirrels using any tree is large, in the course of a comparatively short time the animials will kili the tree. therefore, for the Society to provide living trees for the groups of squirrels and to accept the fact that they’must be killed. After the + >| ~ snahixn he +to It will probably be better, LAKE FOR WATER-ROWL IN THE ZOOLOGICAL PARK. the New York Zoological Society. . mes f trees have been killed, the squirrels may be allowed Still to'live in | them. P : FROM {PELHAM AVENUE BRIDGE — coe 4 The location of the burrowing rodents presents problems ‘that re- 4 quire further investigation, as in many places the rock is so near the — surface of the soil that it may well be that artificial burrowing places will have to be prepared for animals such as prairie dogs, woodchucks andiotherspecies.of likeihabits: * 7) ee Pe Yours respectfully, GEO. BIRD GRINNELL. ADVANTAGES OF MEMBERSHIP. Among the advantages of membership are, first of all, the satisfaction of taking part in a.great popular-enterprise of.the... .. utmost interest to every lover of Nature and her works. The direct practical benefits to members are as follows: Admission to the Zoological Park on the two days of each week when to the general crowds it will be closed, except upon payment of an admission fee; the privileges of the library building, the library, and its picture collections ; the receipt of the Society’s publications, many of which will undoubtedly possess considerable artistic and literary value, and will be free to members only; the privileges of all lectures, receptions, and special exhibitions. In brief, the time will soon come when the Society will give ample returns for the assistance of those who come forward helpfully dur- ing the initial stages of its work. Applications for membership should be addressed to Madison Grant, Secretary of the Zoological Society, No. 11 Wall Street, or to the Director of the Zoological Park, at the Society’s office. No. 69 Wall Street. There is no initiation fee. The yearly dues for Annual Members are $10; the Life Member's fee is $2100; Patron’s fee, $1,000; and Founder's fee, $5,000. Subscriptions should be addressed to the Secretary and made payable to YL { NOX WV f+ NEWS BULLETIN OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY Number 3 Issued by the NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY, if Wall St, N.Y. December, 1898, FOUNDATION OF THE REPTILE HOUSE, NOVEMBER 4, 1898. LHE REPTILE HOUSE. It is safe to say that no other portion of the fauna of North America is so little known as the reptiles. This is due to the fact that living reptiles are difficult to find and to study, that good collections are rare, and books on reptiles are so very few. To-day, people generally are eager to learn more about reptiles, and every opportunity for study is quickly seized. “Usually the reptile hous is the Tast builcing to be erected in a zoological garden; pending which, the most exacting of all collections are cared for in makeshift ways. In our Zoological Park the Reptile House was the third building undertaken, partly because it will be one of the most attractive buildings of the entire series, and also be- cause a portion of its ample space can be borrowed, for a time, for the use of other animals. Work upon this building began on August 22d, and the accompanying illustration shows its foundation walls. On another page the complete ground-plan shows not only the shape of the structure, but also the various uses to which it will be devoted. It is violating no confidence to say that all parties concerned in the evolution of this build- ing feel well pleased with the plan. It is symmetrical, comprehensive, and almost certain to produce several very pleasing results. The great central hall is unbroken by a single column, and opens across the crocodile pool and its generous sand-bank, through three huge arches, into the green, jungly mass of the conservatory. In effect, this room will appear to be one hundred and fifteen feet in length, by forty feet wide, exclusive of the reptile cages, In the plan of this building an attempt has been made to provide, under one roof, suitable accommodations for representatives of all the orders of living reptiles and batrachians. It would be an easy matter, however, to fill all the available space with the saurians, tortoises, and turtles, lizards, serpents, and amphibians of North America alone. As we pause to contemplate the great number of species in our own reptilian fauna, the thought occurs, What are we going to do with the reptiles of the Old Worid? The conservatory has been designed to furnish a— - source of supply for the very numerous plants of all sizes that will be required for the two principal halls of the Reptile House, but it may presently be called upon to serve a purpose even greater than that. If the time ever comes that the space now assigned to reptiles is filled to overflowing, the conversion of the conservatory into a third exhibition hall will be a short and easy step. The length of the Reptile House, over all, is one hun- dred and forty-six feet, and its greatest width is one hun- dred feet. It is being constructed of buff mottled brick, combined with granite and terra-cotta. It will be roofed with slate, heated by hot water, and its cost, with cages, will be about $40,000. It is beautifully situated on the edge of a forest of great oaks, very near the geographi- cal centre of the Park. Close to the southeastern corner of the building is a natural pool.in a wide outcrop of granite rock, which will speedily be converted into a summer home for saurians. It is hoped that the Reptile House can be completed by April, 1899, in time to receive its cages and collections for the opening of the Park in May. 2 NEWS BULLETIN OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. PROGRESS OF THE ZOOLOGICAL PARK. On June 1, 1898, the New York Zoological Park was a tract of wild land. West of the Boston Road—where the animals will be located—and especially in the areas for- merly cultivated, its wildness was so pronounced that in many places it was positively forbidding. Throughout that region, save in the dense shadows of the beautiful beech and oak forests, the face of nature was completely masked. From the ground, a tangle of tall weeds, black- berry bushes, and greenbriar grew up until they met the low drooping limbs of oak and maple — untrimmed for fourteen years past—and made the jungle complete. The finest ledges of rock were so masked by briars that only their summits were visible, The sites for Cope Lake, the Beaver Pond, and the Aquatic Rodents’ Pond were over- grown with rank grass that would have done credit to the Terai of Northern India, where the tigers grow frequent and large. Those who were engaged in surveying for the Zoologi- cal Society the lines of the various improvements to be made in the Park had no easy task. The unusually rank growth of vegetation stepped the breathing of the forest, and the heat was intense. Park Commissioner Moebus was appealed to for relief, and at once detailed a force of men to clear the undergrowth from the sites of the Bird House and Reptile House, and reduce the crop of weeds and blackberries throughout the Park. As far as possible, the mowers kept ahead of the surveyors, who were oc- cupied throughout the spring and summer in staking out work to be done during the present year. On May 4th the Executive Committee of the Zoologi- cal Society authorized the expenditure of $30,000 on the construction of the Elk House, Bear, Wolf, and Fox Dens, Winter Bird House and Flying-Cage. On July Ist work- ing drawings and specifications for all the above were sub- mitted to the Board of Parks, and approved by that body uae week idter. On july r4ih uie Cxecutive Commitice ordered, in addition to the above, the construction of other installations for animals, one of which was the Rep- tile House, to cost a total of $62,500. On July 27th the Board of Estimate appropriated $62,000, to be expended in accordance with the esti- mates that had previously been laid before that body. The funds were placed to the credit of the Depart- ment of Public Parks, to be expended under its direc- tion. On August 1st the plans and specifications for all the ground improvements to be made with the $62,000 were laid before the Park Commissioners and promptly approved. On August 4th the Society’s plans were taken up by the Engineer of Construction of the Park Department, with the Director of the Zoological Park. On August 11th, at the request of Park Commissioner Moebus, the Society forwarded an official estimate for a maintenance fund for the year 1899, calling for $60,000. On August 15th ground was broken for the Winter House for Birds, and a contract was made with William Wilson for the Elk House. On August 17th work began on the construction of the Elk House, and on August 18th the plans of the Reptile House were approved by the Park Board. On August 22d ground was broken for the Reptile House. On August 29th the Park Department began the work of excavating the south pond. On Septem- ber 7th work began at the Bear Dens, and on September 13th work began on the stone wall to enclose the Prairie Dogs’ Knoll. A trench was dug to bed rock, the depth of earth varying from two to eight feet. The enclosure is circular in form, and its diameter is eighty feet. On Sep- tember 21st the excavation for the Buffalo House was be- gun. On September 22d a large quantity of black soil was hauled from the south pond and deposited around trees, near the Bear Dens, that were imperilled by drought. On September 26th a force of men began to excavate for the watercourses at the Ducks’ Aviary, and construct three islands. On October roth the same force began to excavate the Beaver Pond. ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY WORK COMPLETED TO DECEM- BER IST. The Elk House has been completed in all respects, ex- cept the bark-covered slabs, and fitted for temporary use as offices and workshops. The Bird House is ready to receive its roof. The foundation walls of the Reptile House have been completed, and the steel floor-beams put in place. All excavating for the first series of Bear Dens has been completed; also all plumbing for drainage and water-supply. The brick walls of the bathing-pools have been built, and stone walls to carry the iron work. The excavation of ponds for the Ducks’ Aviary, and the construction of three islands has been completed. On the south island, twelve enclosures have been laid out with suitable shelter-houses, and about one hundred native shrubs have been planted. A stone wall, going down to bed rock, has been con- structed around the Prairie Dogs’ Knoll (eighty feet in diameter), and capped with cut stone. Excavations have been made for the walls and stone work of eight Wolf and Fox Dens, and the walls have been laid ready for the cage work. One sleeping den for wolves has been constructed. About five hundred cubic yards of sandy earth has been hauled to the Pheasants’ Aviary, to make dry ground for the runways. This was removed by necessity from the Bear Dens, at no cost to the Aviary. | The excavation for the Beaver Pond has been completed, and all the grading necessary thereto. The excavation necessary for the Buffalo House has been made. A trench-nine hundred and sixty-three feet in length, has been dug for the stone walls to support the iron fence for the Beaver Pond. EXPENDITURES AND ESTIMATES. - fstimated Cost Cost to Date. when Completed. EEE Ouset 5. aa: coe sees $732 82 $1,396 82 DitG tb LOUSG) St woes epee ae 1,857 62 14,395 28 der OlgE teal eRaghie Bos AD 1,229 98 33,678 85 Cage Work in the above..... ........ 5,217 39 Bear, Wolf, and Fox Dens, .. 500 co 9,165 85 Fett Slespine ens wae Se 600 00 Bight Sleeping Dens........ 82 00 600 00 Baiiale Aouses rs ee eee ss ae 2,173 QI FG KCAVALLOMS sey os woe 5p i 1,982 2 2,756 63 Burrowing Rodents.......... 71 65 1,257 65 Dirces pe Auvitaiy 0 ei enn ears 180 10 1,680 10 Beaverdam: ssa.) tte 2S 384 51 2,068 51 Prairie Dogs’ Knoll......... 74 00 588 00 RivinesWare i seen ee || GLEE 5,000 00 Mountain Sheep’s Shelter... . 88.05 588 05 $7,183 02 $81,267 04 ADDITIONAL INSTALLATIONS IMPERATIVELY NEEDED BEFORE OPENING OF ZOOLOGICAL PARK, In order to accommodate a reasonably full collection of American mammals and birds; in order to enable the Society to accept gifts of tropical animals, birds of prey, and other forms, and in order to open the Park with more than two first-class buildings, the following addi- tional buildings and installations are urgently required, and funds for their immediate construction must be pro- vided: Estimated. Monleyiitoused 4 $onsden iar «0 fn POR ry $40,000 GO Antelope House, for large ungulates....... 25,000 CO Peas anes HX Viatyetd stu. he eas see ears 1,500 00 Wetersr Gils Acres $e et Ogee arn s 500 300 Six Shelter Houses for Deer, Moose, etc... Excavating Baird’s -Cotrt 4. .t5.44 tessa ex, TeOtiss PAOLA SA, eiiesh Lee na, see gh ieee 2,500 00 Eagles’ Aviary, for birds of prey generally.. 3,000 00 $81,500 00 NEWS BULLETIN OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. | 3 EXCAVATING THE AQUATIC RODENTS’ POND. THE AQUATIC RODENTS’ POND. Near the southwest corner of the Zoological Park there has existed, fromr the glacial epoch until last Sep- tember, a mosquito-breeding bog of fathomless mud and peat. Its permanent residents were box tortoises, pond turtles, wood frogs, and such small serpents as escaped the zeal of the men and boys who think their highest duty to mankind lies in the destruction of every wild animal. Each year added to the bog a layer of tall grass, and, ex- cept as a sepulchre for the surreptitious interment of ani- ‘mals of the order Ungulata, it was devoid of either use or beauty to man. Now, it chanced that the bog in question terminated on the north against a fine tract of virgin forest, from which two long, sheltering arms of timber reached southward. The glade thus enclosed afforded three sheltered sides, admirably adapted to the needs of aviaries. Instantly it became apparent that the situation demanded the conver- sion of the bog into a clear and beautiful pond. Its banks should be covered with grass, sand, and gravel, and its nooks embellished with aquatic plants of species indige- nous to Bronx Park. On July 27th the Mayor and the Board of Estimate and Apportionment granted an appropriation of $62,000 to meet the expenditures of the present year in preparing the grounds of the Zoological Park. On August 29th the work thus provided for was inaugurated by beginning the excavation for the south pond. The pond was planned by the Zoological Society, and the work involved in its execution is being performed by the Park Department for the Borough of the Bronx, Hon. Aug. Moebus, Commis- sioner, under the direction of Mr. Daniel Ulrich, Chief Engineer of Construction, and Superintendent Johnson. The task of excavation has been tedious and difficult. So far as solid ground is concerned, the pond is, appar- ently, bottomless. Underneath two’ feet of rich, black soil lies a bed of soft, cheese-like peat, in which wagons and horses would quickly become engulfed. This un- looked-for condition has made it necessary to keep the teams on the highest level of the bog, and to throw the earth out to them. Every load of this rich earth has been carefully stored up, at various points in the Park, for use in the near future. The creation of the south pond serves four good pur- poses. It abates a prehistoric nuisance, it completes a charming landscape, it affords an ideal home for the otter, musk-rat, and other aquatic mammals, and it yields a valuable store of much needed soil. As tothe cost of it— well, it has cost more than it would have cost had the bot- tom been of reasonably firm clay or gravel. Under fair circumstances, it would have cost about $3,000. As it is, its completion will involve a total expenditure of about $5,000; but to the Zoological Park and the public it will be worth thrice that sum. Mr. Warren H. Manning declares that the black earth now available for forestry operations is worth the entire cost of the pond. The water will be five feet in depth, and will be supplied in a continuous stream, pumped from the Bronx River by means of a hydraulic ram, which will derive its power from the water-fall at the lower end of Lake Agassiz. On November 7th, William Masterson began to ex- cavate, at his own expense, a large quantity of earth from Cope Lake, to be used in completing his contract for the construction of the Pelham Avenue roadway. ,Since that date a large quantity of earth has been removed from the lower end of the lake, and about one-third of its entire area has been graded down to the bottom level. It is believed that an expenditure of $1,500 of the city fund would complete the excavation of Cope Lake, provided the work were done wholly by contract. Mr. Masterson has now obtained from Cope Lake all the earth that he requires for his purpose. The earth removed was wholly clay. For many reasons it is very important that this lake should be completed before the Park is opened to the public. Hews Bulletin OF THE Hew Dork Zoological Society. PUBLISHED AT THE New YorK ZOOLOGICAL PARK, 183D STREET AND SOUTHERN BOULEVARD, NEW YORK CITY. Officers of the Society. President: HON. LEVI P. MORTON, Executive Committec: Levi P. Morton, ex-officio, Henry F. Osporn, Charman, Joun L. CADWALADER, CHARLES E,. WHITEHEAD, JOHN S. BARNES, PHILIP SCHUYLER, MADISON GRANT, W. W. NILEkEs, JR. General Officers: SECRETARY, MADISON GRANT, 11 WALL STREET. TREASURER, L. V. F. RANDOLPH, 39 WILLIAM STREET. DiRECTOR, WILLIAM T. HORNADAY, ZOOLOGICAL Park. SBoard of Managers: § The Mayor of the City of New York, HoN. RopeRT A. VAN Wyck, LINED { The President of the Dep't of Parks, Won. Georcr C. CLAUSEN. CLASS OF 1899. Henry F. Osgorn, Henry W. Poor, CHARLES T. BARNEY, Wiciiam H. Wess, OswWwALD OTTENDORFER, LL. V. F. RANDOLPH, WAGER SWAYNE, WILLIAM C. CHURCH, FRANK M. CHAPMAN, CHARLES R. MILLER, J. KENNEDY Top, Henry H. Coon. CLASS OF 1900. Levi P. Morton, CLASS OF 1901. F. AuG. SCHERMERHORN, ANDREW CARNEGIE, A. NEWBOLD Morris, Morris K. Jesup, CHARLES E, WHITEHEAD, JOHN L. CADWALADER, J. HAMPDEN Ross, PHILIP SCHUYLER, THoMAS H, BarsBeEr, JOHN S. BARNES, CHARLES A. PEABODY, JR., MADISON GRANT, Percy R. Pyne, W. W. NILEs, JR; GEORGE B. GRINNELL, WINTHROP CHANLER, Jacop H. ScHirr, EUGENE SCHIEFFELIN, EDWARD J. BERWIND, SAMUEL THORNE, WittiAM C. WHITNEY, Tiz=nry A. C. Tayi.or. JoHN D, CrkimMMiNs. NEW MEMBERS, Elected since the publication of the Second Annual Report. PATRON. FORD, JAMES B. LIFE MEMBERS. CLARKSON, BANYER CRIMMINS, JOHN D. DELAFIELD, ALBERT DODGE, MARCELLUS H. GUNTHER, FRANKLIN L., LA FARGE, C. GRANT PINCHOT, J. W. SAMPSON, HENRY STERNE, SIMON THOMPSON, ERNEST SETON ANNUAL MEMBERS. ANTHON, A. BEEKMAN, HENRY R. BEERBOWER, GEORGE M. BERTSCHMANN, LOUIS BETZIG, CHARLES J. BETZIG, EDWARD G. BOLTON, JOHN W. BRAUN, FRED. BREWSTER, GEORGE S. BUNZL, MRS. JULIUS Cook, FERDINAND H. DEXTER, SYANLEY W. DROSSER, HUBERT DURYEA, Harry H. GODKIN, EDWIN L. GREER, CHARLES HARRIMAN, W. MM. HILYARD, JR., GEORGE D. Woop, HUTCHINS, AUGUSTUS SCHELL HOFFMAN, JOHN W. HOLBROOK, Mrs. S. F. JACOB, LAWRENCE JACQUELIN, HERBERT T. b. KELLY, EUGENE MCALPIN, Mrs. CHas. W. MALI, PIERRE NICHOLS, ACOSTA SCHARMANN, H. B, SCHLATTER, CHAS. F, SToKES, H. B. TAYLOR, GEORGE Terri, F. GRISWOLD THOMSON, GIRARD F. THORNE, EDWIN \WAHLE, CHAS. G, F. Weber, Louis ARNOLD | NEWS BULLETIN OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. UNDER OUR OIVN ROOF. Ever since October 11th, the Society has had one abid- ing place wholly its own. On that date the director, the engineer, and clerk of the works occupied the Elk House, and temporarily established therein the offices of the Zoo- logical Park. The wide doorways for the elk have been partly closed in and fitted with spacious double windows, and the present floors are of wood instead of concrete. The building contains two offices, a large workshop, and a loft for storage. It is very well situated for administra- tive purposes, and plays an important part in the devel- opment of the Park. Although neither of grand propor- tions nor elaborate design, its lines are odd and pleasing. It fits into the Elk Range most admirably ; and, best of all, it is Home. THE GITY AND THE ZOOLOGICAL PARK Soon after the new administration came into office it was definitely learned that the new Board of Parks was very friendly toward the new undertaking, and would pro- mote it to the limit of its power. The debt limit ques- tion made it necessary to postpone for several months our application for the appropriation to be granted by the City for ground improvements ; and when it became positively known that no new city bonds could be issued without an amendment of the Charter, the outlook was decidedly doubtful. Fortunately, however, it was