86 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



SUMMARY OF COLLECTIONS. 



A census of the animals in the Zoological Park, taken Janu- 

 ary 1, 1914, is as follows : 



Species. Specimens. 



Mammals 208 601 



Birds 905 3042 



Reptiles 177 1086 



Total 1290 4729 



DEPARTMENT OF INSECTS. 

 Raymond L. Ditmars, Curator. 



This department, now fully established, is maintained at a 

 uniformly high standard. A considerable amount of correspond- 

 ence with our reptile collectors has enabled us to exhibit a larger 

 series of living insects during the winter months. The insect 

 collection costs practically nothing to maintain, and the cost of 

 the greater number of the cases for exhibition has been covered 

 by the sale of mounted specimens for souvenirs. 



Primarily the sale of these specimens was arranged with a 

 view of furnishing specimens useful in the study of entomology, 

 but the demand was so great that the larger number of butter- 

 flies and moths reared by our keepers are now mounted in attrac- 

 tive tablets. Head Keeper Snyder has skilfully prepared a series 

 of very beautiful specimens representing species found in vari- 

 ous parts of the world. 



During the year the standard series of singing insects 

 was continued, and the transformations of the local moths and 

 butterflies maintained in generous numbers. Among the more 

 important exhibits during the past year were the following: a 

 collection of trap-door spiders and their curious homes, from 

 Arizona; a series of Indian tumble beetles; several cases of the 

 luminous beetle of tropical America; specimens of insect-eating 

 beetles imported by the United States government to destroy 

 the gypsy and the brown-tailed moth ; a full life history of the 

 rhinoceros beetle showing the huge grubs and pupae in the 

 underground burrows; female scorpions and their young; six 

 giant centipedes and a series of large tropical spiders repre- 

 senting several species. The life history of the silk worm was 

 again illustrated through the courtesy of Mr. Edward Mahoney, 

 Superintendent of the Fairview Garden School Association of 

 Yonkers, New York. 



