40 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
AFRICAN LIONS; BEDFORD STONE PEDIMENT OVER ENTRANCE TO LION HOUSE. 
Eli Harvey, So. 
The recumbent animals on the pediments and the great 
snarling heads projecting from the panels on the walls, 
are carved in Indiana limestone, the general trim of the 
buildings; the smaller work is in terra-cotta, executed 
by the Atlantic Terra Cotta Company in Tottenville, 
Staten Island, but carefully superintended and given its 
finishing touches by the sculptor himself. As they now 
appear, these single figures and groups represent a great 
number of careful studies from life, many of them carried 
very far; the connubial pairs in the pediments having 
been particularly the subjects of serious consideration. 
It was finally decided that architectural requirements 
demanded the elimination of human figures, as first pro- 
posed; the presentation of the beasts in their quieter, 
rather than in their more dramatic, moods; and as nearly 
the size of life as the space in the pediment would 
permit. The architecture also required that the two big 
heads should be brought as near the middle of this trian- 
gular space as possible; and the sculptor further strength- 
ened this point of construction by his introduction of the 
African column. The carefulness of observation required 
in this art may be exemplied by the detail of the lioness’ 
paw overlapping that of her mate — this being generally 
the result of any little domestic dispute between the royal 
pair as to their respective comfort. 
Mr. Knight’s contribution to this sculpture consists of 
the two larger elephant heads for the northern facade 
of the Elephant House and those of the tapir and Afri- 
can rhinoceros in the frieze of the building, as well as 
the small African elephant heads in the interior. The 
distinction between the heads of the African and Indian 
elephants, the latter modeled by Mr. Proctor, is very 
marked. 
In Mr. Knight’s contribution must be included, also, 
the modeling of one of the official seals, that which bears 
the head of the Rocky Mountain sheep. 
In the twelfth annual report of the Zoological Society 
appears a table from which we learn that in the total 
number of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians on 
exhibition in this park exceeds any other in the world. 
There is yet unfinished the Administration Building, 
funds for which have been appropriated, and the Zebra 
House and the Eagle and Vulture Aviary. In the last 
named, in which Director Hornaday is much interested, it 
is planned to provide a gigantic cage, resembling that 
now given the smaller birds, in which the great ones 
can spread their broad, undipped pinions in full flight. 
The area of the park in land and water includes 264 acres; 
there are eight miles of walks and roads, and about ten 
and one-half miles of fences. The maintenance force, 
constantly on dutjq consists of 141 persons, and the num- 
ber of visitors in 1907 was 1,273,046 — nearly one-third 
of the entire population of the metropolis. 
THE LION HOUSE AND ONE OF ITS SCULPTURED DECORATIONS, BRONX ZOO. 
Sculpture by Eli Harvey: Heins & LaFarge, Archs. 