learned that’ the Mayor was well disposed toward the plans of the Zoo- logical Society; and when, upon June 21st, an application for $125,000, to be expended on ground improvements, was presented to him, it was promptly taken up by the Board of Estimate, and referred to Comptroller Coler for report. Later on it was also referred to Corporation Counsel Whalen. Both reports were favorable; but it was declared to be impossible to provide, this year, so large a sum as $125,000. In view of the fact that half the year had then passed away, and that it would be almost impossible to complete all the ground improvements during the year 1898, the Society proposed that one-half the whole sum be appro- priated for use during the present year, at the same time, agreeing to expend from its Park Improvement Fund an amount equal to any appropriation the City might choose to make. Without a voice being raised in opposi- tion, the Board of Estimate at once appropriated $62,000, and made it immediately available for expenditure by the Commissioner of Parks for the Borough of the Bronx, Hon. August Moebus, in accordance with the plans of the Zoological Society. Immediately following this action, our Executive Committee ordered that work on buildings and other enclosures for animals should be pushed with all speed, with a view to opening the Park next May, if possible. The first appropriation of the Society for this purpose was $62,000, equalling the amount appropriated by the City. Subsequently, on November 17, 1898, the Society increased this sum to $83,000, in order to com- plete the various buildings and other installations for ani- mals which are reported in this Bulletin. During the summer the attention of the Department of Sewers was called to the stream of sewage from Belmont, which empties into the Zoological Park and flows through Birds’ Valley on the surface. Plans were prepared fora small sewer ; and Acting Commissioner Donohue, upon the recommendation of Deputy Commissioner Byrnes, applied to the Board of Estimate for $2,250, with which to construct the sewer. The amount applied for was promptly granted, and a contract for the work was let on November 30th. Immediately following this action the Society closed a contract for $4,800 for the steel frame and wire work of the great Flying-Cage, and began preliminary work on the Ducks’ Aviary. NEWS BULLETIN OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 5 When the estimates for 1899 were made up and pre- sented to the Board of Estimate, Park Commissioner Moebus applied for $30,000 as a maintenance fund for the Zoological Park for six months, This appropriation has been approved by the Board of Estimate, and it will become available on January 1, 1899, both for the care of animals and the care of the Park. The City, therefore, has provided maintenance, and is now expending $62,000 in the development of roads, walks, drains, and other ground improvements. During the coming year it will be necessary to expend at least a similar sum, as all these improvements are of a perma- nent character, and therefore expensive. It is a subject for congratulation that the Zoological Park has now become one of the established institutions of the City. The Society extends its best acknowledgments to the Mayor and his colleagues, and renews its pledge to do its utmost to make the Zoological Park a source of benefit, pleasure, and pride to all the people of the metropolis of Greater America. WORK ABOUT TO BE UNDERTAKEN BY THE CITY. Estimated. Walks of stone and gravel, from 12 to 20 } feet in width, 134,000 square feet...... Croton water pipes to reach collections, LOSE ANSLAUOM 1 TOOOd, kina fs ks te esc || Sewers leading from first buildings, avi- | PARE BRC ba 35 0 Sp A $45,000 00 Service road of Telford macadam from | Southern Boulevard to Reptile House... Drainage as necessary for roads, walks, and BUMGINGS< 4-149 = fe att ghana Rotectaet 5 te Macadamizing corrals for large animals... J Fencing for animal ranges, corrals, and boundary of Park...... op eine eke se 10,000 00 Expended to date on pond excavation... 4,500 00 To be expended on pond excavation ..... 500 00 Balance available for restaurant.......... 2,000 00 $62,000 00 THE MONKEY HOUSE AND THE ANTELOPE HOUSE. These two buildings should be completed before the Park is opened, because together they comprise such an important part of the initial exhibition of animals. To do this, it is necessary to raise immediately $75,000. The money which has already been sub- scribed ($106,000) by friends of the Zoological Park does not ad- mit of the erection of either of these buildings, because $83,000 al- ready appropriated will be needed to complete work now under way, and there must be a reserve of $25,000 for the purchase of animals, in addition to those which will be presented by various members and friends. As the final plan has already been published, the public will naturally anticipate, when the Park is opened, that the great build- ings around the Baird Court will be completed. It will be several years, however, under the most fortunate circumstances, before this Court will be in final shape ; and to gain by the experience in the construction of the earlier buildings, it will probably be an advan- tage not to push these very large and expensive ones forward too rapidly. A careful inspection of the list of installations now under con- struction will convince our members that the Society’s pledge, to provide first for the unrivalled series of our own North American types, is being faithfully carried out. The present expenditure from the Improvement Fund of $106,000 provides for the greatest pos- sible number of important American quadrupeds and birds. In our loyalty to our own splendid fauna, foreign animals have thus far been treated as of secondary importance. But unless more money is raised, no provision can be made for the quarters of foreign creatures, chiefly from the tropics, that will come knocking at the gates of the Zoological Park as presents and otherwise demanding admittance, for these animals can only be housed in the Monkey House and Antelope House. The former building, while ultimately to be filled entirely by monkeys, baboons, apes, lemurs, etc., is so designed as to afford a home for several types requiring artificial heat in winter which are not provided for in the Antelope House. The Antelope House, on the other hand, will afford a temporary home for the tapirs, elephants, zebras, and other tropical animals. In other words, these two buildings are especially selected because of their adaptability for the care of the great variety of animals which come from warm climates. The Monkey House will serve to complete one corner of Baird Court, and the Antelope House will be in the southern portion of the Park, near the great Bison Range. The New York Zoological Park should, in fact, be so well equipped with buildings, dens, and aviaries, that by midsummer, 1899, no type of animal need be turned away because there is no place in which to put it. Beyond question, as soon as this institution is opened, and lovers of animals see how comfortably—nay, even luxuriously—the various types of wild animals are being housed and cared for, gifts of birds, quadrupeds, and reptiles will come in from all parts of the world ; and we certainly should be prepared to receive them. Under no circumstances would tt be advisable to expend the money which has been so generously contributed in the erection of temporary struct- ures for collections. The experience of foreign zoological gardens is all against structures of a temporary character, as in the end waste- ful. Every building that is erected will, therefore, be of the most permanent and substantial character. If an elephant is offered as a gift, and the Antelope House is not in existence, that elephant must of stern necessity be declined with thanks and regret. A museum and art gallery ora library can store away in cellars and garrets the gifts which it cannot at once exhibit ; but with a zoologi- cal park this is impossible. Once accepted, an animal must be placed on exhibition in roomy and comfortable quarters, where it will thrive and improve from day to day; and any animal which cannot be so installed must be declined. It is extremely desirable, therefore, that no animal offered as a gift, or offered for sale ‘‘ at a bargain,” need be refused because of the lack of accommodations. As above stated, the Monkey House, if erected now, will give up one room to small mammals other than primates, until the small mammal house is ready. The Antelope House is designed to fur- nish good roomy quarters for many other species than the hoofed un- gulates of the tropics—namely, elephants and rhinoceroses, as well as the hippopotamus—until the Elephant House is an accomplished fact. It can even receive temporarily a few large birds, such as the ostrich, cassowary, emu, and the like. There are other imperative reasons why these two buildings should be erected forthwith. Both will be models of their kind, as they are designed after a most careful study of all buildings of the same type in Europe. Either of these buildings would constitute a splendid gift on the part of any person who would take pleasure in associat- ing his name with the founding of the new Zoological Park. The Society has thus far not asked for the gift of single buildings ; but surely it is not too much to expect that the Antelope House, esti- mated at $30,000, or the Monkey House, estimated at $40,000, may come as the gifts of individuals. The plans and elevations of these buildings can be forwarded to any address ‘by application to the Director. CHANGE OF ADDRESS. The office of the undersigned has been moved from 69 Wall Street, New York, and established permanently in South Bronx Park. All mail and express matter for him should now be addressed thus: NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL PARK, 183d Street and Southern Boulevard, New York City. The Park offices of the Zoological Society are temporarily located in the Elk House, near the S. W. corner of the Park. The office of the Secretary, Madison Grant, Esy., remains at No. 11 Wall Street, as heretofore. The Zoological Park is reached hourly by the Harlem road from Forty-second Street to Fordham Station (22 minutes), or by Third Avenue elevated to Tremont, and on by trolley to Fordham, from whence a carriage can be taken to the Park for 25 cents for each