Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-07-05

the molds. The latter were shipped the next
morning TO Washington, the skeleton Of the
whale following. 1t was then only q matter OF
detail to produce q cast of the beast in pap1er
mache. At present this cast Is to be seen sus-
pended overhead in the museum. on one side
the skeleton being shown and on the other the
aspect OF the whale as IL was in life. Because
II Is not possible to skin fishes for stufing casts
are usually taken of them instead and after
ward painted as nearly like nature az may be.
MAKING CASTS
Papier mache is q more convenient substance
to make casts Of than plaster, especially for big
fishes and such things, because il Is lighter.
Mr.. Palmer employs in this sort Of work the
pulp into which the Treasury has all the worn
out paper money reduced by machines. A thin
layer OF this money pulp is first spread with
trowel over a sheet Of paper that has been COW
cred with paste prelimlnarily. The sheet OF
paper. with the pulp-layer stuck to IL, 10 then
the pulp next to the mold Other sheets SINH
larry prepared and covered with pulp are put
OH in the same way until the whole interior OF
the mold section treated is covered. Finally
sheets of plain paper are pasted three or more
thick over the coating of paper and pulp thus
prepared, and when the whole has hardened,
the section of cast has only to be separated
from the mold and is found perfect. The
sections put together make mp the entire cast
Of the fish, alligator, or whatever the creature
painted, looks like the living animal ITSELF All
fishes brought to the museum for such pres
ervation in copy are taken first OF all to Mr..
SCHNEIDER. who makes sketches OF them in
colors, so that subsequently he may be able to
reproduce the tints and markings accurately
upon the casts.
WHERE THE SUPPLIES COME FROM.
Supplies OF land animals for the National
Museum are contributed By private individuals
fraf oil orta Of -
are got by exchange with other museums;
others are obtained through consuls abroad
who take an interest III collecting anything
strange they see to send home to Uncle Sam;
others still are secured by government expe-
dluons sent out from various departments,
while yet others are killed and brought home
by agents expressly dispatched for the pur-
poses. The Smithsonian has agents at present
IN Alaska getting specimens of walrus. sea
elephants and sea ions while other agents Of
the institution are trying to get hold Of few
Sorlllas and other rare beasts in the interior
OF Africa. There are very few gorillas left
now, and, inasmuch as the small region in
west Africa inhabitated by these fierce
monsters is being settled pretty rapidly, they
are likely to become extinct very soon. The
African expedition has taken six barrels OF
alcohol with it for the preservation Of speci-
mems.
MOUNTING SPECIMENS
manner their preparation on the spot requiring
So much time, while the bigger animals are
skinned without delay. The skins are poisoned
with arsenic and wrapped up with the skulls
and leg bones after thorough driving, for trans
portation to Washington to be stuffed and
mounted here. In the case OF a very rare ami
NAL 1t is usually desired to secure both the
stuffed corpus and the skeleton. This is ac-
complished quite ingeniously by making casts
of the skull and leg bones in plaster to use IN
the stuffing, thus leaving the skeleton intact
and making two animals out of one, as it were.
Such was the method followed in the prepare
ton of Barnum's elephant Jumbo"
In mounting the stuffed beast of size a
thick plank Is cut the shape of the outline of
the body as it is to be, the plank is mounted
on four iron uprights, the skull is attached to
the plank at one end by an iron, while another
iron serves for the tail; the leg bones arc
fastened in position and then the mannikin
thus erected is wound and wound with excel
sior and grocers Irvine until it has pretty much
the form of the beast. Next the whole is
spread over with mixture of clay and tow,
which Is readily modelled into any shape de-
sired: the skin is fitted on. sewn and combed
out, thorough washing of soap and water is
applied, with subsequen. solution of corro-
sive subiimate and alcohol to keep of the
moths; the glass eyes, made by wholesale in
New York city. are fitted in, and the animal,
with a few final touches, is ready for the
museum. The irons that keep its legs in shape
are fastened tightly by nuts at the hoofs to the
floor platform on which the beast stands
and it stands immovable, in an attitude imita-
tive OF nature. affordlng object lesson in nat
ural history to the observer Many of the groups
OF animals in the museum are works OF art in
the highest sense. Take the fight among
chimpanzees, for example; it is really most
gruesome thing to look upon.