REPORT OF THE SECRETARY 23 



Fifty-eight full sets of United States official documents and 40 pai- 

 tial sets are now sent regularly to depositories abroad. This is a re- 

 duction of one full set from last year and an addition of two partial 

 sets. At the request of New Zealand, a partial set is now being 

 sent to the General Assembly library instead of a full one and the 

 Stadtbibliothek of the Free City of Danzig has been added to the list 

 of those receiving partial sets. The immediate exchange of the 

 Official Journal has been entered into during the year with India 

 and the Free City of Danzig. 



A committee of experts on the international exchange of publica- 

 tions was called together by the committee on intellectual cooperation 

 of the League of Nations at Geneva, July 17-19, 1924. Mr. H. W. 

 Dorsey, chief clerk of the Institution, represented the Smithsonian 

 on this committee. The committee recommended an additional 

 protocol to the Brussels convention of 1886, enabling the states that 

 are not yet parties to the convention to adhere thereto with reserva- 

 ions. The committee also gave consideration to various other mat- 

 ters looking to the improvement of the international exchange service 

 and the extension of its activities. 



NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK 



I regret to have to record the death on November 3, 1924, of Mr. 

 N. Hollister, for eight years the able superintendent of the park. 

 Dr. Alexander Wetmore succeeded Mr. Hollister and served until 

 April 1, 1925. On that date he was appointed an assistant secretary 

 of the Smithsonian Institution, and Dr. William M. Mann, ento- 

 mologist of the Department of Agriculture and widely known as 

 an explorer in the interests of zoology and entomology, was ap- 

 pointed superintendent of the park on May 13, 1925. 



The collection of animals in the park has been somewhat dimin- 

 ished in value during the year by a number of deaths among the 

 older animals. This loss has been offset to a certain extend by the ac- 

 cession of 130 animals presented by various donors and 70 mammals 

 and birds born or hatched in the park, but among the older stock lost 

 were many valuable specimens that can be replaced only by purchase, 

 and funds for this purpose are very limited. The more notable of 

 the new gifts to the park included a splendid young male chimpan- 

 zee, from Mr. Victor J. Evans, and a Bateleur eagle, an Abyssinian 

 falcon, and two South American stone plover from Mr. B. H. Swales. 



The total number of individuals in the park collection at the close 

 of the year was 1,620, 25 less than reported last year. The species 

 represented, however, show an increase of 17 due to judicious selec- 

 tion and purchase of small species offered for sale at moderate prices. 