person. WILLIAM T. HORNADAY, TELEPHONE No, 146 TREMONT. Director Zoological Park, 6 NEWS BULLETIN OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. AT WORK ON THE BEAR DENS. HOMES FOR THE BEARS. In medizval times it was considered the proper thing to keep captive bears in deep pits of heavy masonry. The lines of Bruin’s ground plan became quite familiar, but his front and side elevations were subjects for perpetual conjecture. Save in a very few of the oldest zoological gardens, the old-fashioned bear cistern is a thing of the past. Hanover contains a splendid ursine castle of cut stone, with battle- ments galore. Berlin has a very fine bear installation— a tasteful and well-planned structure of cut stone and iron, fit for the capital city of a great and enlightened nation. With the polar bear, the big brown bears of Alaska, our grizzlies, and various species of the black bear, we can make up a superb collection without even setting foot be- yond ourown territory. For the species of bears which can live out-doors all winter, the New York Zoological Park will contain nine large, paved yards, enclosed by steel bars, with an overhang so arranged that climbing out is impossible. Four of these enclosures are now ready for the cage work, and their present appearance is shown herewith. Each enclosure measures 32x70 feet. The main floor lies in the bottom of a notch which nature has cut across the top of a high ridge, and against a fine wall of rock about twenty feet in height. The iron-work is carried up the face of this ledge, and along the top about fifteen feet back from the edge, thereby affording the bears abundant opportunity for climbing. Ample sleeping dens, of yellow pine, soaked in oil, will be constructed at the foot of the rock ledge, and com- pletely masked by artistic stone-work, built to match the ledge itself. The total cost of the four dens now under construction will be about $12,000. © FOREIGN ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN NOTES. During the summer months Professor Osborn visited all the princi- pal zoological gardens of Europe, and made a number of additional notes and observations in the interest of our Society. The Jardin d’Acclimatation in Paris, while not equai to the best of the gardens in Germany, contains certain fine features which are very similar to some of those about to be developed in our Zoo- logical Park. These are, especially, the ranges for some of the larger types of animals. For example, the members of the Antelope family in large ranges are not only in fine physical condition, but are freely breeding and constantly adding to the collection. The most unique case of breeding in captivity is that of the sea-lions in the same gardens, who produce a fine sea-lion pup annually, ap- parently because in connection with the pool is an extensive retreat within the trees and bushes. In the course of this tour it was learned that great interest exists abroad in regard to the development of the New York Park; and everywhere the desire was expressed to further our project, both by plans and information. The impression is very general that New York is an Eldorado, and that unlimited means are at our disposal for the development of the most perfect park in the world. We trust our members will live up to this reputation, and co-operate with the Managers in spreading interest and raising funds for this great project. One cannot visit the foreign gardens without return- ing with fresh enthusiasm and faith in the Zoological Park, both as a great means of public education and as an inexhaustible source of pleasure. Among the newer features in the foreign zoological gardens are the beautiful flying-cages, which are in many cases superbly stocked with birds; and the special feature of the Berlin flying-cage is a section which is covered with glass, in which the herons and other birds are nesting in great numbers. The new house for storks and cranes in Berlin is a delight to the eye, being of Japanese design ; but it does not seem well suited toits purpose. he attempts which have been made in various gardens to suggest by the exterior de- sign the types of animals which occupy the interior have not proved NEWS BULLETIN OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. aes IFS Va se wre 4 aa = 4 ~1 LOWER END OF REAVER POND, wholly successful. The elaborate and beautiful Elephant House in Berlin, with its many-colored roof, seems to be suffering from the weather, and is difficult to keep in repair. The new houses in the London Zoo, for the accommodation of the larger types of birds and certain of the smaller herbivora, are very similar in design and construction to the buildings which we are now erecting, although of a much less costly character. In the Paris Garden, upon a very small scale, is a pony tramway, by which visitors can take the complete tour without fatigue. This reminds us of our project to circuit the garden by the means of auto- motor carriages, which will be certainly a matter for future de- velopment. The very easy means of access to most of the foreign gardens from the centres of population suggest that the transit prob- lem is one which must be energetically taken up. All the for- eign gardens, excepting Antwerp, are attended at times by enor- mous crowds of people, and derive the larger part of their income from paid admissions: for there are positively no free days. In Berlin the restaurants of different grades, adapted in price to the demands of different classes of people, also furnish a very large revenue. As our Park is upon the good American principle of be- ing entirely free to the public, and as the Society proposes to stock it very extensively with animals, as well as to supply the principal buildings, it presents a model of the democratic type of park which is entirely unknown in Europe. It must depend upon liberal per- sonal contributions, and generous support from the city. ZOOLOGICAL PARK NOTES. Mr. Warren H. Manning, formerly associated with the firm of Olm- stead & Elliott in Boston, has been engaged to study the Zoological Park, especially with reference to the present and future tree plant- ing, and to the system of walks and roadways in the approved plan, minor changes in which can be made if it appears desirable. Mr. Manning has had extensive experience as a landscape architect, and it is believed that his advice will be very valuable. Mr. A. Phinnister Proctor, the animal sculptor, whose works have appeared at the Court of Honor at the World’s Fair and else- where, has been invited to submit preliminary designs for cer- tain carvings to adorn the front of the Reptile House. These will be cut into the pilasters upon either side of the entrance, both for ornament and to suggest the purpose of the building. The broad stone pedestals flanking the main steps leading up to the building are especially designed for reptilian sculptures, which it is expected will be placed there eventually. In connection with each of the principal buildings of the Zoological Park, there are opportunities for sculpture, both in the terra-cotta work and in the approaches; and members of the Society will become interested in this feature of the artistic development of the Park. * * * One of the indirect objects of the Society is to encourage animal painting and sculpture. As an indication how this purpose is re- garded, it is proper to note the fact that already two sculptors and three animal painters announce their intention of establishing their studios in the immediate vicinity of the Park, as soon as the collec- tions are received. Itis evident that the fine types of native and foreign animals which will be constantly upon exhibition will afford admirable opportunities to artists, and will give a long-needed im- petus to the decoration of our public buildings with animal forms, both in painting and in sculpture. * * * It has long been apparent to the Zoological Society that in many portions of the Zoological Park special efforts must be put forth to save certain groups of trees growing in thin soil,“on rocky ridges, and now threatened with death. In the immediate vicinity of the Bear Dens, there are now twelve dead trees standing on an area of about fouracres. Trees that die must be replaced, and much plant- ing must be done along the southern and western boundaries of the Park. With this work in view, the Society eagerly seized the opportunity to obtain from the excavation made for the Aquatic Rodents’ Pond great stores of rich, black soil which have been deposited at ten dif- ferent points in the Park, selected according to the needs of the future. In addition to this, black earth has been deposited around thirty-five trees in the vicinity of the Bear Dens, to enable them to live through such dry seasons as have been so destructive to other trees in that locality. 8 NEWS BULLETIN OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY, (ss S= S=..