
RECREA TION 
Volume XI. 
NOVEMBER, 1399. 
Number 5. 
G. 0. SHIELDS (COQUINA), Editor and Manager. 

EVE wee OF aTiGRKEAT ZOO: 
J. D. RICHARDS, 
One year ago the site of the New 
York Zoological Park was a tangled, 
unkempt wilderness. In it all there was 
NORMA DALiSeain one chu monm Ghopm Of 
water save those that nature had pro- 
vided and maintained. The visitor who 
had wthessnarcdihood tol wenttne ‘imto 1t 
was plagued by mosquitoes, half stifled 
by the closeness of the jungle, and his 
life was endangered by the falling of 
dead trees and branches. It was in- 
deed a wild tract of wood, water and 
meadow, but as a site for an ideal zoolog- 
ical park it was the finest on earth. 
I wish you could see the marvellous 
1895, under special charter, by men who 
are accustomed to doing things on a grand 
scale, not one small idea has yet found 
lodgment in the organization’s plans or 
work. The initial conception was to 
raise by subscription $250,000 for build- 
ings, to get $250,000 from the city for the 
preparation of the grounds and to have 
between 200 and 300 acres of land. 
As soon as the Society had completed 
its organization, it looked the country 
over for the best man to serve as direc- 
tor for the zoological park to be cre- 
ated. Forthwith the choice fell upon W. 
T. Hornaday, who in 1800 left the Wash- 


change that the New York Zoological 
Society, aided by the city of New York, 
has wrought in one short year. Usually 
the building of a great zoological garden 
is a work of I0 to 20 years; but this 
marvellous conception of New York’s 
‘foremost citizens is going to take its 
place in the front rank of completed gar-. 
dens in 3 years from the date of its actual 
commencement. 
The history of the Zoological Society 
thus far is simply an unbroken record 
of success and progress. Founded in 
339 
AMATEUR PHOTO BY G. E. STONEBRIDGE. 
BOARD OF MANAGERS AT THE ROCKING STONE. 
ington Zoological Park, and, as he sup- 
posed, gave up natural history, for- 
ever. The magnitude of the New York 
undertaking was alluring, and although 
his services came high ($5,000 a year), 
the New York Zoological Society did 
not hesitate to pay its director the 
highest salary paid to any person hold- 
ing such a position. An office was opened 
in Wall street, all the parks North of 
the Harlem were carefully studied, and 
finally an application was made to the 
city of New York for the allotment of the 
