Evening star., 1925-07-05

/
plete collection of mammals, birds and
| reptiles in the wcrld. DR.. William NJ.
| Mann, superintendent of the National
| Geological Park, has started a move
to interest all branches of the United
States service to aid in swelling the
| Zoo family.
At present the collection, consisting
Of more than 100 specimens, barely
skins the surface of the vast horde
of animal life. DR.. Mann says: Through
the Army, Navy. Biological Survey.
Geological Survey. Diplomatic Corps,
Consular Service, Coast Guard, Smith
sonian Institution, Department of
Agriculture and Department of Com
merce, all of which come in touch
with out-of-the-way places on the
globe, he expects to obtain scores of
specimens unrepresented in any other
collection.
At the same time DIR. Mann. an eX.
plorer and collector all his life, has
an unrivaled acquaintance with other
explorers and collectors stationed in
other lands~and is enlisting the serv-
ices of all of them to grab up any
rare or interesting specimens to fill
gaps in the collection here.
The time has come. DIR. Mann be-
lieves, when there can be no further
delay in enlarging the Zoo. Records
kept at the park offices show that
during the past few years it has be-
come more than ever before a national
institution, of supreme educational
value. Hundreds of high schools scat
tered through the East. South and
Middle West are sending their senior
classes here every year. and one OF
the chief points of interest is the
unique collection of animals.
New Specimens Arrive.
New specimens. many of the un-
represented in other collections, have
been arriving in considerable numbers
during the past few weeks. Some or
these have been purchased from AMI
NAL dealers or obtained by swaps of
animal born at the park, but the
ma jority have come as gifts.
The increase In the collection, Zoo
officials say, will necessitate consid-
cradle increase in the housing facil-
ties in the near future, since the COM
munity already is crowded to capacity,
especially so far as keeping the AMI
mails on exhibition is concerned. 1t
now is necessary to keep some OF
them in places where they are not
readily accessible TO the public, es-
pecially animals newly received and
some which, while very valuable from
a scientific standpoint, have not so
much popular appeal.
Much of the present difficulty will
be done away with when the new
birdhouse, long contemplated, is con-
structed. Appropriations for this
building will be asked this year. Plans
have been drawn up. Not only Will 1t
relieve the present congestion, but
will make possible the showing of the
creatures under much better circum-
stances.
Smithsonian Institution officials,
under whom the direction of the Zoo
comes, have been assured that there
will be no difficulty in securing money
for this structure.
Other buildings urgently needed and
which will become of vital Importance
If DR.. Mann succeeds in his plans for
increasing the collection, are reptile
house which could be used both for
insects and reptiles, a small mammal
house, a pachiderm house for the ele-
plants, rhinoceri, tapirs and giraffes,
and possibly an aquarium which could
also be used for a collection of am
T! phibia-
Gifts Turned Down.
Next TO the birdhouse, the reptile
house is most needed. Gifts of reptiles
are numerous. Many offers are re-
| ceived which cannot be accepted, &C.
cording to Zoo officials, because there
is no place to keep the creatures. The
| snakes, including the great anaconda,
now are kept in the lion house. Such
serpents as pythons and mambas
sometimes are offered on the market
at low prices and are subjects of in,
tense interest for the general public.
Owing to their deadly nature, how
ever. very carefully constructed cages
would be necessary which would be
| absolutely proof against any posi-
bility of escape. There is no room for
even one such cage where it could be
| properly placed for exhibition.
At present the rear of the bird
house and even the superintendent s
| office are filed with cages containing
| rare specimens. These are given the
best care possible, but DIR. Mann de.
sires that all shall be on public ex-
hibition as soon as possible. They
now, of course, are open to any one
with any special interest in them.
In addition a number of reptiles
| which are DR.. Mann's private prop
erty, but which he gladly would place
on exhibit at the Zoo, are kept for him
| at the National Museum because of
| lack Of room.
Besides the plans for new buildings
| is the idea of a large open runway
! for loins and tigers, in which they
may be shown to as good advantage
| as is now enjoyed by the bears. This
| will be ready next Spring. Largely
because of their excellent location the
| bruin family at present is the best
known in the park, and there is not
| a minute while the gates are open
| that there Is not a considerable num-
Der of spectators before the cages.
An innovation of the past week is
a model prairie dog village so con-
| structed that children can study at
! first hand the habits of these inter
! esting creatures. Two dozen of the
| little burrowers have been obtained
| from Kansas and most of these al
| ready have been placed in a pen in
| the open. This has a cement bot
! tom and is lined with cement for s
| feet on all sides. The cemented sec
| tion is filed with soil. Already the
| animals have made for themselves a
| network of tunnels, each with little
| mound at its opening. Were 1t not
| for the cement. 1t is claimed, there
J would be as large prairie dog village
! outside the pen as inside, since there
! is almost no limit to the depth a
| prairie dog will sink his tunnels.
Government Helps Collection.
DR.. Mann has high hopes of the
success to come from Government
! cooperation, which he is launching.
The Zoo, he explains, is in unique
position to obtain rare animals be-
| cause of its connection with the
| Government. Other collections in
the United States are dependent on
municipalities, societies or wealthy
individuals for support. Hence, al
| though some of them have consider
ably larger funds than 1t is possible
| to obtain under the Smithsonian ap-
| preparation, they are largely limited
/ "a IIrhat tha,. l,ar1r fran, q