ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



^ITE OF THE I'dLAK Ui:.\R 



cided to help pass the existing bill, rather than 

 to introduce a new measure. Subsequent 

 events, however, showed that it would have 

 been much wiser to have started with an en- 

 tirely new bill, instead of accepting the old 

 one, as the original charter of the Zoological 

 Society proved somewhat limited, and required 

 subsequent amendments. It could be still fur- 

 ther improved by enlarging the scope and pur- 

 poses of the Society. In spite, however, of 

 the somewhat cramped provisions of the bill, 

 the Committee agreed to help I\lr. Green in re- 

 turn for his assurance that his purposes were 

 identical with those of the Club, and that the 

 control of the new organization would be 

 turned over to the Club. 



The writer and Mr. C. Grant La Farge, the 

 two active members of the Committee, there- 

 upon interviewed Mr. William White Niles, 

 Jr., then a member of Assembly, who had in- 

 troduced the bill on behalf of Mr. Green, and 

 who was seriously considering its withdrawal, 

 owing to the various annoying charges made in 

 connection with the proposed transfer of tlie 



Central Park Menagerie. The Committee as- 

 sured Mr. Xiles that they not only had no in- 

 tention or desire to secure the Zoological col- 

 lection at the Menagerie, and would not, under 

 any circumstances, accept the transfer of the 

 animals in Central Park, or even the control 

 of them. 



Mr. Niles accepted the assurances of the 

 Committee, and proceeded to push the bill to a 

 successful passage. The bill was, however, 

 first amended by adding the names of the 

 writer and of Mr. C. Grant La Farge to the 

 list of incorporators, and by cutting out the 

 objectionable feature which had reference to 

 the menagerie in Central Park. 



The Committee thereupon interviewed the 

 various opponents of the bill and satisfied them 

 that their apprehensions as to the purposes of 

 the proposed legislation were without founda- 

 tion. 



Upon the enactment into law of Chapter 

 435 of the Laws of 1895, the New York 

 Zoological Society held its first meeting for 

 organization on May 7, 1895. Of those pres- 



