REPORT OF THE SECRETARY 73 



About 3 o'clock every afternoon, except Sundays and holidays, a 

 census is made of the cars parked on the Zoo grounds. During the 

 year, 27,840 were so listed, representing every State in the Union, 

 Alaska, Canada, Canal Zone, Cuba, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the 

 Philippine Islands. 



Since the total number is merely a record of those actually parked 

 at one time, it is not of value as indicating a total attendance but is 

 of importance as showing the percentage of attendance by States, Terri- 

 tories, and countries. The record for the year on this basis shows 

 that the District of Columbia automobiles comprised slightly less 

 than 46 percent ; Maryland, 20 percent ; Virginia, 10 percent ; and the 

 remaining cars were from other States, Territories, and countries. 

 On a few occasions when it has been possible to make a census of the 

 cars that were parked in the Zoo grounds at a given hour on Satur- 

 day afternoons, Sundays, and holidays, it has been found that Dis- 

 trict cars comprise only about 30 percent and cars from the several 

 States and other parts of the world make the remaining 70 percent. 

 Owing to the large attendance on these days, the proportion for the 

 year of District and foreign cars would be very materially altered 

 from that obtained when Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays are 

 omitted from the count. It is, therefore, clearly evident that at least 

 60 percent of the cars that come to the Zoo throughout the year are 

 from outside the District. 



An accurate count of the total traific through the Park would be 

 desirable, and with that in mind a request has been made to the D. C. 

 Works Progress Administration for such a project. 



ACCESSIONS 



riELD WORK 



SMITHSONIAN-FIRESTONE EXPEDITION 



Through funds donated to the Smithsonian Institution by the Fire- 

 stone Tire & Rubber Co., of Akron, Ohio, a party was sent to Liberia, 

 West Africa, for the purpose of collecting specimens for the National 

 Zoological Park. The party, consisting of the Director, Mrs. Mann, 

 Ralph Norris, and Roy J. Jennier, sailed on the American-West 

 African Line on February 17, 1940, for Monrovia. Here they were 

 received by Mr. George Seybold, manager of the Firestone Plantations 

 Co., and taken immediately to the plantation, w^here they established 

 headquarters. 



Trips into the interior were made at four localities : Belleyella, near 

 the French Ivory Coast frontier ; the Gibi country ; the Polish Plan- 

 tation at Reputa; and Bendaja in the Gola country, inland from Cape 

 Mount and near the British Sierra Leone border. The party also 

 visited the American Episcopal Missions at Bromley and Cape Mount 



