SECRETARY'S REPORT 83 



creatures of outstanding interest at the time they were shown are no 

 longer in the collection at the time the list is prepared. 



ACCESSIONS 



Many valuable additions to the collections were made by gifts 

 during the past year. 



The Government of India, through Prime Minister Jawaharlal 

 Nehru and the Embassy of India in Washington, presented a pair of 

 baby elephants. These were captured in Mysore and sent from 

 Bombay to the States with a young Indian mahout, Baba Jan, in 

 charge. The Isthmian Steamship Co. furnished free transportation 

 for the elephants and a retm^n passage for Baba Jan. They were 

 officially presented by Madam Vijayalakshmi Pandit, Ambassador to 

 the United States from India, through Assistant Secretary of State 

 George C. McGhee, in the presence of some 70,000 people. Ashok, 

 named after an ancient Indian emperor known for his peaceful reign, 

 was about a y»ar old. Shanti, an Indian word meaning peace (and 

 also a girl's name), was about 2 years old. They adapted themselves 

 immediately to life at the Zoo and are two much-admired animals. 



The U. S. National Park Service captured and sent three grizzly 

 bears, which were especially desirable additions inasmuch as the Zoo 

 has had none for many years. Grizzlies are now so scarce that they 

 are highly prized, and the courtesy of the National Park Service in 

 supplying them is much appreciated. These three were removed 

 from Yellowstone Park because they threatened to become a menace 

 to visitors; othei-wise they would not have been disturbed. 



A number of shipments were received from members of the Armed 

 Forces who had been abroad; many of them came from Malaya, 

 where they were collected by Alaj. Robert Traub, of the Army Med- 

 ical Department, Research and Graduate School. Outstanding 

 among the rare and interesting creatures are two pencil-tailed tree 

 mice, a species seldom seen in captivity. 



Miss Alice Birney Robert, Washington, D. C., presented a great 

 gray kangaroo that her father obtained while in Australia. 



The American Veterans Association presented ''Amvet," an unus- 

 ually fine lion cub, which promises to become a splendid adult. 



Roy Humbert, of Eustis, Fla., sent four giant anolis lizards from 

 Cuba. 



Capt. Hugh L. Keegan, of the United States Army Medical Corps, 

 sent a number of Philippine species, including two elephant trunk 

 snakes, a tangalunga, a Philippine palm civet, and a slender-tailed 

 cloud rat (Phloeomys cumingi). 



