APPENDIX 4. 



REPORT ON THE NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK. 



Sir : 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 re- 

 corded. 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 

 of Washington by a number of their friends, and were donated to 

 the institution. At the time of their arrival they were about 2 and 

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