NEWS BULLETIN OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Nichols, George L. 



Osborn, Mrs. Henry F. 

 Outerbridge, Dr. Paul 



Palmedo, U. 

 Palmer, S. S. 

 Patterson, J. M. 

 Peck, Theodore G. 

 Pell, Alfred 

 Penfold, William Hall 

 Peters, W. R. 



Rand, Geo. C. 

 Redmond, Henry S. 

 Rhodes, Bradford 

 Richard, Auguste 

 Richards, Chas. F. 

 Riker, Samuel 



Sackett, Clarence 

 Sage, Dean 

 Schefer, Carl 

 Schiff, Jacob H. 

 Schultze, John S. 

 Schumacher, C. 

 Seligman, Alfred L. 

 Seymour, Julius H. 

 Schuyler, Miss Louisa Lee 

 Sheldon, George R. 

 Sherman, Gardiner 

 Simpson, Jr., John Boulton 

 Skidmore, William L- 

 Smith, Dr. Edw. A. 

 Smith, Philip S. 



Taylor. Miss Alexandrina 

 Tefft, William E. 

 Terry, Rev. Roderick 

 Thacher, Mrs. George W. 

 Thomas, Samuel 

 Thorne, W. V. S. 

 Tiffany, Louis C. 



Upp, Thomas M. 



Valentine, William A. 



Van Brunt, C H. 



Van Cortlandt, Augustus 



Wanninger, Chas. 

 W.iterbury, John J. 

 Wardwell, William T. 

 White, Stanford 

 Williams, C. G. 

 Winthrop, Egerton L. 



Niles, Hon. W. W. 



Owen, Mrs. Thos. Jefferson 



Piel, Gottfried 

 Pierrepont, John Jay 

 Plympton, Gilbert M. 

 Post, Edward C. 

 Pratt, Dallas B. 

 Pryer, Charles 



Robbins, S. Howland 

 Robinson, William 

 Rolle, August J. 

 Rowley, Jr., John 

 Ruppert, Jacob 



Smith, Geo. Warren 

 Smith, William Alexander 

 Smithers, Charles 

 Soper, A. W. 

 Spencer, Samuel 

 Stahl, Jr., Jacob 

 Stern, Isaac 

 Stewart, Lispenard 

 Stewart, William R. 

 Stone, Mason A. 

 Stonebridge, Charles H. 

 Stechert, Gustav E. 

 Squibb, Dr. E. H. 

 Stuart, Inglis 



Toel, William 

 Toothe, William 

 Townsend, Howard 

 Tows, Coe Downing 

 Trask, Spencer 

 Turuure, Lawrence 



Van Pelt, Gilbert S. 

 Van Winkle, Edgar B. 



Wolff, Emil 

 • Woodward, F. F. 

 Woodworth, Clarence S". 

 Wagstaff, C. Du Bois 

 Watscn, Charles F. 

 Wood, J. Walter 



THE BULLETIN. 



Our first number was an experiment. The issue of a 

 popular news bulletin by a scientific society seemed a some- 

 what questionable proceeding. But, from the very begin- 

 ning the Zoological Society has attempted to give the 

 establishment of the Zoological Park a thoroughly popular, 

 as well as scientific character, and to make all its proceed- 

 ings and plans as well known to the public as possible, 

 feeling that the more the public becomes acquainted with 

 the details of the work to be accomplished, the more 

 abundant and sincere will be the support accorded the 

 undertaking. 



Fortunately .Bulletin number one was received in the same 

 spirit in which it was sent forth. Although issued in mid- 

 summer, two hundred and ten persons responded to its ' ' call 

 for friends and funds." It is not strange, therefore, that 

 the Society now regards the News Bulletin as a sort of 

 fixture, to appear at intervals and mark the progress of the 

 work. We double its size in order that the present number 

 may contain at least half what could be said to the members 

 of the Society and to the general public at this date. 



INCREASE IN MEMBERSHIP. 



A careful examination of the names in the printed roll 

 of new members will reveal the reason why the Society is 

 well pleased with the result of the first open call for support. 

 On March 24th, when the Society received the grant of 

 South Bronx Park, the membership included only 30 life 

 members and 88 annual members. At present the list 

 reveals 3 founders. 10 patrons, 57 life members and 3b9 

 annual members, making a total of 439. We hope to double 

 all these figures before March 1st, 1898. 



