68 NEW “YORK *ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
MISCELLANEOUS GROUND IMPROVEMENT WORK. 
Even the briefest mention of the miscellaneous ground im- 
provement work performed during the year 1903 would make a 
long list, and for the sake of brevity will be omitted here. It is 
desirable, however, to mention the fact that the planting opera- 
tions included the planting of 2,063 trees in the border plantations 
of the Park. 
The temporary Small Mammal House erected by the Zoological 
Society at its own expense, was removed from its original location 
and re-erected in the Nursery as a hot-house, it having been orig- 
inally intended that it should finally be used in that manner. This 
adds a very important feature to the Nursery plant. The re- 
moval of this building, and the acquisition of large herds of buf- 
falo and elk, rendered it imperative to provide a winter shelter for 
miscellaneous animals not on exhibition yet requiring some arti- 
ficial heat. A substantial and permanent shelter was erected in 
the northwestern corner of the animal yard, and provided on all 
four sides with stalls and cages for the accommodation of animals 
which live outdoors in summer, but require a temperature of sixty 
degrees in winter. The completion of this feature rendered it 
possible to devote the entire shelter portion of the Buffalo House 
to the Whitney herd, and the main shelter of the Elk House to the 
Whitney elk herd. Heretofore both those buildings have been 
occupied in winter as temporary shelters for tropical hoofed 
animals. 
Lydig Memorial Gateway.—The fact that for fully three-quar- 
ters of a century the Lydig family carefully preserved the forest 
of south Bronx Park, and in so doing rendered a conspicuous 
service to the City of New York, has long been considered by the 
Zoological Society worthy of permanent commemoration. In 
these days of forest destruction such an example has seemed well 
worthy of public notice, in the hope that its influence will bear 
fruit in the future for the benefit of other cities. The offer of 
Mrs. Lydia Lydig Sturgis to erect in Zoological Park a memo- 
rial gateway in commemoration of the preservation of the sur- 
rounding forest by the Lydig family, was promptly accepted by 
the Zoological Society. A very handsome gateway, or arch, con- 
sisting of two massive pillars of cut stone, surmounted by an arch 
of ornamental wrought iron, was erected at the expense of 
Mrs. Sturgis at the top of the steps leading from the Buffalo En- 
trance to the upper level of Rocking-Stone Hill. On the eastern 
