DEPARTMENT OF LIVING ANIMALS. 219 



illustrate the extermiuatioti of Americau quadrupeds. This exhibit was 

 composed of the following features: 



A series of mounted specimens of such mammals as already have 

 been exterminated and others that are rapidly approaching extinction. 

 The species represented were as follows : American bison, West Indian 

 seal, California elephant seal, walrus, moose, elk, mountain goat, moun- 

 tain sheep, antelope, and beaver. 



A series of paintings and photographic pictures of large size, illus- 

 trating the methods by which the American bison has been extermi- 

 nated. 



A series of specimens and a large oil painting showing what remains 

 to-day of the bison, skeletons bleaching on the western prairies. 



A series of raw buffalo skins as representing the objects for which 

 the bison — was exterminated. 



A collection of modern weapons of destruction, including examples 

 of nearly all American sporting rifles. 



A lot of seventy skins of the rare and little-known Rocky Mountain 

 goat, which were taken by pot-hunters and sold in Denver at 50 cents 

 each. 



This exhibit occupied 800 square feet of floor space. - 



RECOMMENDATIONS. 



At present the most serious drawback under which the Department 

 labors is the lack of space in the menagerie building for the proper 

 comfort of the visitors who daily visit the collection. For weeks in suc- 

 cession the daily throng has been so great as to make it a matter of 

 difdculty to pass through the building, or even to perform necessary 

 work in connection with the care of the animals. It has several times 

 been estimated that between two and three thousand visitors have 

 viewed the collection in that small and rudely constructed building in 

 a single day. 



At first an undesirable and disorderly element threatened to com- 

 pletely crowd out all other visitors, and it became necessary to station 

 a watchman in the building to compel the small-boy element to depart 

 after a reasonable time The character of the visitors in daily attend- 

 ance is in the highest degree complimentary to the experiment of open, 

 ing this collection to the j)ublic, and causes a constant regret that it is 

 impracticable, if not also impossible, to provide ample room for the 

 comfort of visitors and also to have all the appointments of the collec- 

 tion of the highest order of excellence. 



Mr. W. C. Weeden is liable to be detached from service in this de- 

 partment at any time. It is earnestly hoped by the curator that since 

 his continuous services are imperatively needed in the menagerie, he 

 may be transferred to this department and regularly appointed as a 

 keeper. 