—lU | | | Storage Keeber Storage. | 7 | 4 ! i] i t } I] j Sit es es PP bie ete eT 5 : : | t n ---—- —® -—-—-—— 4 Conser vatory. erie Turtles : i 2 tT Net Pablie . tank - ! ” «=! | ortoises. | Yards Not Foblic. | Salt Waté | P Serene: I ! a alér 4 fe | Glass Roof : 1 ee pe oe eer spre es! ! si] -----"@----4 q : ns | 3 ee New York Zoovocicat Par Hertite House SCALE 7 INCH = | Foor he f No.27. ee ARCHITECTS Auausr, 17.1993. Tempce Court. NY GROUND PLAN OF THE REPTILE HOUSE. CONCERNING THE PURCHASE OF ANIMALS. The Zoological Society is in receipt of so many inquiries regarding its intentions concerning the purchase of animals for the Park, it is desirable that some information on this subject should be published. First of all, let it be stated positively that the Society does not propose to engage men on salaries, to travel about for the purpose of capturing wild animals. The cost would be too great, and the results too meagre, to justify such a method. Nor does the Society propose, in very many cases, to attempt to purchase animals that are running wild, and have not consented to be caught. Occasion- ally, however, when a rare and particularly desirable species is wanted, a standing offer will be made to buy a certain number of specimens at stated prices and under stated conditions. Asa gen- eral rule, most attempts to buy animals previous to their capture end in disagreement, or disappointment to at least one of the parties concerned. ‘‘ First catch your hare,” is a rule which is as sound in selling animals as in cooking them. As a general thing, it is necessary for every zoological garden or park to patronize responsible dealers in live animals and resident collectors. From hard-earned experience they know how to crate and ship animals to the best possible advantage. They know that it is unwise to forward a diseased or deformed animal, and they also know beforehand something about values—which saves much time. Not unfrequently it happens that a hunter who captures an animal that to him is strange, imagines that it is worth double its real value, and feels indignant when a zoological garden offers him what is really a fair price. In about nineteen cases out of every twenty, the man who captures a wild animal thinks it is worth far more than it really is. For example, if we were to offer a farmer's boy $2.50 for a wild goose that he had caught and cooped, the chances are he would be highly indignant; but at this moment we know of thirty- two wild geese for sale, properly crated, at that price. If we were asked to name the greatest small annoyance that comes in the daily mail of a zoological park, we would reply :—the letters which say, ‘‘ What will you give me for it?” Very often not the slightest clue is given to the size, age, sex, or condition of the captive animal, All these are left to be divined by the man who is asked to submit an offer. of an animal, if it is fully and fairly described. The Zoological Society will not be ready to place any orders for Occasionally, however, it is possible to fix the value animals before January, 1899 ; and nothing can be received earlier than April. It is hoped that some of the owners of large private ganie preserves will present to the Society enough animals to start the herds of buffalo, elk, and deer, and that all friends of the Society will do their utmost to bring about the presentation to the Society of a large number of desirable specimens. If the Monkey House and Antelope House are erected at an early date, the Zoological Park will then be able to receive and care for any animal that may be offered to it. When the Zoological Park is ready for animals, all members of the Society, and also friends who are not, are expected and re- quested to do their utmost to secure, as gifts for the Park, a large and continuous supply of fine, typical quadrupeds, birds, and rep- tiles, especially of North American forms. ADVANTAGES OF MEMBERSHIP. Among the advantages of membership in the New York Zoological Society are, first of all, the satisfaction of taking part in a great popular enterprise of the utmost interest to every lover of Nature and her works. The direct practical benefits to members are as follows: Admission to the Zoo- logical Park on the two days of each week when to the general crowds it will be closed, except upon payment of an admission fee; the privilege of the library building, the library, and its picture collections; the receipt of the So- ciety’s publications, many of which will undoubtedly pos- sess considerable artistic and literary value, and will be free to members only; the privileges of all lectures, receptions, and special exhibitions. In brief, the time will soon come when the Society will give ample returns for the assistance of those who come forward helpfully during the initial stages of its work. Applications for membership should be addressed to Madison Grant, Secretary, No. 11 Wall Street, or to the Director of the Zoological Park. There is no initiation fee. The yearly dues for Annual Members are $10. The Life Member's fee is $200; Patron’s fee, $1,000; Associate Founder's, $2,500; and Founders, $5,000. Subscriptions should be made payable to the New York Zoological Society, and addressed to the Secretary. F- NEWS BULLETIN OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY Number 4, Issued by the NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY, ii Wall St. N. Y. May, 1900. COPYRIGHT, 1g00, BY THE NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. ALLIGATOR POOL IN THE REPTILE HOUSE, , IN THE REPTILE HOUSE. There seems to be no question regarding either the at- tractiveness of the Reptile House, or its fitness to meet all the requirements of its living contents. It is only the echo of public sentiment to assert that it is a success. On all Sun- days it is densely crowded with visitors ; but were it five times its present size, standing room would be at just as high a premium as now. The interior of the building is lofty and dignified, and the view down the main hall, from the eastern end toward the Alligator Pool, is highly impressive. More palms are need- ed, very urgently ; but at present it is impossible to find any which can be purchased without money. With a very insig- nificant allowance of funds, Mr. Merkel has contrived to make a surprisingly creditable showing of plants, not only on the main floor, but in the conservatory and the reptile cases. All the plant furnishings have been arranged with excellent taste and judgment. ey The experimental Turtle Crawl in the centre of the main hall, and the big Alligator Pool, have both resulted satis- factorily. Both these installations are quite new in design. They show off the living reptiles to good advantage, and the reptiles in them are in excellent health. The alligators are so comfortable and contented they have all become quite tame, and even friendly. ‘ Jumbo” has added four inches to the original twelve feet one inch which he brought up from Indian River, Fla., last July. The fine condition of all the reptiles testifies more forcibl than words to the intelligence and industry of Mr. Ditmars and his assistants in the Reptile Department. Time after time, lizards of the larger species which have arrived in a very emaciated condition, and refusing all food, have been seen to revive in the genial warmth of the large cases, begin to eat, and in a month’s time become actually swollen with prosperity. The building carried its contents through the past winter very successfully, not a single specimen having been lost through cold, and there is no further occasion for anxiety on that score. The most striking and novel feature of this building is the pool and gravel banks for large Crocodilians. Hereto- fore, in all other reptile houses which we have examined, these animals have been installed in masonry tanks in the central floor space, in which anything like natural surround- ings are quite unattainable. No amphibious animal should be kept in a stone box, seeing nothing of the world save the roof which covers him. In this installation the necessity for a conservatory in connection with the Reptile House has been utilized to the utmost, thereby securing not only an abundance of light, but also a pleasing background of trop- ical verdure, which greatly softens the effect of the concrete rim of the pool. The pool is 35 feet long by g feet wide, contains four feet of water, on a bottom of white gravel, and is warmed to 95° by concealed pipes of hot water. NEWS BULLETIN OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. COPYRIGHT, Ig00, BY THE NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. SIDE CAGES IN THE MOULTING OF THE BIRDS, All persons who are interested in seeing how some of our most beautiful water birds change both the quality and the color of their plumage in passing from the “immature” period to the “adult ” stage of life, will do well to visit the New York Zoological Park, immediately. The plumages, notes and nesting habits of our native small birds, can be studied in the field with a fair degree of ac- curacy, but in the case of larger and more wary species, it is much more difficult. It is in completing the life-histories of this latter class of birds, that a commodious aviary renders the greatest assistance to the naturalist. In the Aquatic Birds’ House, which contains a Flying Cage of no mean pro- portions, its well adapted conditions for keeping birds in con- finement are shown in the prompt adaptation of these creat- ures to their new environment. This is manifested in their regular and complete moults, their bright colors, their im- mediate acceptance of nesting facilities, and also by their activity. Many species spend the day in feeding, preening their feathers or playing, instead of unnatural moping or unnecessary sleep, as is the case with so many captive birds. If we may judge from the testimony of the birds, this build- ing is a pronounced success. The nesting attempts of our Egrets, Snake-birds, Ducks and Burrowing Owls, and the highly differentiated and often intricate notes of many birds, are all very interesting, but to- day the moults and plumage development of some of the birds in the Aquatic Birds’ House are even more so, A pair of those martyrs of millinery—Snowy Egrets— are fast approaching the prime of their breeding plumage, their immaculate white feathers, and long, graceful plumes, contrast sharply with their black legs and yellow feet. They are living refutations of the absurdly false statement that their plumes drop off naturally, while in their perfect con- dition. As a matter of fact, murder, cruel and bloody, must be committed before these “ aigrettes ’ deface a hat! Their larger cousins, the American White Egrets, are not so far advanced, but in a month they will vie with their smaller re- lations in beauty and length of plumes. During the winter, the color of the Little Blue Herons has caused many people to mistrust the scientific knowledge used THE BIRD HOUSE. in labelling the birds, but the pure white immature plumage of these herons is now quite rapidly being replaced by the slate-blue coloration so characteristic of the adult bird, sey- eral stages in the transition being visible at present. The European Flamingoes and Tadorna Sheldrakes show marked gradations in the intensity of coloration in bill and feath- ers, and the curious, unexplained caruncles on the bills of the latter birds have attained their maximum size. The radical change from the immature to the adult plum- age of the Yellow-crowned Night Heron, has just begun, and the occipital plumes are as yet barely noticeable. A pair of Scarlet Ibises are exhibiting two very different phases of plumage. One has nearly completed the spring moult, and is a glowing mass of scarlet, especially on the wings. The other is in a half-way condition, presenting a curious 5 pied ap- pearance, alternating scarlet and light rose. ‘The sober gray plumage of the immature Brown Pelican contrasts strongly with the rich yellow, chocolate, silvery gray, and black, of a full-plumaged adult bird. As to the émaller birds, a system of outdoor feeding, to- gether with the sense of perfect security, is making the Park at large a favorite resort for our native birds. As early as February 14, a pair of English Starlings began to nest in a hollow branch within a few feet of the Bird House, and judging from the abundance and tameness of our winter species, bird-lovers should he able to make numberless inti- mate acquaintances with heretofore little known feathered friends. C. William Beebe. SIDE CAGES OF THE BIRD HOUSE. Dead walls behind live animals are an abomination unto Nature. At first the painting of landscapes in oil colors on the walls behind these cages seemed like a hazardous experiment; but Mr. Robert Blum made the idea a complete and gratifying success. On the western wall is depicted, in soft and pleasing tones, an actual scene on the edge of the Florida Everglades—a favorite haunt for water-birds. On the eastern wall is a marsh landscape, with distant hills; and so perfect is the atmospheric effect that half a dozen times the Demoiselle Cranes have attempted to walk through the wall! These side cages are intended solely for water- birds, but at present they are obliged to accommodate birds of several other orders. * willl RRS Deo Ss OSS COPYRIGHT, I9g00, BY THE NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. Be ho Be RENO wiih ZOOWOGICAL SOCIETY. 