The National Zoological Park 453 



winter. This included both animals from the valley of 

 the Amazon, that never in their native haunts experience 

 great changes of temperature, and those from the southern 

 portion of the United States, that thrive better when exposed 

 to considerable vicissitudes. The carnivorous nocturnal ani- 

 mals had to be housed with the timid herbivorous ones natur- 

 ally wakeful by day. Experience has shown, as was expected, 

 that better results would have been obtained had it been 

 possible to separate these groups. 



The animals turned over to the management of the Na- 

 tional Zoological Park were one hundred and eighty-five in 

 number, large and small. They had been kept huddled to- 

 gether in such temporary quarters as could be provided in a 

 low shed and a few small paddocks upon the south side of 

 the Smithsonian building. They were then transferred to 

 their permanent quarters at the park. 



The experience of the first year was in every way favor- 

 able. Great interest was taken by the public in the new 

 enterprise, a considerable number of valuable gifts were 

 made, among which was an Asiatic elephant presented by 

 Mr. J. E. Cooper, of the Forepaugh shows. A few valuable 

 specimens were purchased as opportunity offered of obtain- 

 ing them at reasonable figures. The whole enterprise took 

 on a healthy growth, and was evidently firmly established. 



During the next year the mutations of politics caused a 

 change in the dominant political party, and there were elected 

 to the House of Representatives a large number of new 

 members to whom the park was a totally unknown project. 

 The Committee on Appropriations no longer regarded it 

 favorably, and the annual estimates, which were made only 

 with reference to the proper and economical development of 

 the original design, were much reduced. Further than this, 

 the authority to increase the collection by the purchase of ani- 



