SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT. ) 
Accordingly these large blocks of weathered granite were left as 
Nature placed them, and the space behind them was blasted out 
and roofed over for use as sleeping-dens. In view ofall these cir- 
cumstances the construction of the four new bear-dens involved 
the most difficult rock and concrete construction that has yet been 
undertaken in the Park. The result, however, has admirably 
justified the effort and expenditure. The sleeping-dens are com- 
modious, dry, and very practical in the arrangement and working 
of their doors. Having been constructed with air spaces around 
their walls they will be much drier than the dens of the first 
series, which were built close against the face of the cliff. 
A contract for the iron work for the Bear-dens was made on 
June 26th, 1902, with William H. Wright & Son, which required 
the completion and erection of the iron work within sixty work- 
ing days. For various reasons these conditions were not met, 
nor will it be possible to secure the use of the Bear-dens until 
about the end of March, 1903. The lack of the new dens has been 
severely felt during the winter, partly for the reason that on 
account of the growth of the bears it was no longer possible to 
vacate dens in order to make repairs by placing the occupants 
of two dens together. 
Mountain Sheep Hill—The growth of the collection of wild 
sheep, goats, and ibex rendered it necessary to subdivide two of 
the large enclosures by running new fences transversely across 
the hill and making two new shelter-dens. At the same time 
the crest of the hill, which up to that date had consisted entirely 
of earth, was taken in hand and finished with rock, in accordance 
with the original plan. Large slabs of weathered stone were 
blasted and wedged off from several out-croppings of rock near 
the eastern side of the Zoological Park, with great labor dragged 
to the Bear Swamp Road and loaded on stone-trucks. They 
were then hauled to Mountain Sheep Hill, where they were care- 
fully cut to fit their spaces, and by means of a derrick laid in 
position. The position of all the exposed rock laid on Mountain 
Sheep Hill was carefully studied in order to make the new work 
conform to the natural lines of the mother ledge. All this work 
was carried out by Mr. Merkel, and the successful result reflects 
credit upon both his mechanical judgment and artistic conception. 
This piece of work and the new dens for bears forcibly illustrate 
the great desirability that in the future all such work should be 
executed by day labor under the personal supervision of Park 
officers. 
