PROGRESS OF THE YEAR. 



REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE TO THE 

 BOARD OF MANAGERS. 



Again the Executive Committee has the pleasure of reporting 

 to the Society a year of unbroken progress. The year's work has 

 been devoted almost wholly to the development of the Zoological 

 Park, and because of the imperative demands in that direction, all 

 plans for other scientific work, save in the cause of bird protection, 

 have been held in abeyance. The Society has steadily fulfilled its 

 obligations to the City in the matter of raising funds and expending 

 them, it has assumed control of the grounds allotted for use as a 

 Zoological Park, and vigorously undertaken the erection thereon 

 of the various installations for animals that were proposed last year. 

 The Board of Estimate of the City of New York has appropriated 

 and made available the fund of $125,000 promised for the prepara- 

 tion of the Zoological Park site, and the Department of Parks for 

 the Borough of the Bronx is actively engaged in carrying out 

 the Society's scheme of ground improvements. Altogether about 

 150 men are employed in the Park in the many kinds of work 

 now in progress. Efforts are being made to secure a satisfactory 

 staff of experienced keepers, and animals are being engaged for 

 delivery subsequent to July I, when the Society hopes it will be 

 possible to open the Park to the public. 



THE BUILDING FUND. 



Thanks to the generosity of the subscribers to the Building Fund, 

 the Society completed its first obligation toward the City — to raise 

 $100,000 within one year from March 24, 1897 — on February 17, 

 1898. 



The following is a complete list of special subscriptions to the 



