ENDOWMENT FUND. 
HE Executive Committee of the New York 
le Society has decided, in order to in- 
sure the permanency of the Society’s work in 
the Zoological Park and in the Aquarium, to es- 
tablish an Endowment Fund, the income of 
which will be available for the uses and purposes 
of the Society ; $350,000 are needed at once, and 
the Committee has determined to ask for six 
donations of $25,000 each; ten donations of 
$10,000 each, and twenty donations of $5,000 
each. The following letter has been prepared, 
signed by the officers and Executive Committee 
and was sent out to the friends of the Society 
in the latter part of February: 
“The Endowment of the New York Zoological 
Society is necessary to give permanence to the 
great work which it is conducting for the educa- 
tion and civilization of the City of New York. 
The visitors for the twelve months to November 
1, 1909, are: Park, 1,620,582; Aquarium, 3,739,- 
133; a total of 5,359,715. 
“The creation out of a wilderness, in the short 
period of ten years, of a Zoological Park which 
is unequalled in the world, and the establish- 
ment of an Aquarium which is also without 
rival, are unparalleled achievements which are 
entirely due to liberal appropriations by the 
City of New York and to the intelligence and 
public spirit of those members of the Society to 
whom the management of these great institu- 
tions has been entrusted. The Society itself, 
by annual contributions of $171,520, and by 
outright gifts to the Park of $316,594.60, 
has munificently supported these undertakings 
and loyally stood behind the management. The 
total annual income from membership dues is 
insufficient to carry on all the executive, admin- 
istrative, scientific and artistic work which the 
Society has contributed to make the Park and 
the Aquarium the institutions they are. None 
of this is paid by the City. 
“The Executive Committee has, therefore, 
determined to raise an Endowment Fund similar 
to that which makes permanent the work of the 
American Museum of Natural History, of the 
Metropolitan Museum of Art, and of the Botan- 
ical Garden. 
“Pending the raising of an Endowment, 
which should amount to not less than $1,000,000, 
one hundred members of the Society, in addi- 
tion to their previous gifts, have enrolled them- 
selves as Sustaining Members, contributing 
$4,000 a year for five years, or until such time 
as the Endowment Fund can be raised. 
“It may be supposed that the other institu- 
tions of the city as well as the exhibitions in the 
Park itself, are doing all that should be done 
toward public education and _ enlightenment 
along these lines, but there are three especial 
grounds for this undertaking by the New York 
Zoological Society. 
“First PERMANENCE OF THE Society, and 
thus of the Park and Aquarium, when the present 
initial enthusiasm wanes through the loss of 
members. 
“Second.—Scientiric ExpLoRATION AND 
Pusiication, such as is conducted by other sim- 
ilar societies in other parts of the world. 
“Third-—Protection or ANIMAL Lirx, as 
the Society’s part in the great conservation 
movement which is going on not only in the 
United States, but in all parts of the world. 
“You are invited to contribute to Endowment 
either by an outright subscription, or by a sub- 
seription conditioned upon the raising of $250,- 
000 during the coming fiscal year.” 
The Committee has the satisfaction of report- 
ing that up to the present date subscriptions 
have been received as follows: 
Of the six $25,000 subscriptions needed, two 
have been received. 
Of the ten $10,000 subscriptions needed, four 
have been received. 
Of the twenty $5,000 subscriptions needed, 
eight have been received. 
The Committee hopes that the members and 
friends of the Society will aid in raising the 
needed Endowment Fund. 
