86 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



Of special interest to the Zoological Society was the com- 

 pletion by Mr. Beerbower of a large record map of the Park, as 

 it is at this time, drawn on a scale of 50 feet to an inch, and ren- 

 dered in colors. When exhibited for the first time, at a meeting 

 of the Board of Managers, it made a pronounced impression, and 

 a duplicate copy for exhibition purposes was immediately called 

 for. 



NEEDS FOR THE FUTURE 



The imperative needs for the immediate future are three in 

 number, and it is difficult to decide which is most urgent. 



Emergency Bear Dens. — As is already well known, our col- 

 lection of bears is very large, (37 specimens) . It contains many 

 species, (17), and it is certainly one of the most popular of all 

 our exhibits. The eleven large dens are seriously overcrowded, 

 and when the four young Alaskan brown bears, now rapidly 

 coming on, reach a size approaching maturity, our troubles in 

 preventing tragedies will be even more serious than they now 

 are. We must have several new dens, and we must have them 

 immediately! The plans are all ready, the site is available, and 

 the sum necessary to build them is very small. Unless these 

 dens are provided this year, the Director can not guarantee a 

 peaceful future for the bears. Seven bears in one den make at 

 least three too many. 



The Zebra House. — No zoological garden or park is either 

 complete or great without a proper building for a fine collection 

 of zebras, asses and wild horses. At this moment we have seven 

 species of wild equines, and no place in which to keep them, or 

 exhibit them. They are scattered from the old Moose House in 

 Birds Valley, to the southeastern Fallow Deer Range, but the 

 majority are in the Antelope House, where they usurp space that 

 should be occupied by large African antelopes. A Zebra House, 

 with a fine series of yards, and two log barns already on the 

 ground, has been planned to occupy the entire hill once dedicated 

 to moose, on the west side of Bird Valley, and an application for 

 a very moderate sum of money ($42,000) is now before the 

 Board of Estimate. 



Eagles and Vultures Aviary. — We are already in possession 

 of a very fine series of eagles and vultures, old world and new, 

 embracing many rare and showy species. At present the birds 

 are quartered in several different places, and they have no iden- 



