Although the taxidermy did not match Meinertzhagen's techniques, the sample did yield a type of cotton found in forest owlets at the Natural History Museum. Unfortunately for the late Meinertzhagen, those birds had been collected by someone else. If even Meinertzhagen, who was suspected of sleazy tactics, could pass off bogus specimens, the story shows that natural history museums are subject to scamming. Actually, the museums can play vital roles in public policy. He says a collector's notes should describe an organism's abundance and ecological situation.
Bogus birds are one thing.