45 6 The Smithsonian InsHhttion 



in the school season, carefully examining the animals and 

 noting their characteristics under the guidance of their teach- 

 ers, who in this way are enabled to give them definite instruc- 

 tion in the elements of natural history. Art students may 

 often be seen making studies from life, drawing, painting, and 

 modelinor the animals. To the taxidermist such studies are 

 invaluable and indispensable. 



It is, of course, impossible, even with as generous an area 

 as that afforded in the National Zoological Park, to reproduce 

 perfectly the conditions of nature. It would not be practica- 

 ble to give to moose a large forest in which to browse, or to 

 caribou a growth of the arctic lichens and mosses upon which 

 they thrive. Neither would it be desirable to allow the ani- 

 mals to prey upon each other as they do in a state of nature. 

 It is, however, perfectly possible to keep them in reasonable 

 health and activity, and to present them to the public in con- 

 ditions that are far more instructive than those which prevail 

 in ordinary institutions of the same sort. 



One of the best tests of the salubrity of the conditions 

 under which the animals are kept is the readiness with which 

 they breed. The buffalo, elk, deer, panther, wild-cat, and 

 even the black bear, beaver, and porcupine, have all brought 

 forth young. In the case of the bear this result has rarely 

 been attained in captivity. There is no reason to doubt that 

 any of our native animals that can endure this climate will 

 increase without difficulty if appropriately treated. 



The collection, though far from what it might be, is an ex- 

 cellent beginning. As the enterprise was conceived mainly 

 in the interest of preserving animals likely to become extinct, 

 much more attention has been given to native than to exotic 

 species. Herds of buffalo, of llamas, of elk, and of deer have 

 been formed. Two teams of Esquimaux dogs, one presented 

 by Mrs. Peary, and one loaned by Mr. Bruce, have bred 



