308 The Story of The Bronx 



preserved, the standing trees have been accurately marked 

 and named for the amateur or scientific arboriculturist, and 

 nurseries have been established for the propagation and rearing 

 of all kinds of trees that will stand the vagaries of the New 

 York climate. In addition, there is a fine botanical museum 

 completed in the spring of 1902, at a cost of $400,000, and a 

 great series of conservatories, fifteen in number, in which one 

 will find all kinds of tropical trees and plants. These, also, 

 were completed early in 1902 and are at all times free to the 

 public. 



The southeastern section of the park, bordering on the 

 Boston Post-road and the river and south of Pelham Avenue, 

 comprises 261 acres and is in charge of the Zoological Society. 

 The fine collection of birds and beasts is open free to the public, 

 except on Mondays and Wednesdays, when a charge of twenty- 

 five cents is made. There are about sixty buildings, cages, 

 and ranges; and the visitor is able to see several specimens of 

 the American bison, which once swept over our plains in 

 countless thousands, and which, before the advent of the white 

 man, extended their feeding grounds east of the Alleghanies. 

 An attempt has also been made to show the beaver at work, 

 an animal that once occupied our Westchester streams. The 

 favorite object of attention is the bear pit, and the antics 

 of these animals always interest a crowd of gazers, among 

 whom the children are the most delighted. The "rocking- 

 stone" is an immense boulder weighing several tons, left here 

 by some melting glacier, whose course is plainly marked by 

 the scratches on the exposed rock surfaces. The boulder is 

 so nicely balanced that a slight force will set it rocking. 



The intention of the Zoological Society is not only to furnish 

 an exhibition of animals to the public, but also to afford oppor- 

 tunities for a study of their habits, forms, and peculiarities 



