TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT 73 



DEPARTMENT OF MAMMALS. 

 \V. T. Hornaday, Curator; Raymond L. Ditmars, Assistant Curator. 



Oil November 7, the collection of mammals was materially 

 strengthened by the addition of a valuable series of specimens 

 from Australia. These animals were brought direct from their 

 home country by Mr. Ellis S. Joseph, an up-to-date collector of 

 and dealer in wild animals. Mr. Joseph made the trip from 

 Sidney, N. S. W., stopped at Honolulu, and went thence to Vic- 

 toria, British Columbia. From there he crossed the continent 

 to New York. In all this long journey his losses were trivial, 

 and his animals arrived in excellent condition. 



The new animals necessitated some shifting and rearrange- 

 ments in two buildings, and in consequence we are now ex- 

 hibiting a large and fine series of kangaroos. Of these, the 

 following were brought by Mr. Joseph : one pair each of red 

 kangaroos, Parry's kangaroos. Island kangaroos, tree kangaroos, 

 wallaroos, agile wallabies, black swamp wallabies and rock wal- 

 labies. Among other interesting marsupials received in the same 

 shipment were three pairs of Tasmanian devils, one Tasmanian 

 wolf, a pair of gray phalangers, three pairs of flying phalangers 

 and two adult wombats. One of the latter animals is carrying 

 in her pouch an alert and active youngster. 



The shipment also included a pair of sloth bears, one Hima- 

 layan black bear and two Cape hyrax, of which the Park stood 

 greatly in need. 



The most important and spectacular purchase during the 

 year was a female Senegal giraffe thirteen feet in height, which 

 arrived direct from Dakar, West Africa, on the steamship Mem- 

 non, on August 12. This animal was brought from the steamer 

 at Staten Island by lighter, which deposited the exceptionally 

 high crate at the coal dock in Westchester Creek, a very bad 

 point of departure for the Park. It was our great misfortune 

 to lose the giraffe on December 7, of IjTnphatic tuberculosis, of 

 w^hich no symptom was visible until long after its arrival. The 

 acquisition of this animal was first proposed, and finally made 

 possible by American Consul, W. J. Yerby, of Dakar, Senegal, 

 who, with rare and commendable persistence and industry, over- 

 came a series of formidable obstacles, and finally sent the animal 

 safely into New York harbor. 



