Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1882-11-29
Stufflnq an Elephants Skin.

"The Taxldernal Art Is the subject
of richly illustrated article in the De-
cember Century, by Franklin n. North,
which contains the following decrip-
ton of the mounting of an elephants
skin:
Not long ago, Ward dispatched man
to India to shoot an elephant. He OBJ
tanned permission from the governor of
the Madras Presidency (for the elephant
is protected by the laws), and after. a
long hunt, in which the natives joined,
finally secured the largest stuffed speci-
men in the country, now in the museum
of COMMUNICATING ssb CAmIl1o6v,
Mass. The elephant was shot through
the head. Careful measurements were
first made of the body and limbs, and
then the skin was removed in three Sec
tions. One incision was made at the top
of the neck, along the back to the tail;
another divided the skin from the throat,
along the middle of the body under
meath, meeting the first incision at the
tail; and third cut severed the head
from the body. On the inside of each
leg an incision was made from the sole of
foot to the abdominal opening. The
skin was removed by working from the
latter and the back cuts at the same
time, the legs being cut of at the joints.
Then the body was rolled over, and the
operation repeated. Finally the head
and trunk were skinned. The absence
of hair from the skin facilitated the
treatment of both sides with preserva-
tives. Both sides were washed with ar
senical soap and salt, and rubbed with q
fat stone. The skin Was then rolled up
and packed away. Two days later it was
spread out, and the pieces of flesh ad-
herring were removed. After being
again treated with arsenic, it was left
undisturbed for a week, at the expiration
of which time the 6bers were found to
be be hardened, and the epidermis thor
oughly set. Powdered alum was now
freely used, and the skin left to dry In
the shade. Twenty days after the COM
mencement of the operation, the skin,
then weighing only two hundred and
forty pounds, and was shipped to Amer
ica. Upon it's arrival hither, four bars
of wrought iron, each twelve feet long
and one and quarter inches inches
thick, were bent into shape for the
legs and firmly bolted to beam SIX
teen feet long and four inches
thick. This was to serve as backbone
for the attachment of ribs, pelvis, and
scapulm. Some circular-shaped bones
were attached to the backbone, and laths
nailed thereon. Then the wooden pei
Wis and shoulder blades were set, and at
each joint of the leg around piece Of wood
was fitted around the leg-iron, and laths
nailed from one joint to the other: An
exact copy of the skull in wood was
bolted on in position. Then the several
parts were wrapped with wisps Of straw,
and the manikin was covered with the skin
of the elephant. From the measurements
that had been made, the distances between
the various extremities were copied: and
the protrusions initiated by stutting.
The trunk was filed with straw, and the
wooden imitation of the skull covered
with clay and nodded into shape. After
the skin was thoroughly dry,-for preyi'
GUS to mounting it had been In the re:
lapsing tank,-the seams we're sewed
together and the elephant, was Gem.
nlete ' ~,