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  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1927 
  

  

  Additions 
  to 
  the 
  collections 
  from 
  all 
  sources 
  totaled 
  1,535 
  ani- 
  

   mals, 
  including 
  104 
  born 
  and 
  hatched 
  in 
  the 
  park. 
  Among 
  the 
  mam- 
  

   mals 
  born 
  were 
  fallow 
  deer, 
  Barasingha 
  deer, 
  European 
  deer, 
  sika 
  

   deer, 
  hog 
  deer, 
  American 
  bison, 
  tahr 
  goat, 
  Indian 
  antelope, 
  guanaco, 
  

   agouti, 
  paca, 
  Rocky 
  Mountain 
  sheep, 
  European 
  brown 
  bear, 
  and 
  

   rhesus 
  monkey. 
  Losses 
  by 
  death 
  occurred 
  chiefly 
  among 
  animals 
  

   either 
  very 
  recently 
  received 
  or 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  in 
  the 
  collection 
  for 
  

   a 
  long 
  time. 
  At 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  the 
  collection 
  consisted 
  of 
  

   2,401 
  animals, 
  including 
  539 
  mammals, 
  1,545 
  birds, 
  and 
  317 
  reptiles 
  

   and 
  batrachians. 
  Five 
  hundred 
  and 
  ninety-two 
  different 
  species 
  were 
  

   represented. 
  

  

  The 
  number 
  of 
  visitors 
  to 
  the 
  park 
  for 
  the 
  year 
  was 
  2,867,235, 
  a 
  

   record 
  figure. 
  These 
  included 
  370 
  schools 
  and 
  classes, 
  totalling 
  

   25,000 
  individuals. 
  

  

  Improvements 
  during 
  the 
  year 
  included 
  a 
  new 
  flight 
  cage, 
  contain- 
  

   ing 
  two 
  pools, 
  for 
  gulls, 
  terns, 
  and 
  other 
  water 
  birds; 
  alterations 
  in 
  

   the 
  lion 
  house, 
  bird 
  house, 
  and 
  monkey 
  house 
  to 
  accommodate 
  the 
  

   animals 
  resulting 
  from 
  the 
  Smithsonian-Chrysler 
  Expedition; 
  the 
  

   installation 
  of 
  an 
  electric 
  pump 
  with 
  new 
  and 
  larger 
  pipe 
  connec- 
  

   tions 
  for 
  suppl3^ing 
  warmed 
  water 
  to 
  the 
  hippo, 
  tapir, 
  and 
  alligator 
  

   pools; 
  and 
  a 
  service 
  road 
  to 
  the 
  site 
  of 
  the 
  new 
  bird 
  house. 
  

  

  Construction 
  was 
  begun 
  on 
  the 
  new 
  bird 
  house 
  in 
  the 
  late 
  spring 
  

   of 
  1927, 
  and 
  satisfactory 
  progress 
  was 
  made 
  in 
  grading, 
  laying 
  foun- 
  

   dations, 
  and 
  brickwork 
  during 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year. 
  It 
  is 
  

   lioped 
  that 
  the 
  bird 
  collection 
  may 
  be 
  installed 
  in 
  the 
  new 
  building- 
  

   early 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  1928. 
  This 
  new 
  bird 
  house 
  will 
  form 
  a 
  notable 
  

   improvement 
  to 
  the 
  park, 
  and 
  the 
  bird 
  collection, 
  shown 
  under 
  mod- 
  

   ern 
  hygienic 
  conditions, 
  will 
  become 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  impressive 
  

   exhibits 
  in 
  the 
  park. 
  

  

  Although 
  the 
  bird 
  house 
  is 
  a 
  step 
  in 
  the 
  right 
  direction, 
  the 
  direc- 
  

   tor 
  calls 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  several 
  other 
  new 
  exhibition 
  build- 
  

   ings 
  are 
  urgently 
  needed. 
  The 
  collection 
  of 
  animals 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   finest 
  in 
  this 
  country; 
  the 
  park 
  itself 
  provides 
  probably 
  the 
  finest 
  

   natural 
  surroundings 
  for 
  a 
  collection 
  of 
  animals 
  of 
  any 
  zoo 
  in 
  the 
  

   Avorld 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  buildings 
  are 
  now 
  entirely 
  unsuitable 
  and 
  are 
  con- 
  

   tinually 
  unfavorably 
  commented 
  upon 
  by 
  visitors. 
  The 
  three 
  build- 
  

   ings 
  most 
  needed 
  are 
  a 
  reptile 
  and 
  batrachian 
  house, 
  a 
  small 
  mammal 
  

   house, 
  and 
  a 
  pachyderm 
  house. 
  The 
  reptile 
  house, 
  in 
  particular, 
  is 
  

   badly 
  needed 
  immediately 
  ; 
  for 
  although 
  reptiles 
  form 
  the 
  most 
  popu- 
  

   lar 
  and 
  instructive 
  exhibit 
  at 
  all 
  zoos, 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  provision 
  whatever 
  

   at 
  the 
  National 
  Zoo 
  for 
  their 
  care 
  and 
  proper 
  exhibition. 
  

  

  Attention 
  is 
  called 
  by 
  the 
  director 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  nearly 
  all 
  zoo- 
  

   logical 
  parks 
  maintain 
  restaurants 
  and 
  refreshment 
  stands, 
  profits 
  

   from 
  which 
  are 
  used 
  to 
  purchase 
  new 
  animals. 
  A 
  limited 
  number 
  of 
  

  

  