30 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



usually to but one side of the building-. The throngs of visitors are 

 now sometimes so great that it is impossible for them to view the 

 animals properly when the cages are small and scattered along both 

 sides (»(' a passageway. 



The lack of any provision for the purchase of animals has worked 

 serious disadvantage to the collection, finder the most favorable cir- 

 cumstances the mortality in a collection of animals confined under 

 unnatural conditions is very great, and constant additions must be 

 made if its scientific value is to be maintained. The park has for the 

 last year been forced to depend upon gifts, loans, and collections sent 

 from the Yellowstone Park. Gifts have been rare and mostly insig- 

 nificant. The animals collected at the Yellowstone Park by direction 

 of the honorable the Secretary of the Interior have, while important 

 and valuable, cost more for transportation alone than similar animals 

 would have cost if purchased of dealers and safely delivered at their 

 expense. Various other schemes of collection have been tried, all of 

 which have proved more expensive than purchase would have been. 

 It is hoped that in time, as the National Zoological Park becomes 

 more widely known, the same advantages of cheap purchase will be 

 offered to it as are now made use of by dealers; that is, that the ani- 

 mals brought in by sailors or captured by hunters will be sent to it at 

 low prices. Even now such offers are frequently made, though they 

 are necessarily refused, as the appropriation does not allow any pur- 

 chases. 



Experience has shown that there should be provision made for a res- 

 ident superintendent. At present the entire park and animals are left 

 at night in charge of watchmen only. If any exigency arises it must 

 wait for morning to bring relief. The isolation of the buildings hous- 

 ing the animals, and the distance of the park from town, make it the 

 more necessary that there should always be at hand, within call, some 

 person of authority to direct in case direction is needed. For this the 

 Holt house may be made available. It is in a part of the park reserved 

 for administrative purposes, and a portion of it now accommodates the 

 office. With a small outlay it could be made a suitable dwelling. The 

 advantages of such an arrangement are too obvious to be recounted, 

 and the effect upon the employes of the constant presence of the super- 

 intendent would be very beneficial. 



The number of animals at present in the park is 504. Of these 322 

 are native and 182 foreign. In the appendix to this report tables are 

 given showing the accessions in detail. 



ASTRO- PHYSICAL OBSERVATORY. 



In my report for 1800-91 reference was made to the circumstances 

 which led to the establishment of the astro-physical observatory, and 

 in that of last year I gave a brief description of the general object and 



