28 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
good condition. ‘The first and most serious difficulty met with in caring for 
captive animals is to give them sufficient exercise, and if they can be in- 
duced to move about, and especially to climb and Gescend steep acclivities, 
the prospects for their health and well-being will be greatly increased. Such 
rocks would be used also as scratching places, and in this way would con- 
tribute to the animal’s comfort. 
‘‘T have elaborated this idea to the Director, and have suggested how 
such erections may be made not only without marring the landscape, but 
may even be made to add to its picturesqueness. 
‘*It is, of course, well known that the hoofs of the ungulates grow more 
or less to compensate for the wear to which they are subjected in a state of 
nature, and in the case of certain species which travel over rocky or grav- 
elly ground, this wear is considerable, and the growth of the hoof corre- 
spondingly rapid. It is evident that the hoofs of animals confined in pens, 
or in limited ranges where the soil is soft, will not be subjected to this 
wear, and yet their growth continues. Provision must therefore be made 
for an artificial wearing down of the hoof, or the animal’s feet must be 
pared from time to time. The great amount of rock and stone now on the 
ground allotted to the Society will make it an easy matter to build, within 
and close to the fences confining each species of ruminants, a walk of 
rough broken ‘stone which will be of the greatest value in keeping the an- 
imals’ feet in good condition. 
‘“The locality selected for the dens of the bears is admirable, and I am in- 
clined to approve that chosen for the wolves and foxes. It may be neces- 
sary, however, to plant a line of evergreens west of these dens. 
‘‘T heartily approve of the location of the beaver pond, and have sug- 
gested to the Director a mode of treating it which I believe will be greatly 
for the benefit of any animals that may be confined there. 
‘As yet I am somewhat in doubt as to how to treat the accommodations 
for the squirrels and other gnawing animals. It is quite obvious, however, 
that it will prove impracticable to furnish the squirrels with permanently 
living trees in their enclosures, unless these enclosures shall be moved from 
time to time. In other words, if the number of squirrels using any tree is 
large, in the course of a comparatively short time the animals will kill the 
tree. It will probably be better, therefore, for the Society to provide liv- 
ing trees for the groups of squirrels and to accept the fact that they must be 
killed. After the trees have been killed, the squirrels may be allowed still 
to live in them. 
‘“The location of the burrowing rodents presents problems that require 
further investigation, as in many places the rock is so near the surface of 
the soil that it may well be that artificial burrowing places will have to be 
prepared for animals such as prairie dogs, woodchucks and other species of 
like habits.’’ * x * * * * 3 * * * 
After careful deliberation, the Preliminary Plan was approved 
by the Executive Committee. A city surveyor was employed 
to make a close topographical survey of the northwestern portion 
