preface 



The publication of this revised and extended edition of 

 the Guide to the Zoological Park was purposely delayed a 

 year, in order to make the work more complete. By 

 slightly anticipating the completion of the Elephant House, 

 Zebra Houses and Eagle Aviary, and including them herein, 

 we are now able to offer a Guide Book to the Zoological 

 Park as practically completed. 



The visitor is not to understand, however, that with the 

 completion of the features named above nothing more will 

 remain to be done. An institution of this kind never 

 reaches a state of absolute completion, with no further 

 possibilities of improvement. But the building of boundary 

 walls, and the rebuilding of temporary entrances, are mat- 

 ters of small amount in comparison with the completion of 

 a grand series of installations for animals, and buildings 

 for public comfort. 



Few indeed are the persons who know, or who ever will 

 know, the extent to which both the general design and the 

 details of the Zoological Park have been originated, and 

 hammered out of the raw materials. From the inception 

 of the undertaking, the work of development has involved 

 a continuous struggle to meet new conditions. Although 

 precedents and models for things to be done were sought 

 far and wide, in all save a very few instances, our needs 

 were so peculiar, and so different from those of other 

 zoological gardens and parks, we have found really very 

 little that we could copy. The abundant-room idea on 

 which the Zoological Park was founded, and our desire for 

 the full utilization of the works of nature, have from the 

 first taxed the creative faculties of the Society to the ut- 

 most. 



It has been gratifying to find in other zoological estab- 

 lishments a number of features which we could utilize here, 

 thereby saving ourselves something in the eternal grind of 

 invention and experiment, and we have gladly made prom- 

 inent mention of such cases. 



While it is possible to complete the equipment of animal 

 installations, for a Zoological Park, and fill them with fine 

 collections, the demand for more animals is continuous. 



