37^ Roosevelt JTild Life Bulletin 



In this work Dr. L. H. IMiller. 1)y his wonderful reproduction of bird 

 music and its interpretation to tlie pubHc, has opened up a new 

 world to the pari^: visitor. 



Museums, Libraries and Zoological Exhibits. — It is only the 

 advanced administrators of our parks who have become fully alert 

 to the needs of museum-libraries and living zoological exhibits in 

 our parks. It is rarely recognized among these officials just what 

 this implies, and they do not always realize that such a combination 

 of museum, zoological exhibit and librar}' should be planned very 

 differently from the corresponding city institutions. By all means 

 its exhibits should be rigidly confined solely to the resources of the 

 particular park, and it should be primarily intended to stimulate 

 visitors to go out into the park itself and see as never before. Bur 

 in the case of the animal exhibit, it is better to do nothing what- 

 ever than to make a failure of it. The librar}^ should supplement the 

 museum and be particularly selected to encourage an outdoor acqaint- 

 ance with the park. I have elsewhere emphasized the main features 

 of such a local museum ('o8a). The plans of Graves ('19) for a 

 "Xature Library" are easily adapted to particular parks. Such 

 a library should be viewed broadly as containing photographs, facil- 

 ities for lantern talks, and moving pictures. Such a museum- 

 library or its branches, should be so located that it will become the 

 natural meeting place for all information about our parks. The 

 facilities of the museum-library, supplemented b}' field work and 

 lectures, will make it the natural headquarters for the guide service. 



The zoological exhibit in the park should be devoted exclusively 

 to the kinds of animals natural to the region, and in this it is in 

 striking contrast with a city zoological garden. Too much em- 

 phasis cannot be put on this point. The basic idea of such a col- 

 lection is to give the visitors, in a limited time, a good close-up view 

 of the native animals, and to encourage their interest in them as they 

 tour the parks or camp there (Adams, '21a, p. 70). 



Xo opportunit}' should be lost in teaching this visiting public the 

 reasons and methods necessary to properly care for and appreciate 

 animals. Our parks' only safety, in the long run, is an intelligent 

 and appreciative public. They must therefore know the reasons 

 for park rules and regulations, and the better the}' are understood 

 the greater the chances of their being respected and obe3-ed. 



A m(Mnent's thought will show almost anyone that to meet ade- 

 quately the needs of the public along the lines here suggested will 

 necessitate a special staff of well trained persons. 



The park which has so far made the most progress with a museum 



