22 ANNUAL, REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1923 



INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGES 



The total number of packages of scientific and governmental 

 publications sent abroad and received from foreign agencies for dis- 

 tribution in this country during the year was 377,826, weighing 

 492,816 pounds. This is a decrease in number of packages and in 

 weight from the previous year, owing partly to the smaller size 

 of the publications handled this year. These publications were for- 

 warded in 2,223 boxes, in addition to which 40,000 packages were 

 sent direct to their destinations by mail whenever a sufficient quan- 

 tity for box shipments had not accumulated when the regular 

 monthly consignments were forwarded. 



Exchange relations were resumed with Roumania during the year, 

 the Institutul Meteorologic Central at Bucharest acting as the official 

 Roumanian exchange bureau. Conditions in Russia and Turkey had 

 not sufficiently improved at the close of the year to warrant the 

 establishment of official exchange bureaus in those countries, but 

 the Institution has arranged with the American Friends Service 

 Committee to forward to Russia the large accumulation of exchange 

 material for correspondents in that country. Seventy boxes were 

 thus forwarded to Russia during the year. The State Library 

 (Riigiraamatukogu), Reval, was designated as the exchange agency 

 for Esthonia. 



There were sent to depositories abroad during the year 57 full 

 sets of United States official documents and 38 partial sets, and the 

 Congressional Record was exchanged with 44 establishments abroad. 



NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK 



The actual number of animals on exhibition at the close of the 

 year was greater than in any previous year, and the scientific value 

 of the collection is greater than ever before. For the fourth suc- 

 cessive year the number of visitors to the park has exceeded 2,000,000, 

 and its value in natural history instruction is again shown by the 

 fact that 171 schools, classes, and other organizations visited the park 

 during the year, with a total of 14,185 individuals. Friends of the 

 park have been even more than usually generous in presenting 

 animals, 266 specimens having been thus added during the year. 

 Of special interest among these may be mentioned a number of 

 desirable animals presented by Mr. Victor J. Evans, including 

 specimens of the frog-mouth and New Guinea fruit pigeon ; valuable 

 collections of South American animals contributed by Hon. Henry D. 

 Baker and Mr. William J. LaVarre; a collection of animals pre- 

 sented by Mr. Gordon MacCreagh, including the rare red ouakari 

 monkey and the matamata turtle; and a number of interesting 

 animals from southern Mexico collected by Dr. William M. Mann. 