3 THE POLAR BEARS. CONTENTED BEARS. Barring the three Orang-Utans, there are no animals in the Zoological Park which furnish more amusement than the bears. From the small Grizzlies up to the huge Polar Bears, they all devote their waking hours to boxing, wrestling, climbing and chasing each other. Without exception, all are good-tempered animals, and their antics are a source of endless amusement to visitors, both old and young. Need- less to say, this daily exercise—much of it quite violent—is of incalculable benefit to the animals, especially to those which are yet young and growing. The hope that the rocks and trees in the dens, and the generous floor space, would lead the bears to exercise vigorously, has been realized beyond all expectations. As a practical illustration of the effect of a large den upon an animal quite out of condition, the case of our Florida Black Bear is rather interesting. A year ago this animal was found in St. Augustine, where for six years it had lived in a cage eight feet by five. Barring his close confinement, he had been quite well cared for, and his great size (for a southern black bear) made him so desirable that he was purchased. He reached the Zoological Park in July, but the incomplete state of the Bear Dens made it necessary to keep him two more long months in his original cage. Meanwhile nearly all of his hair came off, and his skin assumed a very unhealthy appearance. He was dieted carefully, fed and rubbed with sulphur, and in October set free in one of the Dens. Poor fellow! Freedom was to him so new and strange that for days he knew not what to do with it. Like the liberated prisoner who kept saying “ Once one is two,” he took up a position close to the front bars, and scarcely mov- ing his hind quarters, marched his head and shoulders to and fro, a thousand times a day, just as he had done for six long years. When he was forced to walk about, it was seen that, from long disuse, his hind legs and feet had become almost paralyzed. To-day he is one of the handsomest bears of the eleven in the dens. His coat is thick, jet-black and glossy, his skin is in perfect condition, and his wrestling bouts with the stockily- built animal from Rat Portage (Sir Roderick Cameron’s gift) are both wonderful and amusing. It seems very absurd to see a huge black bear, weighing nearly six hundred pounds, wrestling and tumbling about like a cub six months old. He has fully recovered the use of his hind legs, climbs fearlessly, and in the enjoyment of freedom, fresh air, and the com- panionship of his kind, he is working very hard to make up six years of lost time. Already the eleven specimens in our collection of bears cover a wide range of geographical distribution. The two Polar Bears came from Nova Zembla, two of the Grizzlies came from the Cook’s Inlet country, Alaska, and one from the mountains of Colorado. One Black Bear represents Colo- rado, another Northwestern Canada, another hails from the Adirondacks, and the largest of all, save the Polars, is the Florida specimen mentioned above. The latest acquisition is a fine young Japanese Black Bear, which reached New York via Yokohama. Several of these animals are now making haste to shed their weather-worn winter coats, and make ready for summer visit- ors. None of them hibernated, though the Colorado Black Bear came very near doing so. The Polar Bears slept out doors all winter—in order to obtain a satisfactory amount of cold air—and to-day our only anxiety in regard to our bears is due to them. Owing to lack of funds, the special den for these animals has not yet been constructed; and no one knows when it will be. The den in which they are temporarily quartered contains a bathing tank amply large for a land bear, but ten times too small for a pair of marine monsters, who spend half their time at play in their pool. They play so much and so vigorously that they have worn half the hair off their backs and hind quarters against the masonry sides of their small tank. At present, their tank is filled only every other day, but in a short time it must be filled every day, or the animals will suffer ; and a pair of hairless Polar Bears will be the result. “What is to be done about it?” I do not know; but if some good friend would send us to-day a check for $2,500, to be used in constructing a proper swimming pool for these magnificent animals, to-morrow would see ten good men at work on an admirable answer to this question. The ques- tion is—can that good friend be found? Hews Bulletin OF THE few Work Zoological Society. PUBLISHED AT THE New YorRK ZOOLOGICAL PARK, 183D STREET AND SOUTHERN BOULEVARD, NEW YORK GITY. Officers of the Society. Prestdent: HON. LEVI P. MORTON, Erecutive Committee: Levi P. Morton, ex-officio, Henry F. Osporn, Chairman, JouN L. CADWALADER, Cozzsel, CHARLES T. BARNEY, JOHN S. BARNES, PHILIP SCHUYLER, MADISON GRANT, W. W. NILEs, Jr. General Officers: SECRETARY, MADISON GRANT, 11 WALL STREET. TREASURER, L. V. F. RANDOLPH, 61 WILLIAM STREET. DIRECTOR, WILLIAM T. HORNADAY, ZOOLOGICAL PARK. Board of Managers: The Mayor of the City of New York, Hon. Ropert A. VAN WYCK, el SBE UL EORS The President of the Dept of Parks, Hon. GEORGE C. CLAUSEN. CLASS OF 1903. Levi P. Morton, ANDREW CARNEGIE, Morris K. JESUP, JOHN LL. CADWALADER, PHirtip SCHUYLER, JoHN S. BARNES, MADISON GRANT, WILLIAM WHITE NILEs, SAMUEL THORNE, Henry A. C. TAYyLor, HuGH J. CHISHOLM, Wo. D. SLOANE. CLASS OF 1901. CLASS OF 1902. F. AuGUsSTUS SCHERMERHORN, HENRY F. OSBORN, A. NEWBOLD Morris, Henry W. Poor, CHARLES E. WHITEHEAD, CHARLES T. BARNEY, J. HAMPDEN Ross, OSWALD OTTENDORFER, CHARLES A. PEABODY, JR. L. V. F. RANDOLPH, Percy R. Pyne, WILLIAM C. CHURCH, GEORGE B. GRINNELL, FRANK M. CHAPMAN, Jacos H. ScuHiFF, LISPENARD STEWART, EDWARD J. BERWIND, JOSEPH STICKNEY, WILLIAM C. WHITNEY, H. CAsimMirR DE RHAM, JoHN D. CRIMMINS, GEORGE CROCKER, GEORGE C. CLARK. HuGu D. AUCHINCLOSS. A CALL FOR NEW MEMBERS. With the means at our command, we have done our utmost to establish a Zoological Society which will cover a wide field of usefulness, and a Zoological Park of which you may be proud. The latter is now open, on a modest basis to be sure, but it is sufficient to serve as an object lesson regarding our aspirations, and an index for the future. Visit it, and inspect it, as soon as possible; then ask yourself these questions: Is this Park a great boon to the toiling and pent-up mill- ions of Greater New York? Is it an institution of permanent value to all lovers of ani- mated nature, to students, writers, artists, sculptors and zo- dlogists generally? Is it a good place for New York’s grand army of chil- dren? Will it presently rank high among other institutions of its kind throughout the world? Will it be a credit to Greater New York, and the nation? From this time henceforth, the Park must speak for itself. To be sure, it is yet in a new and unfinished state, but enough has been done to show the general scope of the Society’s scheme. Beyond question, it is not going to be a small or cheap affair. If you answer the above questions in the affirmative, then pray consider this: Entirely aside from the funds that will be furnished by the city, the Zoological Society must expend annually, of its own funds, about $30,000! This is needed for the purchase of animals, the issue of publications, for lectures, for scientific work, the promotion of animal paint- ing and sculpture, for the library and picture gallery, for the preservation of our native animals, and many other purposes. NEWS BULLETIN OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. The Society is pledged to provide all the living animals, and this alone means a heavy annual expenditure. In all this work, the Zoological Society asks your active and continuous support. It invites you to become a mem- ber, immediately, in whatever class you may prefer, and also to interest your relatives and friends. Think what power for the good of all concerned could be wielded by 3,o00 annual members, paying $30,000 as annual dues! On such a basis, the benefits to the individual member would soon be worth double the amount of his annual dues of $10. The greater the membership, the greater the benefit to members. But the men and women who build up great national insti- tutions of science, art, and learning, are not inclined to pause and ask, “ What is there in this for me?’’ Americans are no more mercenary, nor more fond of wealth, than are the people of other nations; and no people on earth are more ready to give, and give handsomely, to every good object, than are the people of New York. With the Zoological Society, this is a critical moment. The Executive Committee has been very heavily burdened, not only in planning for Park work, but in the difficult task of soliciting subscriptions for building operations. At this mo- ment it needs the encouragement that the incoming of 2,000 new annual members would give. Leaving out of con- sideration the satisfaction which every public-spirited man feels in aiding a noble cause, will not the privileges of mem- bership in the Zoological Society be worth to you and your family more than ten dollars per year? If you answer this question in the affirmative, please communicate with Madison Grant, general secretary, 11 Wall Street, and name the class of membership to which you desire to be elected. If you are already a member, pray send in the application of at least one other person. W. T. A. THE OPENING OF THE PARK. After twenty years of unnecessary waiting, New York at last possesses an institution for the exhibition of live animals, founded on a scale commensurate with the dignity of a city of the first rank. During the entire history of this city down to 1895, not one serious effort, not one move worthy of men- tion, was made in behalf of the establishment of a zoological garden or park worthy of this great and wealthy city. Forty years ago, when Central Park was laid out, the land- scape architects made the mistake of providing five acres in the southeastern corner of that great pleasure ground for a menagerie. That would have answered very well for a small town, but never for one moment was it adequate or suitable for the metropolis of the Western Hemisphere. The menag- erie thus established has, beyond doubt, been the chief fac- tor—though quite innocently, so far as its sponsors and sup- porters were concerned—in postponing the creation in New York of a proper zoological garden or park while scores of smaller cities broke ground and built up institutions of great beauty and usefulness. While New York has slept on her rights, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Han- over, Hamburg, Frankfort, Cologne, Manchester, Copen- hagen, Calcutta, and even Saigon—hidden in the jungles of Cochin China—have all made for themselves zoological gar- dens worthy of the name. We speak lightly of “ the effete monarchies of Europe,” but America has deliberately permitted even the very smallest of them to lead her in zoological garden development. And this, too, despite the fact that the vertebrate fauna of North America is so rich and varied. In zoological garden work, America has too long occupied a rear rank. The richest and most populous city, the literary, scientific and financial centre of North America, is expected to set an example for other cities. At last the spell has been broken; and to-day, though very incomplete, the Zoological Park of Greater New York is an NEWS BULLETIN accomplished fact. The foundation has been laid, and a good- ly portion of the superstructure has been completed and oc- cupied, The people as a whole have done a portion of the goodly work, but private generosity and private enterprise have done more. But our task is only one-third of the way toward com- pletion. The private effort represented by the Zoological So- ciety stands pledged to donate $80,000 more within eighteen months, and the people have recently provided $300,000 for the continuation of the improvements which are needed to render the Zoological Park more completely available for the use to which it has been devoted. In view of the long years of delay that have elapsed in the founding of this institution, the remaining sum to be raised by subscription should be fur- nished promptly and cheerfully, in order that we may, to some extent, make up for lost time. It is beneath the dignity of Greater New York to allow this enterprise, involving but a comparatively small expenditure, to languish and_ halt through lack of additional funds. COPYRIGHT, Ig00, BY THE NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 5 of these creatures. This tank, divided into ten compartments by plate-glass partitions, contains the market terrapins, such as the “ Slider,” or Cumberland Terrapin ; Troost’s Terrapin ; the Rough-shelled Terrapin; the Geographical, and the ex- pensive “ Diamond-back,” which during certain phases of the champagne season occasionally, at the larger markets, sells at sixty dollars per dozen. With the exception of the last- mentioned species, the dealers class all market terrapins under one head “ Sliders.” Thus from a large shipment of “ Slid- ers,” which arrived at a downtown market, we selected speci- mens representing four species. Besides these favorites from the markets, which for the most part inhabit the brackish marshes of the South, a speci- men well worthy of attention is the big Green Turtle, whose habitat embraces many seas. ‘This interesting creature oc- cupies the marine tank, containing “ artificial” sea water. Its peculiar movements, as the long flippers are brought into play, suggest the graceful soaring of the hawk, or the flight of the turkey buzzard. THE DUCKS’ AVIARY. TURTLES, TERRAPINS, AND TORTOISES. A little over eight months ago, the entire reptile collection of the Zoological Park numbered exactly three specimens— a snapping turtle, and two small terrapins—confined in a tub in the storage yard, where wild animals were then arriving. To-day, the reptile collections, on exhibition in a structure second to none of its kind in the world, contain over five hundred specimens, in which all the various orders of the class Reptilia are well represented. From the three turtles, which formed the humble nucleus of our present extensive assemblage of reptiles, the collection of Chelonians has increased to eighty specimens, representing twenty-eight species, which embrace a proper proportion of the land and water varieties. In the long Turtle Crawl, in the main hall of the Reptile House, the Terrapins, forming an important section of the Chelonian collection, live contentedly in as near a state of nature as it is possible to provide for them. On one side of this commodious tank, with its sand banks and growing plants, bark-covered slabs from a large tree have been fasten- ed to imitate the derelict timber which floats about the haunts Passing along the Turtle Crawl, the visitor finds living representatives of what, perhaps, he never anticipated ob- serving outside the pages of zoological nomenclature. From beneath a mossy log protrude four snake-like heads. A close examination will reveal that the necks are equally “ snakey,” and terminate in a small black shell. These strange little creatures, appropriately called “ Snake-necked Turtles ” (Chelodina longicollis), came from Australia, a land of monstrosities, where the zoological aspect of everything has assumed eccentric proportions. Although water turtles, they possess the typical caudal appendage of the land tortoise. Their necks are so long that withdrawal into the shell in time of danger is a physical impossibility. Hence, when alarmed, this singular reptile lays its head and neck sideways close genet the fleshy part of its body, well under the edge of its shell. In another compartment, a little family of Pond Turtles (Nanemys) roost happily on a log, while a look into an ad- joining enclosure might lead the visitor to think that the brilliant orange patches on the surface of the water were in the shape of aquatic foliage in full bloom. This proves to be, however, only a friendly conference among specimens of the NEWS BULLETIN oy OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. COPYRIGHT, 1900, BY THE NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. A PORTION OF THE ELK HERD. Gift af Mr. dainty Orange- ue or Muhlenbereg’s Turtle (Chelopus muhlenbergi), are little fellows, of very limited distribu- tion. Their eet places in strong contrast the formidable appearance of the huge Alligator Terrapin, or “ Snapper,” and the flabby soft-shells (Aspidonectes), as the latter stare at nothing in particular, with a perpetual look of extreme sur- prise. During the winter months, the members of the Tortoise group, comprising about eight large species, have occupied temporary cages. In summer, these creatures will be placed in small yards outside the building. The north sand-bank of the Alligators’ enclosure, however, has been arranged to accommodate some of the larger species, which form a high- ly attractive exhibit. Here are quartered two large Nubian Tortoises, the larger weighing about forty pounds. They were but recently imported by Carl Hagenbeck, and are be- lieved to be the only living members of the species in this country. Each specimen cheerfully consumes nearly an entire head of cabbage at a meal. Among these land Chelonians is a beautiful representative of the South African Geometric Tortoise (Testudo geometrica). The dome-like shell, scrib- bled with various hieroglyphics, makes this creature unique among its kind. Far different are the habits of the tortoises from those of their aquatic relations. The latter scramble like a drove of chickens for the generous hand of their keeper, casting all dignity aside to satisfy their appetites. The former are al- ways stately in their movements, and dignity seems to be with them a ruling passion. A tempting mixture of rice, bananas and lettuce, provokes the slow appearance of plated heads. The dark eyes blink solemnly, then begins a deliberate advance toward the feeding tray. Each mouthful is de- liberately studied, until at last there is a slow retreat to favor- ite corners, and sleep intervenes until next feeding time. It is rarely that turtles and tortoises in captivity enjoy the commodious quarters given them in the Reptile House of the Zoological Park. It is hoped that in the near future, visit- ors may observe the interesting process of raising the young Geo. J. Gould and the Brooklyn Park Department. reptiles, as many eggs have been deposited in the sand-bank along the Terrapins Tank. These would not be the first young reptiles to appear in the Park, however, as about seventy snakes of three different species have been born dur- ing the past few months, and the new arrivals are all in a thriving condition. Raymond L. Ditmars. AS OTHERS SEE US. “ The time has come for a great art school for studying animals.” This is the dictum of Mr. Ernest Seton Thompson (whose work as an animal painter does not enjoy the world-wide reputation it deserves) in a vigorous paper read before the Zoological Society of New York a couple of years ago. . And the Society has acknowledged the justice of the artist’s plea for better opportunities of study by giving facilities which will be the envy of their less fortunate brethren in Europe. We venture to think that in providing facilities for students at