58 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



primates' house and lion house. 



The most important event of the year was the completion of 

 the Primates' House, and its occupancy. On December 22d it 

 was opened to the public with a collection of 114 primates, rep- 

 resenting 42 species. A full description of this building was 

 published in the Zoological Society Bulletin, No. 6. 



The Lion House is about one-third complete, and bids fair to 

 prove a very satisfactory structure. Its construction is being 

 pushed quite rapidly, and it should be ready for occupancy by 

 June I, 1902. Unfortunately it is not possible to collect speci- 

 mens of the larger Felidae and keep them in temporary quarters 

 for any length of time, consequently the animals for the new Lion 

 House can not be selected and purchased until the building is 

 nearly ready. 



NEW INSTALLATIONS FOR ANIMALS. 



Mountain Sheep Hill. — The long-deferred plan for a series of 

 inclosures for wild sheep and goats on the rocky hillside immedi- 

 ately west of the Rocking Stone, was this year carried out. Orig- 

 inally the hillside was a chaotic mass of earth, old stone walls, and 

 granite rock. The valley at the foot of the slope was a prehis- 

 toric dumping-ground for refuse rock of every description, while 

 hillside and valley were completely overgrown with a tangle of 

 worthless vegetation, chiefly weeds and briar bushes. 



But the hillside offered two features of value to an installation 

 for mountain sheep and goats. Height was there, and rough 

 slopes of granite rock; but its successful utilization demanded 

 very careful treatment. In about all other zoological gardens, 

 wild sheep are provided with wholly artificial hills and rocks, built 

 upon level ground, because the work of nature is not there. 



The director of the Park was finally authorized to carry out his 

 plan for the development of Mountain Sheep Hill, and by the 

 close of the working season about 75 per cent, of the task had 

 been completed. The rubbish in the valley was hauled away 

 and utilized elsewhere, and thereby the height of the hill was 

 increased. By a judicious removal of earth and useless vegeta- 

 tion, a fine exposure of pink granite rock was secured along the 

 hillside for a distance of about 400 feet, with a maximum height 

 of 25 feet above the valley. 



Two dry and warm shelters were constructed in the rockv side 



