ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



1577 



Dr. W. Reid Blair, Veterinarian of the Park, 

 has received a major's commission and is on 

 active duty at Camp Lee, Petersburg, Va. Innes 

 Hartley, Research Assistant of the Society's 

 Tropical Research Station at Kalacoon, joined 

 the Officers' Training Camp at Plattsburg, New 

 York, early in the year. He received a 2d lieu- 

 tenant's commission, and recently lias been pro- 

 moted to 1st lieutenant, attached to the 302d 

 Ammunition Train, and is stationed at Camp 

 Upton, Long Island. 



Curator William Beebe, of the Bird Depart- 

 ment, enrolled with the French Aviation Serv- 

 ice that came to the United States to instruct 

 our aviators, and after much technical work be- 

 gan the instruction of United States volunteers. 

 Among the men under his instruction, twelve 

 are now in France in the flying corps. During 

 his instruction work, Mr. Beebe experienced a 

 fall and received severe injury to his wrist, 

 making it necessary to discontinue active work 

 for some months. During his recuperation he 

 is abroad on an observation trip. 



The Park stock-accountant. Cyril J. New- 

 man, has enlisted in the Navy, and is now on 

 active duty in the transport service as a yeo- 

 man. 



Howard Engeholm, of the Bird Department, 

 is acting corporal of Co. K, 325th Infantry, at 

 Camp Gordon, Atlanta, Ga. T. Donald Carter, 

 likewise of the Bird Department, is an acting 

 corporal in Co. 13, 4th Battalion, 157th Depot 

 Brigade, also stationed at Camp Gordon. Ed- 

 ward Renter, a gateman, is a private in the 

 307th Infantry at Camp Upton, Long Island, 

 and Frank Doyle, of the Forestry Department, 

 is with the American Expeditionary Forces, in 

 France. 



The excellence of the training and discipline 

 of the Park Rifle Company, which is officially 

 connected with the New York Police Depart- 

 ment, is well exemplified by the recognition ac- 

 corded the men of the Company who have 

 joined the colors. Those not already commis- 

 sioned have been advanced in the ranks, and 

 one of them has received orders to prepare for 

 examination for a commission. The location of 

 some of our men cannot be determined at 

 present. 



Liberty Bond Subscribers. — The members of 

 the Park staff — officers, keepers and other work- 

 ers — have subscribed liberally to both issues of 

 Liberty Bonds. The sum of seven thousand 

 dollars was subscribed to the first issue, and four 

 thousand dollars to the second issue; making a 

 total of eleven thousand dollars from our force. 



This amount was raised to sixteen thousand 

 by subscribing five thousand dollars that had 

 accumulated in the Pension Fund. The Society 

 has extended aid to its employees in purchasing 

 government bonds by arranging for payments 

 in installments. Our employees are also pur- 

 chasing War Saving Stamps. 



War-time Feeding. — War conditions have cre- 

 ated radical changes in feeding the animals. 

 Coarse corn bread has proven a very successful 

 product, and we are cooking large batches of it 

 daily. This bread is made in square loaves of 

 about two and a half feet square by four inches 

 thick. Some of the animals prefer it to any 

 other food — and this is particularly marked 

 among the bears. We are now drawing heavily 

 upon the stock of vegetables raised during our 

 farming operations. 



Park Collections Normal. — With the close of 

 1917, our census of the collections reveals in- 

 teresting and satisfactory conditions. The total 

 number of species of mammals listed at the close 

 of the year is 204, which is a very superficial 

 drop of but three species below the total re- 

 corded at the close of 1916, and the total num- 

 ber of mammal specimens at the close of the 

 past year (610) was within seventeen of the 

 total of the previous year. These are gratify- 

 ing conditions, in the face of the practical ex- 

 tinction of the world's animal market. The 

 Bird and Reptile Departments show a similar 

 condition. 



The Kangaroo Collection. — With substantial 

 additions by births to the collection of kanga- 

 roos and wallabies, our series of these interest- 

 ing and characteristic Australian animals be- 

 comes probably the largest and most elaborate 

 series ever exhibited in the Lnited States. And 

 Mr. Ellis Joseph, who furnished the collection, 

 states in a letter that it is the equal of the one 

 at Melbourne. Australia. The collection now 

 contains forty-one specimens representing six- 

 teen species. One entire side of the Small Deer 

 House is occupied by these animals. The im- 

 mature specimens are especially interesting to 

 our visitors. 



An Aviator Goat. — One of the most interest- 

 ing of the animal mascots deposited by the 98th 

 Aerial Squadron, is a goat, with long, lustrous 

 jet black hair. For years we have maintained 

 an adamantine rule against the exhibition of do- 

 mestic animals, but the members of the Squad- 

 ron were soon to leave for France, and they 

 pleaded so earnestly for their pet, on the 

 grounds that he was particularly famous, that 



