NENTED ANNUAL. REPORT: 59 
has been fruitful of excellent results, and the value of his work 
is steadily increasing. 
Only those who are in or near the storm-center can appreciate 
the extent to which unexpected, and often deadly, diseases and 
parasites are constantly being brought from all parts of the habi- 
table globe by the living animals which come into a large zoologi- 
cal garden or park. Our Veterinarian and the Director agree in 
the belief that we are destined to receive here all the diseases and 
parasites that wild animals are heir to, and while closely guard- 
ing all avenues of approach we need be surprised by nothing. 
Thanks to the continuous struggle that has been made ever 
since the Zoological Park opened, by every one either directly 
or indirectly connected with the welfare of our animals, the death 
rate amongst our mammals has been brought down from 24 per 
cent in 1900 to 16 2-3 per cent in 1904. It should be noted at 
this point, however, that while in figures the annual death loss 
in every large zoological garden seems very large, about three- 
fourths of the total number of deaths are of small, inexpensive 
and short-lived animals. By eliminating the smaller carnivores, 
rodents, edentates, marsupials, and short-lived primates, it would 
be a comparatively easy matter to bring an annual death rate down 
to 8 or 10 per cent ; but the end thereby attained would not justify 
the means. 
The poisonous nature of all the grasses in the Zoological Park 
meadow ranges, both wild and cultivated, has been strikingly 
apparent in the ranges of Mountain Sheep Hill. After many 
experiments, and much grass sickness amongst the wild sheep 
and goats kept in those enclosures, we have been compelled to 
choose between animals and grass. Nothing remains but to up- 
root every square foot of green turf on Mountain Sheep Hill, 
and this will be done early in the coming spring. We will then 
be enabled to regulate absolutely the food supply of our large 
and valuable collection of wild sheep and goats. 
Fortunately, the most valuable animals in the Park are the 
ones which thrive best, and seem resolved to live longest. Since 
the opening of the Antelope House (November 9, 1903), there 
has been but one fatality in that collection. A small redunca 
antelope died of tuberculosis—the only case of that dread disease 
amongst our mammals for the entire year. The anthropoid apes 
are the healthiest and most active of all the animals in the Pri- 
mates’ House, and they are growing more rapidly than any others. 
During the year 1904 the only loss in the Lion House—aside 
from imperfect lion cubs—was the female snow leopard which 
