REPORT OP THE SECRETARY. 31 



the various provinces of the Union. This method will effect a saving 

 to the Institution in freight charges and improve the service with 

 South Africa. A similar method would be very advantageous with 

 the Commonwealth of Australia and is now under consideration by 

 the Australian House of Representatives and the chairman of the 

 library committee of that country. 



In Egypt there has been organized the Government publications 

 department at Cairo, to which consignments for distribution there 

 are now being forwarded. In Mexico a service of exchanges has been 

 established in the department of public works. 



Full sets or partial sets of United States oiScial documents are now 

 sent to 92 foreign depositories, the Province of Bombay, the Cor- 

 poration of Glasgow, Finland, British Guiana, the Free City of 

 Lubeck^ and the Province of Madras having been added to the list 

 during the year. There has also been carried on since 1909, through 

 the Exchange Service, an interparliamentary exchange of official 

 journals with legislative chambers agreeing thereto, 100 copies of 

 the daily issue of the Congressional Eecord being provided for that 

 purpose. Thirty-two countries have so far agreed to this exchange 

 of their official journals. 



NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK. 



The National Zoological Park was established by act of Congress 

 in 1890 " for the advancement of science and the instruction and 

 recreation of the people." It was the outgrowth of a small collec- 

 tion of living animals which for several years had been assembled 

 in low sheds and small paddocks adjacent to the Smithsonian build- 

 ing, where they were kept primarily for scientific study, though they 

 were likewise a constant source of interest to the public. There was 

 at once a rapid increase in the size of this collection when the ani- 

 mals were removed to the spacious grounds provided for them in the 

 beautiful Rock Creek Valley, and it is evident from its increasing 

 popularity during the last 23 years that the establishment of this 

 great zoological park has been regarded as a wise investment of 

 public funds. 



The popular interest in the park has continued to be very great. 

 On Sundays and holidays the walks and buildings are crowded. 

 During the past year the number of visitors w/is 633,526, and the 

 daily average in the month of March, 1913, was 3,900. One hundred 

 and forty-two classes, schools, etc_, numbering 5,579 pupils, visited 

 the park during the year with the definite purpose of studying the 

 animals. 



The interests of science have also been primary objects of atten- 

 tion in the administration of the park. A number of species of 



