EEPOliT OF THE SECRETARY; 99 



as well as an inclosed room where visitors may Ivmch comfortably 

 in cold weather. 



The bird house required repairs, as usual. Some of the cages 

 were in such bad condition that they had to be entirely replaced. 

 A new floor was laid in the feed room, and various minor repairs 

 made. The roof leaked badly and will require treatment during 

 the coming year. 



The eland house, the zebra house, the fences about these, rub- 

 bish containers, outdoor benches, various inclosure fences, and other 

 ironwork were painted during the year. 



WATER MAIN 



One thousand live hundred and eighty feet of six-inch water main 

 was laid, and two lire hydrants installed, through a special ap- 

 propriation of $3,250, supplemented by funds taken from the general 

 appropriation. 



NEEDS OF THE PARK 



The need of the park for exhibition buildings is even more acute 

 than in previous 3^ears, as there has been tremendous growth in the 

 number of visitors and there is need for better conditions for exhibi- 

 tion. The most important and customarj?^ buildings required by a 

 zoological park are : Carnivore, pachyderm, primate, antelope, small 

 mammal, bird, and reptile houses. Of permanent structures, the 

 National Zoological Park has a primate house, a house to contain 

 one elephant, and one end of a carnivore house. All other build- 

 ings are old, without exception originally built as temporary make- 

 shifts and kept together only by continual and often expensive 

 repairs. 



The building that shelters most of the birds, built 28 years ago, 

 was then intended to house the collections for three or four years, 

 until a suitable bird house could be constructed. This structure is 

 dark, wdth walls so decayed that they will no longer hold pebble- 

 dash, and provides entirely inadequate space for either the collection 

 of birds or the great numbers of visitors; it is not only unfit for its 

 i:)resent use but actually unsafe for its inmates. 



There is no house for reptiles, always popular with visitors, and 

 none for small mammals. Such reptiles and small mammals as 

 are shown at the park are scattered about in places where it is in- 

 convenient to care for them, and where in some instances they 

 actually close the passages needed for visitors. 



During a period of 35 years a collection of animals has been 

 assembled in the National Zoological Park which ranks among the 

 most notable in this country. Adequate buildings to replace the 



