SECRETARY'S REPORT 127 



keep, and consequent deterioration, this area has become unsightly 

 and inadequate for the proper care and exliibition of tliese animals. 



In addition to new buildings, new paddocks are needed. Over the 

 years, space for the exhibition of such animals as deer, sheep, goats, 

 and other hoofed animals has been so curtailed that the collection no 

 longer contains the proper assortment of these attractive and valuable 

 animals. This has been brought about by the natural deterioration of 

 materials, making some of the paddocks no longer usable ; elimination 

 of some paddocks for the construction of buildings on the sites; and 

 abandonment of some paddocks that were in undesirable locations. 

 Further abandonment of some paddocks is imminent to make way for 

 parking space for cars and buses to offset losses in such space that will 

 occur if the Rock Creek-Potomac Parkway is extended through the 

 Zoo property on the east side of the creek. Construction of ten new 

 paddocks and rehabilitation of six old ones are urgently needed. 



Provision of new parking space necessitates grading and surfacing 

 about 14,000 square yards of land in several different locations. 



The establishment of parking space near the mechanical shops will 

 make unavailable an area that has been used for the storage of a 

 reserve pile of coal. As this location has never been an entirely satis- 

 factory one, it would be highly desirable at this time to build an 

 addition to the regular coal bunker to increase the capacity and elimi- 

 nate the need for maintaining a separate reserve pile. 



The steadily increasing popularity of the Zoo, as a source of both 

 entertainment and education, has developed such a volume of requests 

 for information that there is now need for an additional scientist to 

 Bhare the load of answering queries and to assist in other administra- 

 tive work so that the Director and Assistant Director can devote more 

 time to general supervision of the Zoo. 



One additional general mechanic is needed to assist the maintenance 

 personnel in what has hitherto been a losing race in trying to keep pace 

 with natural deterioration in the structures. The newest of the ex- 

 hibition buildings are 18 years old, the reptile house is 24 years old, 

 and the bird house is 27 years old. The minimum of maintenance has 

 fully occupied the mechanical force, mainly on the larger structures, so 

 that there has been almost no opportunity to take care of the lesser 

 structures such as paddocks and outside cages, with the result that an 

 increasing number of these are unusable. 



Two additional permanent laborers are needed for proper mainte- 

 nance, removal of dead or fallen tree limbs and other safety hazards, 

 and repair of walks, guard rails, and other structures, for the protec- 

 tion of the public. 



To comply with the requirements of keeping property and inventory 

 records, in accordance with the program laid down by the General 



