96 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1916. 



Reptile house. — ^No properly appointed house for reptiles now 

 exists here, and the few specimens we have are inconveniently and 

 unsuitably exhibited in the lion house. There should be a house 120 

 by 50 feet, Avith properly fitted cases on both sides and having a wing 

 20 by 50 feet with table exhibits. This would enable the park to 

 exhibit all the important snakes of the United States and the prin- 

 cipal ones of the western hemisphere, as well as the cobras and others 

 of tropical East India; also the extremely varied group of lizards, 

 the different species of crocodiles, etc. 



Tortoise house. — Almost at the inception of the park a group of 

 giant tortoises from the Galapagos Islands was obtained from Hon. 

 Walter Rothschild. These still remain and might well form the 

 nucleus of a collection of the tortoises of the world. A house 80 by 

 45 feet, with cages on both sides and yards 16 feet deep, would accom- 

 modate such a collection. 



House for zehras., wild asses, and others of the horse family. — 

 The park has already an interesting exhibit of this family including 

 the Mongolian wild horse and two species of zebra. This should 

 be enlarged and suitable quarters provided in a house 120 by 44 

 feet. The stalls should be on one side only and yards 50 feet deep 

 be arranged. 



House for tropical antelopes. — The teeming African fauna should 

 be represented much more fully. It Avould require a house at least 

 175 feet by 75 with stalls on both sides and with commodious yards 

 arranged about it in an elliptical form ranging in depth from 40 

 feet to 80 feet. Some of the stalls should be fitted up for giraffes. 



House for tropical deer and sioine. — A few specimens are already 

 found in the collection. An adequate exhibit would require a house 

 100 feet by 45 feet with cages on both sides, the yards 30 feet deep 

 an one side and 50 feet on the other. 



House for marsupials. — The group of pouched animals, such as 

 kangaroos, wallabies, opossums, wombats, Tasmanian wolves, etc., 

 should be exhibited apart from the other mammals. These animals 

 are dying out, rapidly diminishing in number year by year. They 

 should have a house 120 feet by 40 feet with cages on both sides, 

 the yards being 60 feet deep on one side, 20 feet on the other. 



Pheasantry. — Besides the general aviary building, which it is hoped 

 may soon be erected, separate quarters should be provided for cer- 

 tain groups of birds. Among these are the pheasants, comparatively 

 hardy birds of very showy plumage, offering great variety. An 

 exhibit can be secured at a reasonable expense. A house for them 

 should be a low structure 140 by 18 feet. Visitors should not be 

 admitted to this house ; the birds would be seen in the outside yards 

 which should be about 25 feet deep. A small appropriation will be 

 asked of the present Congress for the establishment of a pheasantry. 



