REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 33 



were suspended during the war. Nevertheless the number of pack- 

 ages handled exceeded by over 27,000 the total during 1914, the last 

 year before the "World War. 



Shipments are still suspended to certain countries where internal 

 conditions are unsettled or with whom peace treaties have not yet 

 been ratified by the United States. An exchange of publications 

 has been inaugurated with the Czechoslovak Republic, and, as soon 

 as conditions warrant, it is expected to take the same step with the 

 Polish Government. The prompt dispatch of foreign exchanges was 

 considerably hampered at times during the year by freight em- 

 bargoes and marine strikes. Later, however, the official character of 

 the exchange shipments put them among the classes of freight ex- 

 empt from the embargoes. 



The Exchange Service continues to be of use in securing for es- 

 tablishments in other countries collections of scientific or other docu- 

 ments in this country. As an instance of this service, considerable 

 material bearing on American universities and on the methods of 

 government in American municipalities was collected and forwarded 

 to the counselor in charge of foreign relations of the municipality 

 of Prague, at his request. 



For transmission to foreign countries there were received during 

 the year 56 full sets of United States official publications and 37 par- 

 tial sets, in exchange for which this country receives the official 

 publications of these various countries. Two new depositories to 

 receive the official documents were added during the year, Czecho- 

 slovakia to exchange full sets and the State of Rio de Janeiro, 

 Brazil, partial sets. 



NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK. 



The congressional appropriation for the maintenance of the Na- 

 tional Zoological Park was the same for the past fiscal year as for 

 the preceding year, and with the constantly increasing cost of prac- 

 tically all supplies used at the park it was impossible to spend more 

 than a small part of the amount for repairs and improvements. 

 Only the most urgent of the needed improvements were completed, 

 among them a public-comfort station at the Harvard Street entrance ; 

 nine new inclosures of iron framework covered with heavy mesh wire 

 for strictly outdoor animals, such as pumas, leopards, lynxes, and 

 others; and some necessary minor improvements, such as new con- 

 crete steps, drainage gutters, and new fences. 



Popular interest in the park continues to increase, the total number 

 of visitors during the year being 2,229,605, the largest yearly attend- 

 ance ever recorded. The educational value of the zoological collec- 

 42803°— 22 3 



