ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN. 



54- 



enernies ; and the ultra-humanitarians take small 

 note of the millions of wild lives that are pulled 

 down and destroyed by predatory enemies. 



Of the great array of rare and interesting 

 mammals, birds and reptiles today on exhibition 

 in the Xew York Zoological Park, many pages 

 would be needed to convey of them even a faint 

 impression. The collections have been formed 

 strictly on scientific lines. There are no half- 

 breeds, no "curiosities," and no freaks of any 

 kind save a few albinistic individuals. 



On July 15th, 1909, an enumeration of the 

 individuals and species alive and on exhibition 

 in the Park showed the possession of the fol- 

 lowing: 



TOTAL CENSUS OF WILD ANIMALS IN THE ZOOLOG- 

 ICAL PARK, JULY 15TH, 1909- 



Species. Specimens. 



Mammals 246 743 



Birds 644 2816 



Reptiles - 256 1969 



Total 1146 5528 



To the average mind, however, these figures 

 convey but a slight impression, even when we 

 state that in individuals we have the largest 

 number (by about 1000) to be found today in 

 any zoological garden or park. 



Regarding the quality of our animal collec- 

 tions, a few words must suffice. 



By way of illustration, what must the visitor 

 think of a collection of African hoofed animals 

 that contains a Mountain Zebra and Grant Zebra, 

 two species of Elephants, a pair of Black 

 Rhinoceroses, a Hippopotamus, a pair of 

 Giraffes, a Sable Antelope, a Kudu, a Bakers 

 Roan Antelope, an Addax, two species of Gnu, 

 a Beisa, a breeding pair of Leucoryx Antelope, 

 an Eland, a Waterbuck and a Wart-Hog? 



And what shall be said of a collection of deer 

 that contains a herd of Eld's Burmese Thameng, 

 a herd of Barasingha, herds of Indian and of 

 Malay Sambar ; herds of Axis, Sika, Fallow, Red 

 Deer, Wapiti of two continents, Kashmir Deer 

 (Hangul), and pairs and singles of at least a 

 dozen other species? 



Consider for a moment the bears, — seventeen 

 species, represented by 37 specimens, including 

 four species of the gigantic Alaskan Brown 

 Bear group, represented by seven specimens. 



The collections of apes, baboons and mon- 

 keys, and of small mammals and large cats, are 

 quite as rich as those mentioned above. 



The collections of birds are fairly bewilder- 

 ing in variety and zoological richness. When 

 any Zoological Park exhibits nearly 3000 live 

 birds, of different kinds and sizes, gathered from 

 a hundred different localities, there is no need 

 to comment on the rank of the collection. And 

 when it contains such feathered rarities as the 

 California Condor, Harpy Eagle, Bateleur 

 Eagle, Trumpeter Swan, Whooping Crane, 

 Sun Bittern, Seriema, South American Trumpe- 

 ter, Gyrfalcon, Sea Eagle, Yellow-Necked Cas- 

 sowary, Hyacinthine Macaw, Black Cockatoo, 

 Black-Backed Pelican, Ptarmigan, and a hun- 

 dred smaller varieties, its scientific value is be- 

 yond question. 



Of reptiles, the array is very comprehensive. 

 It contains five species of Rattlesnakes, the 

 King Cobra, Spectacled Cobra, Bushmaster, 

 Fer-de-Lance, Puff Adder, five species of Croc- 

 odilians liberally represented, and Pythons, 

 Boas, Anacondas, small Serpents, Lizards, 

 Iguanas, Turtles, Tortoises, Terrapins and Am- 

 phibians in great variety. 



The labeling of the living creatures in the 

 Zoological Park, with descriptions, pictures, 

 maps and charts, is far beyond the best results 

 accomplished in that line elsewhere. 



Thanks to the marvelously perfect site of 264 

 acres that New York City has provided for her 

 exposition of living wild creatures, and thanks 

 also to the wise use that has been made of it by 

 the Zoological Society, the New York Zoological 

 Park is today the foremost institution of its 

 kind. It is no exaggeration to say that it is in 

 a class by itself. Its grounds, its buildings and 

 out-door compositions for animals, are of un- 

 rivalled excellence, and in zoological value its 

 collections are now equal to the best elsewhere. 

 This plain statement is made with full knowl- 

 edge of what the world has done in this field, 

 and what animal collections exist elsewhere. 

 The elaborate official report of Dr. Gustave 

 Loisel to the French government (1907-8) has 

 enabled all the world to know the relative stand- 

 ing and merits of the zoological gardens and 

 parks of the world. 



This Bulletin has been called for by the 

 Hudson-Fulton Celebration Commission as a 

 means of placing before the public certain facts 

 regarding the wild life of eastern New York, 

 and a zoological institution that as yet is in- 

 adequately known, even to the people of the 

 Empire State. If the effort that has been made 

 here, by the first City of America, were today 

 anything else than the best of its kind thus far 

 created, then would we need to apologize for a 

 failure. 



