FOURTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT 75 



At the Small-Mammal House the wire-netting panels of all 

 of the inside and outside cages were thoroughly overhauled, and 

 new bottoms were supplied in cages where necessary. At the 

 Ostrich House, the entire interior of the building was painted, 

 and one of the large ostrich cages was enclosed with a wood and 

 glass partition, to furnish the conditions necessary for an ex- 

 periment in keeping ostriches in a cold, dry atmosphere during 

 winter. 



At the Antelope House, much painting and overhauling of 

 outside and inside fences was done. A permanent partition was 

 built in the large compartment formerly occupied by the hippo- 

 potamus, and the floors of several other compartments were sup- 

 plied with new surfaces of concrete and gravel or with cement- 

 tile, to render them less slippery for the animals. 



The entire interior of the Small-Deer House was overhauled 

 and painted, and also the interiors of the Entrance Pavilions. 



A room was built for the checking of hats and coats at the 

 Boat House. All the boats were given the annual overhauling 

 and painting, and also the fences surrounding the Duck Aviary, 

 the Beaver Pond, Elk Range, Asiatic-Deer Ranges, Antelope and 

 Small-Deer corrals, and Mountain Sheep Hill. 



Much work was devoted to the Bear Dens, where a great 

 deal of new iron work, in the shape of overhangs and partitions, 

 was supplied. 



The heating systems in the various buildings have reached 

 a very unsatisfactory state, calling constantly for expensive re- 

 pairs. Five boilers had to be taken down, and reset with many 

 new sections. Owing to the unfortunate conditions governing 

 the public letting of contracts to the lowest bidders, and the im- 

 possibility of specifying the type of heater to be put into each 

 new building, we now have eight different kinds of furnaces in 

 our buildings! This state of affairs is not only ridiculous, but 

 it is also highly expensive and troublesome beyond what it 

 should be. 



The Public Comfort Station at the Boston Road Entrance 

 was placed in commission, necessitating much work in the drain- 

 ing of the cellar, by means of a concrete pit and an automatic 

 cellar-drainer. 



Several of the deer barns were re-shingled, and the roof of 

 the Service Building, which is in very bad condition, was patched 

 in different places. 



