EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT. 57 



turition. With the elimination of the two apes that entered the 

 Primates' House in a diseased condition, the three remaining an- 

 thropoid apes have thriven surprisingly. They are not only in 

 good health, but are exceedingly active, and growing rapidly. 



The health of all the foreign tropical deer in the Park has been 

 excellent ; but the filaria affecting the old elk herd has caused the 

 loss of several individuals, and gastro-enteritis has also carried 

 off several of our native deer. It is very unfortunate that our 

 native deer should be so difficult to acclimatize in New York, and 

 keep in good health. 



The following is a statement of the species and specimens of 

 mammals on hand on December 31st, 1903: 



Primates 40 species. 96 specimens. 



Chiroptera 1 8 



Carnivora 49 132 



Pinnipedia 2 9 



Rodentia 12 78 



Ungulata 47 20 5 



Marsupialia 2 8 



153 " 536 



Received by gift 163 



Purchased 137 



Born 61 



DEPARTMENT OF BIRDS. 



It has already been stated that in this Department no substan- 

 tial increase in the number of species has been possible, for the 

 reason that all available accommodations were so well filled. The 

 most noteworthy accessions consisted of herons, egrets and ducks 

 purchased at Brownsville, Texas, and Orlando, Florida, and the 

 collection of gulls, terns and other water-birds secured by Cura- 

 tor Beebe on his expedition to Cobb Island. Special mention 

 should be made of the collection of birds received as a gift from 

 Mr. Louis N. Whealton, and also of the generous and effective 

 cooperation which Mr. Whealton extended to the Society's repre- 

 sentative on Cobb Island. Mr. Whealton's gift embraces speci- 

 mens of three species of ducks, two swans, two Egyptian geese, 

 five species of terns and gulls and also specimens of the black 

 skimmer. Mr. Beebe's observations and work on Cobb Island 



