30 REPORT OP THE 



of a mounted keeper on certain days of the week would prove 

 very serviceable ; I think, also, he eould be made available in 

 regulating the extensive business traffic, on the Ocean Parkway, 

 and heavy vehicles employed in the conveyance of farm produce, 

 lumber, manure, building material, &c, could be with propriety 

 restricted to the traffic road on either side, which roads were 

 constructed for the purpose. This restriction might be limited 

 to the afternoon, from one o'clock P. M., and it would operate 

 greatly to the comfort of those who use the road for pleasure 

 driving, for which the Central roadway was principally designed. 



Another abuse of privilege less noticeable, but perhaps no less 

 important, is the occasional destruction of plants and shrubs 

 upon the park. The purloining of plants and the disfigure- 

 ment of shrubs is frequent enough to entail otherwise unneces- 

 sary responsibility upon keepers. Oftentimes rare and valuable 

 plants are heedlessly broken and destroyed in the desire to 

 possess a blossom or collection of leaves. 



The park is a resort for many varieties of our native song- 

 birds in their season. The number of persons, mostly boys, who 

 are heedless enough to disturb these, are not many, but make it 

 necessary, nevertheless, for the exercise of vigilance during the 

 Summer and Fall to prevent injury to the birds and destruction 

 of their nests. 



Other persons with morbid or very much misplaced tender 

 sensibilities, make use of the park to dispose of surplus cats, and 

 cats for whom a waning affection suggests this mode of compro- 

 mise as to their disposition, subjecting, as a consequence, our 

 birds, rabbits, squirrels, &c, to the danger resulting from the 

 awakened instinctive predatory habit of the cat. During the year 

 man}' cats are killed in the park. During the past season a fox 

 was lei loose in the park and destroyed several valuable water 

 fowl before he was killed. 



On the smaller parks intoxicated and otherwise disorderly 

 persons often seek the convenience which the semi-retirement 



