52 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY 
of buildings, cages and fences, and the policing of the grounds, 
has been carried on as in previous years. Special attention has 
been paid to the lands lying east of Boston Road, which have 
been cleaned and are now in good condition. Great assistance 
was rendered in this work by the free labor furnished by the 
Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor. 
Little has been done by this department during the year 
in ground improvement work on account of lack of funds. The 
most important items, however, are, the replacing of the Poultry 
Laying House at the Nursery; the erection of a Brooder and 
Incubator House; the installation of seven new drinking foun- 
tains; the strengthening of the Elephant Yard fence; the con- 
struction of a drain from the new Animal Hospital to the main 
sewer; and the commencement of the work in connection with 
the construction of a new concrete bottom for the Wild Fowl 
Pond. 
A large amount of repair work to buildings and walks has 
been accomplished during the year. This has already been 
reported upon, however, in the Improvement and Repair Fund. 
EAST SIDE EXTENSION. 
During the early part of the year it became apparent to 
your committee that the Public Service Commission intended 
to take a large strip of the easterly border of Bronx Park, which 
contains perhaps the finest trees in any public park in the City 
of New York, including a large number of handsome pin oaks, 
and use it in connection with the new subway for the storage 
of dead cars. In return they proposed to give a triangular por- 
tion of land north of 180th Street and abutting on the southeast 
corner of the Zoological Park. The lands were about equal in 
area, but for park purposes there could be no comparison, as 
the land they proposed to add to the Park is rough and un- 
sightly, with only a few trees in one corner, and an enormous 
sum would be required to fit it for park purposes. 
With the above purpose in mind the Public Service Com- 
mission introduced at Albany a bill to which your committee 
made strenuous objections. The bill would have failed of pas- 
sage if the objections had not been withdrawn upon the definite 
statement to your committee, of Chairman McCall of the Public 
Service Commission, through Mr. John E. Eustis, that no por- 
tion of the land acquired from Bronx Park would be used for 
storage yard purposes, and that a request would only be made 
