52 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



of buildings, cages and fences, and the policing of the grounds, 

 has been carried on as in previous years. Special attention has 

 been paid to the lands lying east of Boston Road, which have 

 been cleaned and are now in good condition. Great assistance 

 was rendered in this work by the free labor furnished by the 

 Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor. 



Little has been done by this department during the year 

 in ground improvement work on account of lack of funds. The 

 most important items, however, are, the replacing of the Poultry 

 Laying House at the Nursery; the erection of a Brooder and 

 Incubator House ; the installation of seven new drinking foun- 

 tains ; the strengthening of the Elephant Yard fence ; the con- 

 struction of a drain from the new Animal Hospital to the main 

 sewer; and the commencement of the work in connection with 

 the construction of a new concrete bottom for the Wild Fowl 

 Pond. 



A large amount of repair work to buildings and walks has 

 been accomplished during the year. This has already been 

 reported upon, however, in the Improvement and Repair Fund. 



EAST SIDE EXTENSION. 



During the early part of the year it became apparent to 

 your committee that the Public Service Commission intended 

 to take a large strip of the easterly border of Bronx Park, which 

 contains perhaps the finest trees in any public park in the City 

 of New York, including a large number of handsome pin oaks, 

 and use it in connection with the new subway for the storage 

 of dead cars. In return they proposed to give a triangular por- 

 tion of land north of 180th Street and abutting on the southeast 

 corner of the Zoological Park. The lands were about equal in 

 area, but for park purposes there could be no comparison, as 

 the land they proposed to add to the Park is rough and un- 

 sightly, with only a few trees in one corner, and an enormous 

 sum would be required to fit it for park purposes. 



With the above purpose in mind the Public Service Com- 

 mission introduced at Albany a bill to which your committee 

 made strenuous objections. The bill would have failed of pas- 

 sage if the objections had not been withdrawn upon the definite 

 statement to your committee, of Chairman McCall of the Public 

 Service Commission, through Mr. John E. Eustis, that no por- 

 tion of the land acquired from Bronx Park would be used for 

 storage yard purposes, and that a request would only be made 



