SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT. 73 



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 of all 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 ofif 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. 



