Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-04-23
TAx,oEamY.

Bill Nye's Opinion of n Anc,,p,
Highly Instructive Science. sn(
This name is from two Greek wo,,.
which signify arrangement, ''s'1
'skin," so that the ancient Creek Sa
doubt regarded taxidermy as the or;a!l
al skin-game ofthat period. Taxidoss1
did not flourish in America prior to ~
year 1923. At that time an Ensl;shnsN
named Scudder established a mn"
and general repository for uphols,sua
beasts.
Since then the art has advanced u,.
rapidly. To properly taxiderm reo nm1
a fine taste and a close study of the s,s
ject itself in life, akin to the reon sl
ments necessary in order to succena
a sculptor. l have seen taxiderus
animals that would not fool anybodr
recall at this time especially a monnt.;
lion, stuffed after death by a party wa
had not made this matter a s,1h;eo wy
close study. This lion was representS
in a c%rouching attitude, with open Jaw
and red gums. AS time passed on ar
year succeeded year, this lion contjnns
to crouch. His tail became less ramnal
and dropped like a hired man on a Id
day. His gums became less fiery rcd
and his reddish skin hangover his BON
in a loose and distraught manner. lI
an old buffalo robe thrown over n
knees of vinegary old maid. SpideI
spun their webs across his dull, Will
fangs. Mice made their nests in M
abdominal cavity. His glass eye Id
came hopelessly strabimused, and Ii
moths left him bald-headed on N
stomach. He was a sad commenta1
on the extremely transitory nature of /
things terrestrial and the hollowncss
the stuffed beast.
/ also had a stuffed bird for a loi
J time, which showed the cunning of I'll
stuifer to q great degree. 1t affordJ
me a great deal of unalloycd plcasurl
because I liked to get old hunters d
look at it and tell me what kind of |
bird it was. They did not general
agree. A bitter and acrimonious tigA
grew out OF a discussion in relation I
this bird. A man from Vinegar I'D
named Lyons, and a party called Solid
Murphy (since deceased) were in nj
office one morning-Mr. Lyons as
witness, and Mr.. Murphy in his CRED
speciality as a drunk and disorderi1
We had just disposed of the case, and
had Just stepped down from the bencl
intending to take off the judicial crnid
and put some more coal in the stow
when the attention of Soiled Murph
was attracted to the bird. He allowd
that it was a common ''hell-diver wild
an abnormal head, while Lyons claimd
that it was a kingtishcr.
The bird had a ducks body, the he'd
OF a common eagle, and the feet oil
sage hen. These parts had been a(
justed with great care and the tail load
ed with lead somehow, SO that til
powerful head would not tip the bird i
behind. With this rara avis, to use
foreign term, / loved to anluse and ii
struct old hunters who had been huntinI
all their lives for a free drink, and hca
them tell how they had killed hundred
OF these birds over on the Poudre in al
carly day, or oycr near Elk MountaI
when the country was new.
So Lyons claimed that he had kind
millions of these fowls, and Soild
Murphy, who was known as the tomato
can savant Of that country, said that BID
fore the Union Pacific railroad got init
that section, the birds swarmed arount
Hutton's lakes and lived on horned
toadS.
The feeling got more and more part.
san, till Mr.. Lyons made Il pass at Soilcd
Murphy with Il large red cuspadore thai
had been presented 10 me by Valentine
Baker, a dealer in abandoned furniture
and mines. Mr.. Murphy then welted
Lyons over the head with the judicial
scales. he thon adriot!y caught a lumr
of bituminous coal with his countenanci
and fell to the floor with a low cry Of
pain.
l called in an outside party as a witness,
n in the afternoon both men were
convicted OF assault and battery. Soiled
Murphy asked for a change of Venue on
the ground that was prejudiced. Itold
hlm that l did not allow any thing
whatever to prejudice me, and went on
with the case.
This great taxidermic masterpiece led
to another assault afterward, all Of
which proved remunerative in a small
way. My successor GAINED that the
BIRD was a part of the perquisites of the
ot1lce, and so l had to turn it over with
the docket.
Ii also had a stuffed weasel from Cum.
mlns City that attracted a great deal Of
attention, both in this country and in
Europe. 1t looked some like a weasel
and some like an equestrian sausage
with hair on it.-N. Y. Mercury.