TWENTY-SECOND ANNUAL REPORT 89 



a very heavy sliding door of steel was installed in order that the 

 male African elephant could be shifted from one stall to another, 

 and to avoid the necessity of the keepers entering a cage with 

 such a powerful and mischievous animal. 



The destructiveness, strength, and cunning of the animal, 

 necessitated careful planning. A great mass of steel had to be 

 used in this door, approximately 4,000 pounds, and yet it can be 

 opened and closed upon its steel roller-bearing wheels by one 

 man. So far it has withstood all of the assaults of the elephant. 



IMPROVEMENT AND REPAIR FUND. 



Small Mammal House. — The most important item of work 

 performed at the expense of this fund was the rebuilding of the 

 large interior cages along the east side of the Small Mammal 

 House. This entire series of cages, eighteen in number, were 

 built anew with concrete and composition floors, steel partitions, 

 steel and glass roofs and electrically welded wire fronts. The old 

 metal gutters were removed, and new ones of steel and concrete 

 were substituted. This completes the rebuilding of the interior 

 cages of this house, which has been going on for two years, and 

 now the finished work presents a greatly improved appearance. 



Great care was taken in the design to make every detail of 

 the steel work as simple as possible, and to leave no corners or 

 crevices to accumulate rust and dirt. I firmly believe that better 

 cages than these cannot be built. The cost of this item to the 

 Improvement and Repair Fund was $1,500; a portion of the 

 work was done by our Maintenance Force. 



New Hippo Tank. — At the Elephant House, a new and 

 larger tank, six feet by fourteen and one-half feet, was built for 

 the pygmy hippopotami, because the animals had become en- 

 tirely too large for the old tank. The new tank has a depth for 

 36 inches of water, it is connected with the sewer, and is sup- 

 plied with internal heating facilities. The railing and heating 

 coils were moved back in order to accommodate the installation, 

 and a new gate was cut in the steel work of the hippopotamus 

 stall. 



Large Shelter Pavilion. — In the Shelter Pavilion the wooden 

 floors and beams were removed, and a concrete floor upon ash 

 fill was substituted. Advantage was taken of that opportunity 



