NED HOLLISTER — OSGOOD 607 



nated was he with the nature of his work and so engrossed in each 

 problem encountered that he was accused of neglecting his friends 

 and failing to enjoy the social advantages with which Washington 

 abounded. Therefore, in November, 1916, when he was invited to 

 become superintendent of the National Zoological Park, which, like 

 the National Museum, is a subsidiary of the Smithsonian Institution, 

 he perhaps accepted with some misgivings. Although by his trans- 

 fer the Zoo gained a very competent officer, the Museum lost one 

 of the most gifted and devoted curators who ever sat in one of its 

 offices. 



As superintendent of the National Zoological Park from Novem- 

 ber, 1916, until the date of his death, he led a somewhat different life, 

 still in Washington, still with many of the same personal associates, 

 and still in touch with the National Museum, but with many ex- 

 ecutive and administrative responsibilities which deprived him of 

 coveted time for study and research. His broad knowledge of 

 animals and his genius for order and system were brought to bear on 

 the problems of the Zoological Park with signal success. During 

 his administration, the collection of living animals became larger 

 and more varied than at any previous time. The attendance in- 

 creased until it reached a total of 2,400,000 visitors in 1923. The 

 grounds and animal quarters were improved in many ways. The 

 deer and other ruminants were given increased space, and their 

 yards, formerly much scattered, were brought together systematical- 

 ly to form an orderly and instructive series. One project in which 

 he took much personal pleasure was the forming of a special collec- 

 tion of American waterfowl. A small pond, previously used for mis- 

 cellaneous birds, was surrounded by enlarged space and made es- 

 pecially suitable for this purpose. The collection grew to contain 

 some 40 or 50 species and the conditions were so arranged that 

 nearly one-fourth of them laid their eggs and hatched young an- 

 nually. In presenting the needs of the park to Congress, Hollister 

 was also successful in years when appropriations for such purposes 

 were very difficult to obtain. Largely through his efforts, a valu- 

 able frontage on an important street was purchased and added to 

 the park area, thus insuring a highly desirable approach which 

 doubtless will be greatly appreciated in future years. In his rela- 

 tions with the numerous employees of the park, from gardeners, 

 gatekeepers, and policemen to office associates, he was exceptionally 

 sympathetic and universally popular. Besides his annual report, 

 which was prepared and published each year, he produced a popular 

 illustrated guide to the animals in the park which had a large sale, 

 probably exceeding 30,000 copies. 



Despite the distractions of his responsible position, Hollister still 

 found time for research, probably in many cases by burning the mid- 



