598 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



SITE OF TIIF. IIF.AR DENS. 



size of our c(.;lk'Ctiiin, it now seems absurdly 

 small, both in scope and in numbers. 



With the Park in full swing, the work of 

 the Committee assumed large proportions in 

 the study and development of the plans, with 

 problems of engineering, architecture, land- 

 scape gardening and construction. Every de- 

 tail was scrupulously studied, and the best 

 available advice obtained. The first formula- 

 tion of the scientific requirements and ground 

 plans of buildings were prepared by the 

 Director, passed on bv the Executive Com- 

 mittee with the utmost care, and then turned 

 over for construction to the architects of the 

 Society, IMessrs. Heins and La Farge, who 

 have provided the Park with many beautiful 

 specimens of exterior architecture. The Di- 

 rector also prepared a plan for the administra- 

 tive force of the Park and rules of govern- 

 ment, and recommended a staff of employees. 

 The landscape features were submitted to and 

 passed on from time to time by many different 

 landscape architects, but the chief credit for 

 the artistic development of details, for most 

 of the planting plans, and for all the care of 

 the forests, is due to the professional skill and 

 unselfish devotion of the Chief Forester. Her- 

 mann W. Merkel, who joined the force of 

 the Park in 1898. 



On May 23, 1899, Mr. H. R. Mitchell was 



made Chief Clerk and Disbursing officer, and 

 took entire charge of the finances of the Park. 

 In addition to these functions he has been 

 highly successful in developing the privilege 

 business of the Park, until the receipts there- 

 from are now nearly sufficient to maintain in 

 numerical completeness the collections of 

 animals at the Park. 



The rapid and continuous development of 

 the Zoological Park has been stated elsewhere, 

 and is recorded at length in the various pub- 

 lications of the Society. It has taken ten years 

 from the date of the opening of the Park, in 

 Xovember, 1899, until the present time, to 

 bring it up to its present state of completion, 

 and from now on the work of the Society will 

 be directed more and more to scientific investi- 

 gation in connection with the collections and 

 the expansion of the work of the Society 

 throughout other fields. 



The first important step taken by the Society 

 outside of building a Zoological Park was in 

 the acceptance of the Aquarium, under the 

 administration of Mayor Low. At that time 

 the Aquarium had been managed lay the Park 

 Department, and was in the condition usual 

 in scientific institutions that are subject to 

 frequent changes of administration. The So- 

 ciety assumed control of this institution and 

 asked Mr. Charles H. Townsend, of the United 