We are much gratified to note that a number of ladies 

 and young people have joined the Society, both as annual 

 members and life members. It is also very encouraging to 

 find in the membership roll the names of many non-resi- 

 dents, representing New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, 

 Massachusetts,, and even the city of Buffalo. It was the in- 

 flux of new members prior to July 13th, which convinced 

 the Executive Committee that it was amply justified in taking 

 steps for the proposed exhibition of animal paintings next 

 February. 



EXHIBITION OF ANIMAL PAINTINGS. 



To many lovers of animated nature, there is cause for deep regret 

 in the fact that all our finest animals, both of land and sea, are being 

 swept away without any efforts being put forth to perpetuate their 

 forms on canvas. The taxidermists, the zoological museums, and those 

 whose duty it is to establish zoological gardens, all are earnestly 

 striving to do their duty toward our vanishing fauna, and to do it 

 well. Three great scientific-institutions, — the American Museum, the 

 •National Museum, and the State University of Kansas — already have 

 installed large mounted groups of our more noteworthy mammals, on 

 a scale which is truly praiseworthy, and hardly to be surpassed. In 

 those Institutions, money has been freely spent in an effort to create 

 lasting monuments to the buffalo, moose, elk, mountain sheep, moun- 

 tain goat, walrus and other important species now threatened with 

 extinction. 



But, as for the painting of American wild animals, what do we see? 

 Not one of our public art galleries contains a noteworthy painting of a 

 wild animal ! So far as can be ascertained, they contain collectively 

 but two wild-animal pictures of any sort, — a tiny painting of a 

 squirrel, by W. H. Beard, in the Wilstach Gallery, and a small paint- 

 ing of Virginia deer, by the same artist, in the Powers Gallery. Even 

 our finest and handsomest animals have been ignored. For years 

 past our American painters of wild animals have been working in 

 black and white, producing illustrations fgr magazines, simply 

 because their labor in that field is remunerated/ They have produced 

 * many fine illustrations, but in_^ur_art^exhibit git Paris, at the World 's 

 Fair, .and in our art galleries as already mentioned, fine, 'noteworthy^ ' 

 monumental paintings in color, such as those of Landseer, were and 

 are conspicuously absent. 



The Zoological Society believes that in promoting the production 

 of fine pictures of our wild animals, and a proper appreciation of them, 

 it will be acting strictly in line with one of the objects for which the 

 organization was created, and that it will render good service, not 

 only to zoology, but to the general public as well. It firmly believes 

 that in this direction there are splendid possibilities which have never 

 yet been developed in any country. It believes that the more the 

 artistic reproduction of our wild animals in painting and sculpture is 

 increased, the more interest will the public take in our fauna, and the 

 more will knowledge of it be increased. 



After careful deliberation, the Society has therefore decided to 

 begin forthwith a systematic effort to encourage and develop the 

 painting of American wild animals. At some period in February, yet 

 to be fixed, it will open an exhibition of animal paintings by Ameri- 

 can artists, or by artists working in this country. At first it was the 

 Society's intention to offer a series of prizes for the best work in 

 colors on mammals, birds and reptiles ; but the time available for 

 competitive work is now too short to justify it. It has therefore been 

 decided that the first exhibition shall be non-competitive, and artists 

 will be invited to send groups of their pictures, so that each of our 

 animal painters and illustrators may be fairly represented. 



To this end, paintings of domestic species as well as of wild animals 

 will be admitted ; but it is believed that subsequent exhibitions 

 should be open only to paintings and sculptures of wild species. It 

 is the intention of the Society to offer cash prizes and medals as soon 

 as the degree of interest shown by our animal painters seems to justify 

 it. It is not practicable to include animal sculptures in the first ex- 

 hibition, but hereafter they will be invited. 



The sale of pictures displayed will be encouraged and facilitated in 

 all proper ways, and no commissions on sales will be charged. The 

 patrons of art, and the public generally, will be invited to take an 

 interest in the exhibition and in the idea it will represent, and aid it 

 as far as possible. One feature of the exhibition will be the members' 

 reception, to which all members of the Society will receive cards of 

 invitation at the proper time. 



