70 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



d' Affaires flatly declined to render, without a positive order from 

 the United States Government; and so, thanks to two kinds of 

 red tape, Mr. Nickerson's effort was completely thwarted. There 

 are times when an inactive friend is quite as deadly to a cause 

 as an active foe. Mr. Nickerson's admirable efforts in behalf 

 of the disappearing walrus, prosecuted in two great capitals, cer- 

 tainly deserved better treatment than they received. 



HEADS AND HORNS COLLECTION. 



The most important gifts of the year were a finely mounted 

 head of an Abyssinian buffalo or "Nile" buffalo, presented by 

 Mr. Irving K. Taylor, and a particularly fine horns and skull 

 of a black mountain sheep {Ovis stonei) , presented by Mr. Frank 

 H. Callbreath, Telegraph Creek, British Columbia, and brought 

 to the Park by Mr. Daniel J. Singer, of New York. The pur- 

 chases made during the year embraced an extra large white- 

 tailed deer head from Minnesota ; and the estate of Bartlett Rich- 

 ards, of Wyoming, deposited a famous "freak" mule deer head 

 of grand proportions. 



A constant watch is maintained for heads and horns of a 

 character so commanding that they will materially strengthen 

 the collection ; but "record" offerings have been few. 



PAINTINGS OF ANIMALS. ' 



The Society begins to need the picture galleries that now 

 contain the heads and horns, for its collection of oil paintings. 

 We now have seven paintings by Carl Rungius, three of which 

 are of large size, and two by Charles R. Knight — certainly a 

 good beginning for a gallery of animal paintings. We will wel- 

 come the time when the erection of a suitable building for the 

 heads and horns will enable us to install that collection properly, 

 and throw it open to all visitors, and at the same time release 

 the picture galleries for their original purpose. 



DEPARTMENT OF MAMMALS. 

 W. T. Hornaday, Curator; Raymond L. Ditmars, Assistant Curator. 



The most noteworthy animal added to the collection of mam- 

 mals during the year 1914 was the gorilla, obtained by Mr. Rich- 

 ard L. Garner in the Fernan Vaz district, French Congo Terri- 

 tory, West Africa, and brought to New York on August 21. The 

 arrival of this vigorous specimen of the famous and much-sought 



