66 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



area up to Sea-Lion Pool. As an index of the extent of the task 

 recently completed, the following figures are offered : 



Dimensions of area treated 335 x 387 feet. 



Length of concrete wall and coping i>392 



Lineal feet of heavy wrought-iron fence, 8 feet high. 1,392 



Lineal feet of elephant fence 276 " 



Lineal feet of extra heavy wire fencing 3,424 



Wire gates 38 



Heavy wrought-iron gates 25 



Extra heavy gates of steel beams 2 



In addition to the construction of the yards around the Ante- 

 lope House, a twelve-foot walk was built to encircle the whole, 

 and render the twenty-three outdoor enclosures available to visit- 

 ors. The necessary elevation of the northern portion of this en- 

 circling walk renders it necessary to expend about $500.00 in 

 connecting it with the Mountain Sheep Walk and one other. 



Cleaning Ironwork of Bear Dens. — The four new Bear Dens 

 which were to have been completed in 1902, were not completed 

 until the late spring of 1903. The final occupancy of the new 

 dens at last rendered it possible to transfer bears from the old 

 dens for the purpose of putting those enclosures into thorough 

 repair. It was found necessary to purchase a sand-blast, in order 

 to free the ironwork of the rust which had accumulated upon it 

 and paint it in such a manner that the rusting of the metal would 

 be effectually stopped. It has been found that the salt air of the 

 Zoological Park causes all fences and exposed ironwork to 

 accumulate rust at an alarming and almost unprecedented rate. 

 It has been found that unless structural steel and wrought-iron 

 work exposed to the weather has been cleaned of all foundry 

 scales by the sand-blast process, it is an impossibility to paint the 

 metal in such a manner that rust will not take hold under the 

 foundry scales and greatly damage the material. For this reason 

 all recent contracts for ironwork in the Zoological Park have 

 called for the strictest precautionary measures calculated to avoid 

 rust. Every particle of ironwork in the original series of bear 

 dens is now being gone over with the sand-blast, in order to arrest 

 the ravages of rust, and prevent damage from that source in the 

 future. This grave and imperative necessity applies to all struc- 

 tural ironwork exposed to the weather in the Park, except wire 

 netting, and the cost involved has already made a serious inroad 

 upon the Maintenance Fund. 



