ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN. 



551 



The original impulse and effort for the crea- 

 tion of the New York Zoological Society came 

 from Madison Grant, then a sportsman and 

 student of nature, and by profession a lawyer; 

 and very early in its career the new organization 

 secured the active support of Prof. Henry Fair- 

 field Osborn. It is impossible to overstate the 

 influence of those two men on the Society's un- 

 dertaking, and their devotion to the task, year in 

 and year out. Without them, New York would 

 have at this time no Zoological Park ! 



I regard the Executive Committee of this So- 

 ciety as the most remarkable body of men with 

 which I ever have come in contact. The man- 

 ner in which those men of great affairs regular- 

 ly, and even joyously, left "their mirth and 

 their employment," to spend from two to four 

 hours at a time in hard-working business meet- 

 ings, month after month, for thirteen years, was, 

 to at least one man, both an object lesson and 

 an inspiration. Talk about civic pride, and the 

 duties of good citizenship, — the Zoological Park 

 is a lasting monument to that spirit as it exists 

 in the 1666 members of this Society; and in 

 saying this, we only render unto Caesar the thing 

 that is his. 



For eleven years, — 1898 to 1909, — the com- 

 position of the Executive Committee of the So- 

 ciety remained almost unchanged. Its members 

 were: 



Hon. Levi P. Morton, ex-officio, President of 

 the Society. 



Prof. Henry Fairfield Osborn, Vice-Presi- 

 dent, Chairman for seven years ; now President. 



Madison Grant, General Secretary. 



Charles T. Barney, Chairman for three years, 

 Treasurer four years. 



John L. Cadwalader, Counsel. 



William White Niles, Attorney. 



Percy R. Pyne, Treasurer. 



Samuel Thorne. 



Capt. John S. Barnes. 



Gen. Philip Schuyler. 



The vacancy caused by the death of Mr. 

 Schuyler has recently been filled by the election 

 of Mr. William Pierson Hamilton. 



During the thirteen years of the Society's 

 existence, the Executive Committee has held 169 

 meetings, and only one of them was without a 

 quorum. 



In 1899 the Zoological Society set the pace 

 by expending nearly $250,000 of its own funds 

 in the erection of the Reptile House, the Aquatic 

 Bird-House, the Bear Dens, Flying Cage and 

 about eighteen smaller installations for animals. 



HARPY EAGLE. 



