APPENDIX 4. 
REPORT ON THE NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK. 
Str: I have the honor to submit the following report on the opera- 
tions of the National Zoological Park for the fiscal year ending June 
30, 1919: 
Recognizing the increased cost of maintenance, Congress allowed 
in the sundry civil bill the sum of $115,000 for the expenses of the 
park, with an additional allotment of $200 for printing and binding. 
This was an increase of $15,000 over the appropriation for the pre- 
ceding years. By the practice of great economy in all departments a 
small amount was made available from this sum for minor perma- 
nent improvements, and some long-needed work was accomplished 
during the year. Several of the employees who were in the military 
or naval service during the war returned to their duties at the park 
near the close of the year, and there is at present no distinct short- 
age of help except in the buildings and grounds department. The 
popularity of the Zoological Park continues to increase, and the 
number of visitors admitted to the grounds greatly exceeded that of 
any previous year. An attendance of nearly 2,000,000 was recorded. 
Notwithstanding the scarcity of help during the first months of 
the year, the buildings have been kept in a fair state of repair and 
the grounds are in a very good condition. The collection has been 
kept near normal size, with even slight increase in the number of 
specimens, and with no serious gaps or empty quarters. This is due 
almost entirely to the constant and efficient care of the employees 
in the animal department, with the resulting good condition and low 
death rate among their charges. The embargo on living animals 
during the war virtually prohibited importations, and only a few 
animals were received directly from foreign ports. 
ACCESSIONS. 
Gifts—Animals to the number of 74 were accessioned during the 
year as gifts from friends of the park or were placed on indefinite 
deposit. 
Two young Sumatran elephants received from the Smithsonian 
Institution were the most important and valuable additions to the 
collection. These were purchased at a cost of $5,000 for the children 
64 
