REPORT OF 

 THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 



TO THE BOARD OF MANAGERS 



THE most notable event in the year just closed is the comple- 

 tion of the first quarter million of the Endowment Fund. In 

 the report for the year 1909 the necessity for the establishment 

 of such a fund was set forth by the Committee. The New York 

 Zoological Society last year stood in a position somewhat unique 

 among the quasi-public institutions of this City, owing to the 

 fact that although it has raised in annual contributions and out- 

 right gifts to the Park over one-half million dollars, it had no 

 Endowment. A large portion of this half million was expended 

 for buildings, paths, fences and other construction work in the 

 Zoological Park, in spite of the fact that the cost of work of this 

 character in the other institutions had been defrayed by the City. 

 For this reason, money which in other institutions would have 

 been placed in an Endowment Fund, has been actually spent by 

 the Society in order to establish the Park in public favor; and 

 the result has certainly justified the wisdom of this course of 

 action. 



The Society was at a further disadvantage owing to the fact 

 that while the collections of animals were purchased by and be- 

 long to the Society, their value is highly ephemeral, and tends 

 to decrease rather than to increase. A collection of pictures or 

 other museum material is constantly growing in value with the 

 increasing rarity of the specimens, but animals are not immortal 

 and require constant replacement. The Park having been con- 

 structed and fully stocked with one of the best collections of 

 animals in the world, the Executive Committee felt that the next 

 step was to secure an Endowment Fund of at least one million 

 dollars, for the following general purposes : 



First. — Permanence of the Society, and thus of the Park and 

 Aquarium. 



Second. — Scientific Exploration and Publication, such as is 

 conducted by other similar societies in other parts of the world. 



Third. — Protection of Animal Life, as the Society's part in 

 the general conservation movement which is going on not only 

 in the United States, but in all parts of the world. 



