EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT. 109 



as in our previous experience with this disease, the undoubted 

 cause was the cropping of the grass which grows in the enclosures. 

 From our observations there can be no doubt but that the propo- 

 sition made in an earlier report must be complied with before we 

 are reasonably free from it ; that is, that the entire food and water 

 supply of all the animals, particularly of the native Herbivora, 

 must be placed immediately under the control of the keepers. It 

 is worse than useless, after our experience, to attempt to furnish 

 a natural food supply within the ranges. The complete absence 

 of fatal gastro-enteritis among the Primates, whose food and 

 water supply has been very carefully supervised during the past 

 year, entirely demonstrates the benefits guaranteed by these 

 methods. 



PARASITIC DISEASES. 



Deaths from parasitic diseases have been much reduced during 

 the past year, only 7 fatalities arising from this cause. This fa- 

 vorable result, in the case of intestinal parasites, in my opinion is 

 mostly due to the fact that, under the direction of your Veterina- 

 rian, vermifuges have been systematically employed, and often- 

 times the result has been the voiding of large numbers of para- 

 sites, fortunately before the animal had been directly killed by the 

 parasites, or before they had set up a serious gastritis or enteritis. 

 This one fact alone places far beyond question any doubt as to 

 the value of medicinal treatment of wild animals in captivity, for 

 animal men tell us that intestinal parasites are among the most 

 serious factors with which they have to deal, and certainly our 

 experience before these methods were introduced bears out this 

 idea. One badger died as the result of intestinal nematodes, but 

 no fatal cases of tcenia infection have occurred during the past 

 season. 



Cysticerci. — There has been a marked diminution in the number 

 of cases exhibiting cysticerci and hydatid cysts. During the past 

 year but two cases were found, while, as I mentioned in a previous 

 report, at one time these cysts were present in nearly every case 

 dying in the Park. Doubtless this year's records in regard to this 

 have been partly a matter of good fortune, but it is also certain 

 that the general methods of cleanliness, now so universally en- 

 forced about the animal enclosures, has reduced the number of 

 infections occurring in the Park itself. The careful supervision 

 of the food is also doubtless a factor; however, I do not believe 

 that it will ever be possible to eradicate the disease entirely, since 



