44 NEW: YORK ZOQGLOGICAL SOClE RY: 
the tour of the collections, and leave the Park at the Northwest 
Gate, without retracing his steps. In this connection it may be 
well to state that the service on the Third Avenue Elevated Rail- 
road has been greatly improved by the electric trains, which have 
decreased appreciably the running time from the Borough of 
Manhattan to Fordham, affording one of the pleasantest means 
of reaching the Park. 
FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION 
Maintenance. The Maintenance Fund for the year 1902 shows 
a deficit of about $3,000, which will be made good by the Society. 
In view of the completion of the Lion House early in the year, 
and the prospective completion of the Antelope House and large 
Bird Houses, the Society has made an application for increased 
maintenance, and for the year 1903 the Board of Estimate and 
Apportionment has provided $104,965 as the Maintenance Fund. 
It is important to remember in this connection that the Society has 
not only the care of the collection of animals, numbering on the 
Ist of January, 1903, about two thousand specimens, but that 
this Maintenance Fund includes the protection and care of the 
Park area, fully one-third as large as that of Central Park, and 
visited by very large crowds of people, probably larger crowds in 
proportion to area than any park in the city. With the increase 
in number of visitors, the increase in our collections, and in the 
cost of supplies, the most rigid economy has to be exercised to 
avoid running behind the funds provided by the City. 
BUILDING AND PARK IMPROVEMENT FUND PROVIDED BY THE 
Clin 
The Society made application to the Board of Estimate and 
Apportionment for a bond issue of $500,000, for the development 
of the Park, and on the 19th day of April, the Board of Estimate 
and Apportionment provided bonds to the amount of $250,000 
for this purpose; this bond issue received the approval of the 
Board of Alderrnen on May 13, 1902. A large portion of the 
bond issue has been spent for the improvement of the Park, 
chiefly for the development of Baird Court, building the Antelope 
House, the Bird House (now under contract), and the protection 
of the Park east of Bronx River. More detailed statement 
of the expenditure of this fund, and the balance available, will be 
found in the Treasurer’s report. At the time of granting this 
amount it was understood that the balance, $250,000, would be 
provided during 1903, and application has been made to the 
