NEWS BULLETIN OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



IRews Bulletin 



OF THE 



IRew JJ)ovk Zoological Society. 



published at the 



New York Zoological Park, 183d Street and Southern Boulevard, 

 new york city. 



©fficers of tbe Society. 



president: 



HON. LEVI P. MORTON. 



Executive Committee : 



Levi P. Morton, ex-officio, 

 Henry F. Osborn, Chairman, 

 John L. Cadwalader, 

 Chari.es E. Whitehead, 



John S. Barnes, 

 Philip Schuyler. 

 Madison Grant, 

 W. VV. Nii.ks, Jr. 



General Officers : 



Secretary, Madison Grant, 11 Wall Street. 

 Treasurer, L. V. F. Randolph, 39 William Street. 

 Director, William T. Hornaday, Zoological Park. 



SSoaro of Managers : 



Ex-Officw \ The M ayor "f the Clt y of New York, Hon. Robert A. Van Wyck, 

 ' j The President of the Deft of Parks. Hon. George C. Clausen. 



Ci-yiSS OR 1899. 



Henry F. Osborn, 

 Henry \V. Poor, 

 Charles T. Barney, 

 William H. Webb, 

 Oswald Ottendorfer, 

 L. V. F. Randolph, 

 Wager Swayne, 

 William C. Church, 

 Frank M. Chapman, 

 Charles R. Miller, 

 I. Kennedy Tod, 

 Hhxk', H. Cuok. 



CLASS OR 1900. 



Levi P. Morton, 

 Andrew Carnegie, 

 Morris K. Jesup, 

 John L. Cadwalader, 

 Philip Schuyler, 

 John S. Barnes, 

 Madison Grant, 

 W. W. Riles, Jr., 



WlNTHROP CHASI.HK, 



Eugene Schieffelin, 

 Samuel Thorxk, 

 Henry A. C. '1 aylor. 



CLASS OF 1901. 



P. Arc. Schermerhorn 

 A. Newbold Morris, 

 Charles E. Whitehha 

 J. Hampden Robb. 

 Thomas H. Barber, 

 Charles A. Peaeody. Ji, 

 Percy R. Pyne, 

 George B. Grinnhi.l, 

 Jacob H. Schiff. 

 Edward J. Bkrwind, 

 William C. Whitney, 

 John D. Crimmins. 



NEW MEMBERS, 

 Elected since the publication of the Second Annual Report. 



PATRON. 

 Ford, James B. 



LIFE MEMBERS. 



Clarkson, Banyer 

 Crimmins, John D. 

 Delafield, Albert 

 Dodge. Marcellus H. 

 Gunther, Franklin L. 



La Farge, C. Grant 

 Pinchot, J. W. 



Sampson, Henry 

 Sterne, Simon 

 Thompson, Ernest Seton 



ANNUAL MEMBERS. 



Anthon, A. 

 Beekman, Henry R. 

 Beerbower, George M. 

 Bertschmann, Louis 

 Betzig. Charles J. 

 Betzig, Edward G. 

 Bolton, John W. 

 Braun, Fred. 

 Brewster, George S. 

 Bunzl, Mrs. Julius 

 Cook, Ferdinand H. 

 Denier, Stanley VY. 

 Drosser, Hubert 

 Duryea, Harry H. 

 Godkin, Edwin L. 

 Greer, Charles 

 Harriman, '.V. M. 

 Hilyard, Jr., George D. 



Wood, 



Hutchins, Augustus Schell 

 Hoffman, John \V. 

 Holbrook, Mrs. S. F. 

 Jacob, Lawrence 

 Jacquelin, Herbert T. B. 

 Kelly, Eugene 

 McAlpin, Mrs. Chas. W. 

 Mali, Pierre 

 Nichols, Acosta 

 Scharmann, H. B. 

 Schlatter, Chas. F. 

 Stokes, H. B. 

 Taylor, George 

 T.'r:- . r, F. Griswold 

 Thomson, Girard F. 

 Thorne, Edwin 

 Wahi.e, Chas. G. F. 

 Weber, Louis 

 Arnold 



UNDER OUR OWN ROOF. 



Ever since October nth, the Society has had one abid- 

 ing place wholly its own. On that date the director, the 

 engineer, and clerk of the works occupied the Elk House, 

 and temporarily established therein the offices of the Zoo- 

 logical Park. The wide doorways for the elk have been 

 partly closed in and fitted with spacious double windows, 

 and the present floors are of wood instead of concrete. 

 The building contains two offices, a large workshop, and 

 a loft for storage. It is very well situated for administra- 

 tive purposes, and plays an important part in the devel- 

 opment of the Park. Although neither of grand propor- 

 tions nor elaborate design, its lines are odd and pleasing. 

 It fits into the Elk Range most admirably ; and, best of all, 

 it is Home. 



THE CITY AND THE ZOOLOGICAL PARK. 



Soon after the new administration came into office it 

 was definitely learned that the new Board of Parks was 

 very friendly toward the new undertaking, and would pro- 

 mote it to the limit of its power. The debt limit ques- 

 tion made it necessary to postpone for several months our 

 application for the appropriation to be granted by the City 

 for ground improvements ; and when it became positively 

 known that no new city bonds could be issued without 

 an amendment of the Charter, the outlook was decidedly 

 doubtful. Fortunately, however, it was learned that' the 

 Mayor was well disposed toward the plans of the Zoo- 

 logical Society; and when, upon June 2 1st, an application 

 for $125,000, to be expended on ground improvements, 

 was presented to him, it was promptly taken up by the 

 Board of Estimate, and referred to Comptroller Coler for 

 report. Later on it was also referred to Corporation 

 Counsel Wha'.cn. Both reports were favorable ; but it 

 was declared to be impossible to provide, this year, so 

 large a sum as $125,000. 



In view of the fact that half the year had then passed 

 away, and that it would be almost impossible to complete 

 all the ground improvements during the year 1898, the 

 Society proposed that one-half the whole sum be appro- 

 priated for use during the present year, at the same 

 time, agreeing to expend from its Park Improvement Fund 

 an amount equal to any appropriation the City might 

 choose to make. Without a voice being raised in opposi- 

 tion, the Board of Estimate at once appropriated $62,000, 

 and made it immediately available for expenditure by the 

 Commissioner of Parks for the Borough of the Bronx, 

 Hon. August Moebus, in accordance with the plans of the 

 Zoological Society. Immediately following this action, 

 our Executive Committee ordered that work on buildings 

 and other enclosures for animals should be pushed with all 

 speed, with a view to opening the Park next May, if 

 possible. The first appropriation of the Society for this 

 purpose was $62,000, equalling the amount appropriated 

 by the City. Subsequently, on November 17, 1898, the 

 Society increased this sum to $83,000, in order to com- 

 plete the various buildings and other installations for ani- 

 mals which are reported in this Bulletin. 



During the summer the attention of the Department of 

 Sewers was called to the stream of sewage from Belmont, 

 which empties into the Zoological Park and flows through 

 Birds' Valley on the surface. Plans were prepared for a 

 small sewer ; and Acting Commissioner Donohue, upon 

 the recommendation of Deputy Commissioner Byrnes, 

 applied to the Board of Estimate for $2,250, with which 

 to construct the sewer. The amount applied for was 

 promptly granted, and a contract for the work was let on 

 November 30th. 



Immediately following this action the Society closed a 

 contract fur $4, ,^00 for the -reel frame and wire work of 

 the great Flying-Cage, and began preliminary work on 

 the Ducks' Aviary. 



