TWENTY-FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT 73 



Zoological Gardens of Pretoria and Johannesburg. We also 

 sent to the London Zoological Gardens, by Keeper Bailey on his 

 return trip, a number of animals that were specially desired by 

 that institution. Finally, near the close of the year, two black 

 bears were shipped to the Antwerp Zoo. 



During the early part of the year the Assistant Curator of 

 the Department of Mammals made a number of hand-prints of 

 the primates, at the request of the Galton Society. These were 

 filed at the office of Dr. Gregory, in the American Museum of 

 Natural History. 



A new series of heavy, sheet-iron labels, with hand-painted 

 pictures, was prepared for the Bear Dens. 



On April 5, 1920, a new time schedule was experimentally 

 undertaken by the keepers of the Mammal, Bird and Reptile 

 Departments. Under this schedule the men remain off a full day 

 each week, in place of half a day, as in former years. 



Two female giraffes were deposited on April 28, 1920. These 

 were loaned by the Ringling Bros, and Barnum and Bailey 

 Show. They are, respectively, a Nubian giraffe, Giraffa camelo- 

 pardalis, born at Bridgeport, Connecticut, on January 15, 1910, 

 and now weighing 1,335 pounds, and a Masai Giraffe, G. tippel- 

 skircJii, born in British East Africa in 1911 and now weighing 

 865 pounds. The larger specimen is about thirteen feet high. 



On May 5, 1920, the American Society of Mammalogists 

 held a meeting in the Zoological Park, were entertained by the 

 officers and escorted through the collections. 



For the first time in a number of years a large animal 

 escaped from its cage, and from the Park. This transgression 

 happened on May 21, 1920, and the culprit was a full-grown black 

 bear from Anticosti Island, Gulf of St. Lawrence. Through 

 some feat of abnormal dexterity, the animal managed to swing 

 over the overhang bars of the Bear Dens at night. It was located 

 by early morning and as there was little chance of driving the 

 animal into a cage, it was immediately shot to prevent danger of 

 further wandering. The escape of this bear during the night 

 was immediately detected and reported by the watchman on 

 duty. The pursuit of the animal at daybreak and its final de- 

 struction were accomplished under the able direction of Mr. 

 Hermann W. Merkel, Chief Forester. 



