THE NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK: A POPULAR 

 ACCOUNT OF ITS COLLECTIONS. 



By N. Hollistee. 



[With 46 plates.] 



The National Zoological Park, in the city of Washington, was 

 established by an act of Congress approved April 30, 1890, " for the 

 advancement of science and the instruction and recreation of the 

 people," and was placed under the direction of the Smithsonian 

 Institution. Some changes have been made in the original boundary 

 line, and the area now included within the park comprises 169 acres. 

 The park is located in Rock Creek Valley, a district admirably and 

 peculiarly suited for the purposes for which it was selected. 



At the time of its establishment the park was some distance from 

 the city proper, but now it is well within the residential district of 

 northwest Washington, almost surrounded by dwellings, and is easily 

 accessible from the heart of the city. No more beautiful site for a 

 zoological park could be desired, and within the fences of this pic- 

 turesque tract may be found conditions suitable for many of the 

 forms of animal life. The borders of the valley are heavily wooded, 

 and the vegetation in summer almost entirely shuts off the view of 

 the surrounding country. The more open hills and rolling slopes 

 of the interior, where most of the exhibition buildings are placed, 

 are covered with firm sod and excellent lawns, and winding through 

 the length of the valley is picturesque Rock Creek, an affluent of the 

 Potomac River. Systems of automobile roads and bridle paths are 

 maintained throughout the park and walks traverse its most fre- 

 quented parts. 



A collection of about 1,400 living animals is, of course, the feature 

 of the park. There are numerous paddocks and ranges for buffalo, 

 deer, and other large mammals; lakes and pools for waterfowl, 

 seals, beavers, and other aquatic species ; outdoor cages, some of large 

 size, for hardy birds and mammals; and houses and shelters for 

 species requiring special care or heated quarters during the winter 

 months. The lion house, near the center of the collection, is at the 

 summit of what is generally known as "lion house hill." In this 



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