their new menagerie in Bronx Park, the New York Society gives one of several proofs that it regards its mission as that of popular educator. The New York Society does not indicate that they propose placing dead specimens at the disposal of art students for anatomical pur- poses. We could hardly expect an explicit declaration which would be somewhat suggestive of anticipated disaster in a young society; but they haye done that which promises in course of time to make America the headquarters of animal painting. When planning the houses and dens for the new park, they kept Mr. Thompson’s representations in view, and ascertained by care- ful inquiry that there were many young artists and sculptors who made animal portrayal their specialty, and who only required en- couragement and facilities for study in order to develop into a “school” in the sense artists use the word. Tully alive to the importance of pictures as a means of stimulating popular interest in animal life—a sentiment it is eminently desirable to foster in America, whose great game is being steadily and surely killed down to extermination—the Society have designed their premises to in- clude, in many cases, studios into which it will be possible to transfer cages containing any animals required as models, and which will be furnished with all the conveniences necessary for students. The executive of the New York Society goes further than this in pursuance of its policy to systematically encourage animal painting and sculpture. . Our animal painters have now powerful rivals in America, and it is greatly to be hoped that the scheme of the New York Society may awaken the spirit of emulation at home.—The Asian Sporting Newspaper. NEWS BULLETIN OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 7 COPYRIGHT, I9g00, BY THE NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. AMERICAN BISON.—‘ CLEVELAND.” Gift of Hon, Wom. C. Whitney. Captured wild in Panhandle of Texas, in 1557, dy C. J. Jones. RAPID TRANSIT TO THE ZOOLOGICAL PARK. When the site of the Zoological Park was chosen, in 1896, the Society builded even better than it knew. It was admitted that existing street railway facilities were very inadequate, but in the firm belief that a great popular institution would soon bring them, South Bronx Park was chosen. The terminus of the eastern branch of the great rapid transit system, to be completed in three years, will be situated within three hundred feet of the West Farms entrance to the Zoological Park! Briefly stated, this means—from the Brooklyn Bridge to the Buffalo Range in twenty-five min- utes, for five cents. If this possibility does not cause every Brooklynite to feel that the Zoological Park is partly his, nothing ever will do so. If this does not place the summer shade, the coolness and restfulness of that sylvan spot within reach of the children of the crowded tenements of Manhat- tan, nothing ever will. For some time past, we have been aware of the location of the eastern terminus of the great tunnel, and have awaited with bated breath the development of the scheme. With- in a week after the acceptance of Contractor McDonald’s bid, the Society drafted a bill providing for the expenditure of $300,000 more in the preparation of the grounds of the Zoological Park for the use of the crowds that will flock to them the moment rapid transit to the Park is an accom- plished fact, The walks and roads already constructed are not much more than one-third of what will be required when visitors begin to come at the rate of 50,000 per day. We shall do our part toward taking every possible advantage of the three years to elapse before the completion of the tun- nel. The crowds of 1903 will find us ready for them, THE SEA LIONS. Pending the completion of the Sea Lion Pool in Baird Court, the California Sea Lions are permitted to usurp the summer rights of the Crocodilians, and occupy the Crocodile Pool, between the Reptile House and Bear Dens. Two fine rock dens were built last year, at the south end of the Pool, and by keeping them well filled with straw, and the pool free from ice during the winter, the four Sea Lions came through the winter in good condition. It was noticed that during the coldest weather, they had very little to say; but no sooner did the frogs in the Beaver Pond begin to croak than the Zalophii began to make the Park resound with their cheerful barking. GENERAL INFORMATION. Apmisston.—On all holidays, and on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednes- day, Friday, and Saturday, admission to the Zoological Park is free. On every Monday and Thursday, save when either of those days falls on a holiday, only members of the Society, and persons hold- ing tickets from the Society, are admitted free. All others pay twenty-five cents for each adult, and fifteen cents for each child under twelve years of age. Tickets are sold only at the entrances. When a regular pay-day falls on a legal holiday, the following day will be a pay-day for that week. OPENING AND CLosinc—From May rst to November tst, the entrance-gates will be opened at 9 a.m. and closed half an hour before sunset. From November ist to May Ist the gates will open at 10 A.M. BicycLes must be checked at the entrances (five cents). All wheels not called for half an hour before sunset will be locked up until the following day. Luncn# Room.—uUntil the Rocking Stone Restaurant has been completed, a lunch room, where excellent food will be served at popular prices, will be maintained in the extreme eastern end of the Reptile House. Enter directly from the main wall. Park SEAts.—Two hundred park settees have been placed in the Zoological Park, along the walks and in shaded situations. Watxs.—All the walks in the Park are now receiving their final surface of broken rock and crushed blue-stone, which will render them perpetually smooth and clean. 8 NEWS BULLETIN COPYRIGHT, 1900, BY THE NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY, YOUNG FEMALE WOODLAND CARIBOU. HOW TO REACH THE ZOOLOGICAL PARK. Via West Farms.—The Boston Road entrance is four blocks _ from the terminus of the following trolley ines which conyerge at West Burms: Third Avenue and Boston Road line irom t29ih Street; the Southern Boulevard line; Tremont Avenue and West- chester line, and the Williamsbridge and Motnt Vernon line. Visitors to the Park over any of these lines should alight at West Farms, from whence a walk of four blocks up the Boston Road leads to the southeast corner of the Buffalo Range. VIA THE THirp AVENUE ELEVATED.—At present the terminus of the Third Avenue Elevated Railway is at Tremont Avenue (177th Street), and visitors coming from points south of 129th Street will do well to take the Elevated to that point, transfer to the Tremont Avenue trolley, and, for a total fare of eight cents, land at West Farms. In a short time the Third Avenue Elevated Road will reach Pelham Avenue at Fordham, VIA THE THirp AVENUE Tro~ttEY Line.—Visitors desiring to reach the Northwest Entrance, instead of going to West Farms, should alight at Pelham Avenue and either walk to the entrance or take a carriage (twenty-five cents). VIA THE HArtem RatLwAay—A very convenient and quick way to reach the Park from lower New York is to take the Harlem Railway from Grand Central Station to Fordham Station (twenty- five cents for the round trip). On week days, morning trains leave Forty-second Street at thirty-five minutes past each hour, except 11.15, and every half hour between 12.15 and 4.15 p.m. On Sun- days, trains leave hourly all day at fifty minutes past each hour. Alight at Fordham Station, not Bedford Park, from whence a car- riage may be taken to the Park for twenty-five cents for each per- son. Distance, half a mile. VIA THE SIxtH, EicuTH, AND Ninra AveNuE ELEevATED.—The most expeditious way to reach the Zoological Park from the west side is by elevated cars to 135th Street, thence by the 135th Street trolley line, transferring again to a West Farms trolley-car at 138th Street and Third Avenue. By CarriaGE FRoM Lower New Yorx.—Persons driving to the Zoological Park from lower New York should drive up Jerome Avenue to Fordham Road; thence eastward over Fordham Road to Pelham Avenue one mile and a quarter to the Northwest En- trance to the Park. Until the carriage entrance is constructed, there is no entrance for carriages into the grounds occupied by the ani- mal collections, but the Boston Road leads through the most beau- tiful portion of the Zoological Park. OF TLHE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. gee + COPYRIGHT, 1900, BY THE NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. YOUNG MOOSE, LATEST ARRIVALS. : One Buffalo (‘McKinley’), 3 Moose, 1 Axis Deer, 2 Dorcas Gazelles, 2 Muntjacs, 7 Squirrels, 2 Porcupines, 1 Golden Cat, 2 Civet cats, 1 Binturong, 1 Japanese Bear, 2 Black Macaques, 1 Slow Lemur, 4 Cassowaries, 2 Nicobar Pigeons, t Red-breasted Merganser, 1 Cuban Parrot, 2 Reticulated Pythons, 3 Gila Mon- sters, 7 Tortoises. ADVANTAGES OF MEMBERSHIP, Among the advantages of membership in the New York Zoological Society are, first of all, the satisfaction of taking part in a great popular enterprise of the utmost interest to every lover of Nature and her works. The direct practical benefits to members are as follows: Admission to the Zo- ological Park on the two days of each week when to the general crowds it -will be closed, except upon payment of an admission fee; the privilege of the library building, the library, and its picture collections; the receipt of the So- ciety’s publications, many of which will undoubtedly pos- sess considerable artistic and literary value, and will be free to members only; the privileges of all lectures, receptions, and special exhibitions. In brief, the time will soon come when the Society will give ample returns for the assistance of those who come forward helpfully during the initial stages of its work. Applications for membership should be addressed to Madison Grant, Secretary, No. 11 Wall Street, or handed to the Director of the Zoological Park, at his office, in the Elk House. There is no initiation fee. The yearly dues for Annual Members are $10. The Life Member’s fee is $200; Patron’s fee, $1,000; Associate Founder’s, $2,500; Founder's, $5,000; Benefactor’s, $25,000. Subscriptions should be made payable to the New York Zoological Society, and ad- dressed to the Secretary. Pkas t. Scan trnde f Larcock se. STOFF Ol OG0S9 Wo,