﻿66 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1943 
  

  

  where 
  or 
  retired. 
  In 
  spite 
  of 
  efforts 
  to 
  fill 
  vacancies, 
  many 
  positions 
  

   have 
  remained 
  unfilled 
  for 
  some 
  time. 
  The 
  abolition 
  of 
  the 
  Satur- 
  

   day 
  half-holiday, 
  however, 
  has 
  made 
  it 
  less 
  difficult 
  to 
  maintain 
  fairly 
  

   adequate 
  care 
  of 
  the 
  Zoo. 
  

  

  MAINTENANCE 
  AND 
  IMPROVEMENTS 
  

  

  No 
  extensive 
  improvements 
  have 
  been 
  attempted 
  during 
  the 
  year. 
  

   Activities 
  have 
  been 
  confined 
  to 
  maintenance 
  work, 
  and 
  because 
  of 
  

   the 
  difficulty 
  in 
  obtaining 
  critical 
  materials 
  this 
  has 
  frequently 
  been 
  

   of 
  a 
  temporary 
  or 
  makeshift 
  nature. 
  Many 
  things 
  that 
  should 
  be 
  

   done 
  have 
  been 
  postponed 
  until 
  circumstances 
  are 
  more 
  propitious. 
  

  

  NEEDS 
  OF 
  THE 
  ZOO 
  

  

  The 
  needs 
  of 
  the 
  Zoo 
  remain 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  outlined 
  in 
  previous 
  re- 
  

   ports. 
  On 
  account 
  of 
  war 
  conditions 
  no 
  request 
  is 
  being 
  made 
  for 
  

   unusual 
  expenditures 
  at 
  this 
  time. 
  

  

  VISITORS 
  FOR 
  THE 
  YEAR 
  

  

  The 
  attendance 
  for 
  the 
  year 
  was 
  : 
  

  

  July 
  250, 
  000 
  February 
  108, 
  600 
  

  

  August 
  204, 
  400 
  March 
  148, 
  150 
  

  

  September 
  202, 
  800 
  April 
  269, 
  050 
  

  

  October 
  169, 
  300 
  May 
  186, 
  200 
  

  

  November 
  186, 
  800 
  June 
  140, 
  650 
  

  

  December 
  37, 
  600 
  

  

  January 
  70, 
  950 
  Total 
  1, 
  974, 
  500 
  

  

  The 
  sharp 
  curtailment 
  in 
  driving 
  occasioned 
  by 
  gasoline 
  rationing, 
  

   tire 
  mileage 
  restrictions, 
  and 
  the 
  prohibition 
  against 
  pleasure 
  driving 
  

   brought 
  about 
  a 
  drastic 
  reduction 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  visitors 
  coming 
  

   to 
  the 
  Zoo 
  by 
  automobile, 
  but 
  an 
  increased 
  number 
  of 
  visitors 
  walked 
  

   or 
  came 
  by 
  bus 
  and 
  streetcar. 
  

  

  In 
  previous 
  years 
  a 
  census 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  each 
  day 
  of 
  the 
  cars 
  parked 
  

   in 
  the 
  Zoo 
  at 
  about 
  3 
  p. 
  m., 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  determining 
  the 
  propor- 
  

   tional 
  attendance 
  by 
  States, 
  Territories, 
  and 
  foreign 
  countries. 
  Owing, 
  

   however, 
  to 
  the 
  almost 
  total 
  cessation 
  of 
  automobile 
  traffic 
  to 
  the 
  Zoo, 
  

   the 
  record 
  from 
  such 
  a 
  census 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  of 
  no 
  value 
  during 
  the 
  

   past 
  year. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  pointed 
  out 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  previous 
  year 
  District 
  

   of 
  Columbia 
  cars 
  comprised 
  about 
  39 
  percent 
  ; 
  Maryland, 
  22 
  percent 
  ; 
  

   Virginia, 
  15 
  percent 
  ; 
  Pennsylvania, 
  4 
  percent 
  ; 
  the 
  remaining 
  20 
  per- 
  

   cent 
  were 
  from 
  other 
  States, 
  Territories, 
  and 
  foreign 
  countries. 
  

  

  Prior 
  to 
  the 
  curtailment 
  of 
  automobile 
  and 
  bus 
  travel, 
  numerous 
  

   groups 
  and 
  classes 
  came 
  to 
  the 
  Zoo 
  from 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  several 
  hundred 
  

   miles. 
  Of 
  course 
  these 
  have 
  been 
  almost 
  completely 
  eliminated, 
  and 
  

   there 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  reduction 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  groups 
  and 
  classes 
  from 
  

  

  