10 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1963 



and other personal papers of both Miss Fletcher and La Flesche and 

 also extensive ethnographic items relating to the Omaha, Osage, Paw- 

 nee, Dakota, and Nez Perce Tribes, with smaller amounts on the Win- 

 nebago, the Indians of Alaska, and a few other North American tribes. 

 Much of this material has not been published and is a fruitful source 

 of data for students investigating those groups. Another significant 

 addition to the archives consists of papers of Dr. Frans M. Olbrechts 

 relating to his studies of the Cherokee Indians of North Carolina in 

 1926-31, when he was a collaborator of the Bureau. Dr. Olbrechts 

 was associated with the Kominklijh Museum, Tervuren, Belgium, and 

 following his death, Mrs. Olbrechts sent all his field notes and other 

 pertinent data to the Bureau. 



A noteworthy event in the latter part of the 10-year period was the 

 appointment of a librarian and the reopening of the Bureau library, 

 with its extensive collection of reference works and documentary 

 records concerning all aspects of the life of the American Indian. 



The Bureau issued several important bulletins during the period. 

 One of the most noteworthy is "Isleta Paintings," a book outstanding 

 both as a contribution to ethnology and as an excellent example of 

 the effective use of good color reproductions for scholarly reasons. 



National Zoological Park, 1953-63 



The National Zoological Park was founded as the result of the ef- 

 forts of the third Secretary of the Smithsonian, Dr. Samuel Pierpont 

 Langley, about 75 years ago. It was established by an act of Congress 

 and assigned to the Smithsonian Institution. Previously a number 

 of great American animals, such as bison, were kept m pens near the 

 original Smithsonian Building. During the years since its establish- 

 ment, the Park has grown to become one of the world's great animal 

 collections, as well as one of the most visited zoological parks in the 

 world. In 1961 the Congress of the United States authorized the Fed- 

 eral Government to make appropriations to the Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion for capital improvements at the National Zoological Park. As 

 a result, funds have been provided for a master plan for the moderni- 

 zation of the Zoo. This project, planned to be completed in 1972, 

 will be carried out gradually so that there will be very little incon- 

 venience to visitors or disruption of normal activities. One example 

 of the additions made possible by this new program is the construct- 

 ing of an aviary, 70 feet high and 120 feet in diameter, now nearing 

 completion. 



Gifts of animals have been numerous during this decade. Among 

 them were a pair of Barbary apes from Sir Gordon MacMillan of 

 MacMillan, Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Gibraltar; tliree 

 East Indian monitor lizards from Hon. Carlton Skinner, Governor of 



