EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT. 65 



were employed on these tasks, and work was pushed forward 

 with the utmost vigor. A few of these items are well worthy 

 of special mention : 



Antelope House. — The series of twenty-three yards surround- 

 ing the Antelope House form a very extensive feature of this in- 

 stallation, and from the first their development was recognized 

 as a matter involving much difficult work and very considerable 

 expense. Owing to the peculiar nature of the site, it early became 

 apparent that it would be desirable to let a contract for the fenc- 

 ing, gates, etc., and have all filling, grading, macadamizing, post- 

 setting and concrete work performed under the immediate su- 

 pervision of Zoological Park officers. By the consent of the 

 Park Commissioner this plan was adopted and has been carried 

 out, and by reason of the possibility of meeting certain conditions 

 as they were found, the best results possible have been secured 

 with the least possible expenditure. 



The outer boundaries of the two series of yards consist of a 

 heavy wrought-iron fence, eight feet high, standing over concrete 

 coping. The divisions between the yards consist of two double 

 lines of the heaviest Page wire fencing, set on steel posts three 

 feet apart, partly for the purpose of giving valuable space for 

 planting, and partly to prevent horned animals from fighting 

 through the partitions and injuring each other. The fence for 

 the elephant yard has been constructed of heavy angle-irons and 

 tee-irons of several patterns, each post being very firmly braced 

 on the outside. All the yards have been paved with telford mac- 

 adam, and fully provided with valleys, catch-basins and under- 

 ground drains. By means of a series of gates near the building, 

 it is possible for service carts to drive entirely around the building 

 near the outer wall, for the purpose of collecting refuse. 



With the exception of the Bear Dens, this outdoor improve- 

 ment has been the most extensive of its kind that has yet been 

 made in the Zoological Park. A contract for the fencing was 

 awarded to the Page Woven Wire Fence Company, of Adrian, 

 Michigan, and has been filled with promptness and scrupulous 

 care, with materials that are highly satisfactory. The extent of 

 the yard accommodations, and the cost of their construction, 

 may be appreciated from the fact that their total frontage is 

 1,392 feet. If laid out in a straight line, the yards of the An- 

 telope House would extend in an unbroken series from the north 

 door of the building to the Boston Road Entrance, and fifty feet 

 beyond. If laid down upon Baird Court, this improvement, as a 

 whole, would cover practically the entire southern portion of that 



