Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-04-09
CASTS FROM ANIMALS.
Snakes. Turtles, and Frogs in FsIas-
tef-ExperiineMts isl Confirming
A0S.sts in Stone.

81
E0s.sis i.l Stone.
Takes 1t easy. don't he?" said sharp-eysi
| man, pauing long, wiadiag mass Of clay
| hanging over branch.
You don't mean that It Is alye?"
"WelI, should say. Look here" he re-
| plleo. and picking away little Clay as one end
bright DcaG-nke eye appeared, and a furket
| tongue that darted out for q second belonged
| to Tattissnake.
The cast taker was Joe Palmer, now en-
Ilo5ed ny ne Smithsonian Institution to
! restore animals, &c Many viii remember hin
! as the a. sistant or Waterhouse Hawkins in
making the huge reatorations OF fossil animals
| III the Park about nfteen years ago. any oae
who has visited the National MUSEUM or Smith
sonltn at Washington Will rerQen Ger bis work
| lie collection of reptiles exhibited In the
cases. Part or them are stuffed skins. and the
| rest Iaedets. SO exact are they that It Is
| almost Impossible to distinguish between them
| aiG the living animals NheL placed side py side
Fatmer has sp clal building for the purpose,
! ton passes into his hands aud Is reproduced
| In coiCr and contour to the life.
me quaudcallon5 OF the animal sculptor who
| works from ilfe modes are, varied. Artistic
talent, cool head. and steady nerves are ia
| dlspensable. especially when the subject is
Tallleanake Or coppernead. Reproducing &
slake Ia clay ID former times, and preserving
Nellke proportions, was an immense work,
many OF The scales having TO oe worked over
| and over With Instruments for tue purpose; bat
| now the operation Is much more simple, al
though dangerous. y living shake Is chloro-
1oTntd, aIG after II Is completely unuer the IN
| flCeEce, placed OF q limo or III q coll ana pIas-
.sf Quickly put Ga. II IL shows signs OF coz
| sc,tusLess before the clay has hardened prop
tiiy, more ch!or0fcEm is given, ana finally the
| Cast Is cut o.: ara Eeady IJr lie mold Wlich
wht completed IS painted, Easiag a pe;fect
lac Sltnie The operation Is Lot always con-
oUcttd easily. 4 c1pleIhe4l came 10" enc
day sLdueily, ana thIoNtug the clay aside
made dash FOR liberty that createl q s,are'
peGe. Ue was reCaptiiFcd later
Among the larger aniina.s are dolphins. p1r.
roses, gTampuaes, and tie white whale IL AZ
was III The New York Aquarium. Twenty or
thHtS leaGS standing On tie top OF the cases LII
| the Archaeological hall attract Considerable at
tehtion from he variety OF express on Sho IN.
| IN one, tne nI3 are drawn lightly together,
ana determination Is shown in every Inca
menC. Another looks as II it Lad lost all hope;
! Wife IL others, fear, rage, astonish nent, Dis
They are the heads or band OF indiar3 that
| visited Washington several years ago and
ware coaxed by the sculptor to undergo the
process OF east taxing: They all declined at
| others followed suit, and their different enc
lions as they sat for an hour With Their heads
ana faces plaStered With clay breathing
through strawsl are accurately recorded
The array Of turtles Is most interesting, their
bright coiors contrasting finely with each
other. One OF the iargest snappers ever found
| is there, nearly four feet In length, and with
bill that would twist an iron bar. 1t was
originally found In creek near Buffalo, AMI
was kept for long time as a pet by an Indian
One day at the tavern, the conversation turned
On turtles. and young farmer In the party be-
gan TO BOAST Of large mud turtle that he had
ana when tlsll ne was willing to wager would
travel faster than any turtle In the state. The
Indian, after long harangue, accepted the
| cnanenge, and IL Was. decided that the two
turtles should De matched in hundred and
1lfty yard race, stakes TO be a gallon OF apple
JACK and the turtles. The next day crowd
gath6red near tie river TO see the race and the
Gont s;s az soon appeared the indian wheel
ing his fayorite in wheelbarroW. A cord was
run along The edge OF the stream, and the
turtle whose head Iirst passed it was to be the
winner: the turtles were placed side by side,
$50 feet from the water. At the word they
started, encouraged or frightened by the wells
OF Their owners. For the first fifty feet the
nttle one Kept ahead, and then the Dig snap
Per, II res poflse to blow On its back, spurLc0
ahead, scratching gravel In O. way that made
mud turtle stock go down with rush; but 1t
was either over or under trained SO that as
tney reared the line it was two lengths be-
hind, While the little fellow had seemed mui
ahead, and with It's head high In the air Waq
improving the pace In compound proportion as
the distance diminished. A few seconds more
ana IL was Within two feet Of the line the ex-
ultant owner cheering and the crowd yelling,
/ Whiie the large snapper was nearly three feet
behind. The mud turtle was clearly the vie
tor, when the Indian, tviutsSS..;; disguised,
seiZed a burning knot from q Pile OF brush and
nufieo 1t at the snapper, stirling it fairly Oh
tne Tau. starting ahead In terror. 1t thrust out
It's long, snake-liRe neck just over the ltue.
three inches ahead OF the little one, winning
Tie race, and completely turning the tables
ana the direction OF The 1low OF apple jack.
The artist has been most SUCCESSFUL witt the
frogs anu toadS, which are shown In all sorts of
natural positions. In brilliant green ana yellow,
aud somber brown and red. THIS success is also
due to the fact that the casts are modelled from
living animals. Strange TO say, these creatures
are quite easily killed when enclosed In the wet
clay, which tends to throw diScredit on the
repeatedly told tales OF toads coming out OF the
solid rock. so much credence however was
placed In these stories OF toads living Ia solid
rock thousand years, that careful series of
experiments were made to test them The
evidence Is never perfect to show that these
1, afnnblbiaDs were enclosed in a solid rock No
examination is i1ade Until the creature Is dis
covered Dy the breaking OF the mass In which lr
was contained. aud then ft is too late to as,er-
taln W neither there was any hole or creyice by
winch IL might have entered These conS6e~,
uOns leo DR.. auckland to undertake oart.dn
experiments. He caused blocks OF r,o u oaan
s.ohe and sandstone to be prer areH viii naIis
OF various sizes in which hn ehcoSaG % tnaS ns
different ages The smal toaSs enc1oaaS in 3e ",
sandstone died at IT,, end Of throo Taa u. NE
ne san n. iatT prlel the larger ones In the
sSco go. year. .ney were watched through the
glass cosers OF their cells and were never seen
IN SIZE OF torpor, but at each successive ex
| aIlnatlon they became more meaper until at
| iaSI tney were found dead. 1t is cerraIn that
! potn Hogs ana toads can conceal themselves in
| very small cfevices OF the earth on In yery
sman openings In stones placed In dark places
II young man In street car gives un his