ZOOLOGICAL SOCIKTV JU I.LF.TIN 



VOl'Nr. OCELOT 

 Tlie ncelot is CMsily tamed and hecnmcs then an interestins: pet. 



REPAIRS AxND BETTERMENTS IX THE 

 PARK. 



Renovating the Primate House. — The house 

 for apes and monkeys has had a thorough over- 

 hauling. Much of the cage work was re-con- 

 structed and improved, and as it stands it is 

 practically vermin proof. All the partitions 

 between the large cages were removed, solidly 

 filled in with bricks and mortar, then covered 

 with vulcanized fibre board. All cage supports 

 were supplied with sanitary bases of concrete. 

 All the wood work was removed from the back 

 passages, and the cages were permanenth' 

 opened underneath. The railings inside the 

 building were moved farther back from the 

 cages, covered at the bottom with sheet iron 

 three feet wide, and above that wire netting 

 was erected to a height of eleven feet. This 

 effectually prevents feeding tlie animals, or at- 

 tempting to kill them witli matches, needles and 

 other strange objects such as formerly were 

 thrown in by mean visitors. The protection of 

 the animals is now more complete, and depre- 

 dations of mice and insects will be greatly 

 reduced. 



The ventilating apparatus has been reno- 

 \ated and altered, and the fresh air ducts have 

 been placed under the outside cages on the 

 east side, thus affording very direct draft. Two 

 of the ape cages have been furnished with new 

 fronts of steel bars, and an outside shelter cage 

 has been constructed for the great apes, for 

 winter use. 



Reptile House. — The tiles on the roof of the 

 Reptile House together with their supports 



have been replaced on the entire south side and 

 over the lobby. 



JAon Hou.ie. — In this building ten cages 

 were re-Hoored with oak and entirely over- 

 hauled. .Much of the tcrra-cotta and the adja- 

 ciiit brick work on the eastern wall was reset 

 and re-pointed. An interesting experiment is 

 liiing conducted to ascertain the virtue of steam 

 |ii|)es inider the floors of the slee])ing dens to 

 ktc]) them w.irmer than heretofore. 



Biar Diii.t. — The damaged floors of three 

 liens were rebuilt, and three pools were re- 

 placed by entire new concrete construction. 



Flijinfi Caf/e. — Sixteen years' exposure to de- 

 structi\e New York weather has at last so 

 damaged the top third of the great Flying Cage 

 that it requires new wire and some new fr.ime- 

 work. The scaffolding is already erected, pre- 

 paratory to replacing the worn out wire work. 

 With the wire weaving machinery in our shops 

 this task can be accomplished at a net saving 

 of about 60%. About fiOO square feet of 

 wo^•en wire can be made in a day by one man. 



Comfortable for Winter. — In preparation for 

 the winter, the heating apparatus in all of the 

 buildings has been overhauled, storm doors, 

 windows and shields have been placed at the 

 Bird House, Elk House, .Small Deer House and 

 Bear dens, and a wind-break at the Yak Shel- 

 ter. At the same time, leaks in roofs have been 

 re))aired. These preparations have rendered 

 the animal buildings better prepared for the 

 winter than ever before. There has been more 

 extensive repairs made this year than in any 

 other year since the o))ening of the Park, and 

 the buildings in general are in better condition 

 than any time during the past five years. Dur- 

 ing the ])rolonged sleet storm of the first week 

 of December, it was a satisfaction to make a 

 comjjlete tour of all the heated buildings for 

 animals, observe the comfort in which the ani- 

 mals were housed, and note their contentment 

 witli tlifii- surroundings and care, 



Hermann W. Mrrkkl. 



TRANSPLANTING BIRDS OF PARADISE 



AVERY interesting attempt at the trans- 

 ])lant.iti()ii of the greater bird of ])aradise 

 from the Malay .\rehipelago to the West 

 Indies is now in |)rogress on Little Tobago, 

 which is a tiny islet forty-five miles northeast of 

 the extreme northeastern point of the Island of 

 Trinidad. In that little sanctuary, happily des- 

 titute of rats, and also well nigh snakeless. .Sir 



