44: NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



the tour of the collections, and leave the Park at the Northwest 

 Gate, without retracing his steps. In this connection it may be 

 well to state that the service on the Third Avenue Elevated Rail- 

 road has been greatly improved by the electric trains, which have 

 decreased appreciably the running time from the Borough of 

 Manhattan to Fordham, affording one of the pleasantest means 

 of reaching the Park. 



FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION 



Maintoiancc. The Maintenance Fund for the year 1902 shows 

 a deficit of about $3,000, which will be made good by the Society. 

 In view of the completion of the Lion House early in the year, 

 and the prospective completion of the Antelope House and large 

 Bird Houses, the Society has made an application for increased 

 maintenance, and for the year 1903 the Board of Estimate and 

 Apportionment has provided $104,965 as the Maintenance Fund. 

 It is important to remember in this connection that the Society has 

 not only the care of the collection of animals, numbering on the 

 1st of January, 1903, about two thousand specimens, but that 

 this Maintenance Fund includes the protection and care of the 

 Park area, fully one-third as large as that of Central Park, and 

 visited by very large crowds of people, probably larger crowds in 

 proportion to area than any park in the city. With the increase 

 in number of visitors, the increase in our collections, and in the 

 cost of supplies, the most rigid economy has to be exercised to 

 avoid running behind the funds provided by the City. 



BUILDING AND PARK IMPROVEMENT FUND PROVIDED BY THE 



CITY 



The Society made application to the Board of Estimate and 

 Apportionment for a bond issue of $500,000, for the development 

 of the Park, and on the 19th day of April, the Board of Estimate 

 and Apportionment provided bonds to the amount of $250,000 

 for this purpose ; this bond issue received the approval of the 

 Board erf Aldermen on May 13, 1902. A large portion of the 

 bond issue has been spent for the improvement of the Park, 

 chiefly for the development of Baird Court, building the Antelope 

 House, the Bird House (now under contract), and the protection 

 of the Park east of Bronx River. More detailed statement 

 of the expenditure of this fund, and the balance available, will be 

 found in the Treasurer's report. At the time of granting this 

 amount it was understood that the balance, $250,000, would be 

 provided during 1903, and application has been made to the 



