26 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
Dr. Merriam writes (April 15, 1897) as follows: 
Taken as a whole, the ground selected for the Park could hardly be bet- 
ter adapted to the ends in view. I was surprised to find so near New York 
City a tract combining such natural beauty and ruggedness, an abundance 
of mature forest trees, an unlimited water supply, and sufficient diversity of 
local conditions to meet the needs of nearly all the animals it is desirable to 
exhibit in a zoological park. 
It is true that the Park does not contain ideal places for the Bighorn, 
Mountain Goat, and Prairie Dogs. With respect to the two former, how- 
ever, it may be said that no ideal locality exists nearer than the higher 
peaks of the Catskills. But, by supplementing the rock ridges chosen for 
the Bighorn and Mountain Goat by artificial masses of rock, I think these 
animals will secure the best conditions that can be afforded them in the 
neighborhood of New York City. 
With respect to the Prairie Dogs, the only spot in the Park really suited, 
in my judgment, to the needs of such burrowing animals, is the knoll which 
on your preliminary plan is surrounded by the four principal houses—the 
Lion House, Monkey House, Bird House, and Sub-Tropical House. For my 
part, I see no good reason why these mild-mannered and inoffensive ani- 
mals could not occupy this prominence without in any way interfering with 
the animal houses to be erected in the immediate vicinity. If they are put 
elsewhere it will be necessary to cart in a large quantity of soil to give them 
sufficient depth of earth for their diggings. 
The areas selected for the Bison herd, Antelope, Moose, Caribou, and the 
various Deer, the ledges for the dens of the Bears, Wolves and Foxes, and 
the ponds for the Beaver and Muskrat, and so on, seem to me excellently 
chosen, and well adapted to the wants of these animals, and I do not see 
how they could be improved. 
Near the north entrance of the Park, on the west side of the road, is a 
picturesque mass of rock partly concealed by junipers. This, in my judg- 
ment, is an almost ideal spot for colonies of two of the most beautiful and 
interesting of our small mammals. I refer to the Silver-sided Ground Squir- 
rel of California (Spermophilus fisheri), and the Golden-mantled Ground 
Squirrel of the Cascade Range in Oregon (.Spermophilus chrysodeirus ). 
Both of these animals are diurnal, graceful, and extremely beautiful. They 
naturally live in loose colonies, are easily tamed, and would, in my opinion, 
form one of the most attractive and interesting exhibits it will be possible 
to make. 
In closing, allow me to express the hope that you and your colleagues will 
ever bear in mind that the principal object of a Zoological Park is to keep 
living animals as nearly as possible under natural conditions, and at the 
same time where they may be seen by the public. This being the case, the 
aim should always be to give each animal the place best adapted to its habits 
of life. In some cases the selection of a site must be regarded as experi- 
mental, and subject to change. In other cases, certain animals will have to 
be moved from time to time in order to give them fresh ground. For all 
these reasons it seems obvious that the Park should be left as nearly as pos- 
