Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-22
QUEER USES MADE OF BEASTS.
An Interesting Room In the Nstioosl lru
scum. and What Il Contalna

How EVERY PART OF AN ANIMAL Ii UTILIZED
psEs OF HAIR AND FKATHKRs-PlsHEs' Skin
| AND scALEs-wHAT rs MADE OF Gov HoRS-
WHAT BONES ARE GOOD FoR--rxkrn Axr
THEIR UsEs-LEATHERs OF MANY KINDS.
Written for the Evening Star.
1nNE BIG ROOM AT THE NATIONAL
" Museum is entirely devoted to display Of
the uses to which animal products are put by
man. 1t is one Of the most interesting and
complete exhibits in the great building. One
finds in it a comprehensive picture Of human
civilization, for the advancement and per-
petuation of which the beasts that perish" are
required to forfeit their lives and their car
cases
There is no part Of the inferior brute which
man has not discovered method Of utilizing
probably. Take the reindeer, for sample,
which furnishes the Eskimo with clothing, habi-
tation, boat, food, fuel and light The human
race draws upon all creation for its Dress For
this purpose it takes the furs Of some beasts the
woven hsir of others, the feathers of birds, the
skins and scales Of fishes and even the srmor-
plates Of the tortoise. The flesh beneath
those outside coverings man uses for food,
the fats serving for oils. tallow. &C.; the blad-
der aud intestines are employed In . variety Of
familiar ways; the blood is turned to account
in refining sugar, IA q substitute for ink and as
a material for doorknobs and buttons; the bones
afford substitute for ivory well a. fertiliz-
ing material. while even the excrement Of some
animals is most valuable for fuel.
ARRANGEMENT OF THE EXHIBIT.
Taking the subjects to be illustrated in uatu-
| raj order the exhibit described shows first the
hair Of the sheep, the goat the horse and the
\ pigs. The Uses Of these are displayed in
series of glass cases filled with objects manu-
featured from them. There are horsehair
cloth, brushes. violin bows and hair curled for
stuffng purposes by twisting into ropes,
wettiug it and allowing it to dry. Pro-
ducts of woven wool appear likewise,
| and hog bristles in the shape OF brushes
| OF all sorts. Similarly badgers hair, made
into shaving brushes Of the finest quality;
| squirrels tails for .'camels hair" brushes, and
for artists also brushes of sable and of the hair
inside the ear of the OK; brushes Of bears hair
| and of skunk's hair, too. There are military
| plumes made out of the tails of horses, yaks
deer felt in which the coffin Of the Arctic hero,
De Long, was packed.
| USES OF BIRDS FEATHERS,
In another set OF glass cases feathers and
their uses are exhibited. There are feathers
for stufing parposes, such as those of the goose.
| the turkey ami the chicken. Others, obtained
from the ostrich and thousands Of species Of
| tropical birds are for adjournment. Robes of
feathers shown, all sorts of feather fans and
! feathers utilized in kind Of paintiag-an
art in which the brilliant plumes ere laid on in
| stead of pigments, producing effects of the most
| dazzling brilliancy. Beautiful also is a bouquet
| OF feather flowers. the delicate plumage exQiis-
| itely initiating the blooms of the garden in
| form and tinting. The employment OF the
| quilts of feathers as substitute for whalebone
l Ill corsets Is likewise illustrated. as Well as the
use OF the feathers themselves in the making
| of fish flies.
FISHES SKIN AND SCALES.
The uses shown foe the scales and skins Of
fishes are particularly interesting. Savages
wear the hide Of the garfish for q breast plate,
and as such it serves most admirably, inasmuch
as it will turn any knife or spear. bullet
| will pierce it, but you cannot chop through it
| with a Ratchet at blow. Supplementary to
this is worn a helmet made from the skin of
| the porcupine fsh, which is covered with for
midable spines. This, when fastened upon the
| head. serves most effectively to butt
| with. The Eskimo make travelling boots and
| whole suits Of clothing cut Of salmon skin.
! Shark skin is employed asa substitute for sand
paper as well as Tor q durable lea Their to cover
various articles under the name OF "shagreen."
Ealskins serve for polishing. Fish scales are
made into artificial flowers and the outer coat
ing Of them, dissolved in acid. is utilized for
making Roman pearls. to which lining Of this
SNA-otS coSesoHSS 6A'SS sA1ch Ocauty.
INSIDE OF BEASTS.
1t is curious how many methods have been
found of rendering useful the viscera Of various
animals. The intestines of the sheep furnish the
article which is known commercially as cat
gut" Tobacco pouches made from the
bladders OF fishes. The smells to which fish,
ing hooks are attached are the intestines of i'm
mature silk worms long drawn out. By the
Eskimo the intestines Of the seal and the
WARNS a q srlif and the Strlps tbor
fo- waterproof clothing, without which the I'M
tutored dweiler of the Arctic never thinks of go
| ing on: in his frail boat Blsdders, Of course,
| are used for drum and banjo heads.
WHAT Is MADE OF CowaoRH.
Few people realize that a cows horn is good
for thing in particular, and yet it 10 a pre-
cious ornament which in skilled hands Is sus-
| ceptible of being transformed into objects Of
the greatest beauty. First the core is taken
| out of it and sent to the glue factory. after
which the horn itself is sawed into three pieces.
These pieces are boiled In oil, which makes the
material so soft that 1t can be rolled out into 70
! sheet like putty. The sheet thus prepared is
stamped, colOred and put through variety Of
processes until it comes out presently in the
shape of q most exquisite comb or object
| IN 9ery elaborately carved tortoise shell.
/ 1t seems positively marvellous that 50 uniovely
| a thing as a cows horn can be transformed by
| the magic OF man genius into products SO
I
| trsted at the museum BY a special exhibit,
| which any woman would find well worth going
| to see Bowls, cups and other receptacles, most
elegant and ornamental, SO thin as to be trans
| lucent, are made in like manner from the same
| substance, as well as from the horns Of other
| animals. Likewise Cane and umbrella heads,
| knives, forks. spoons. pipestems, &C. real
great horn spoon IL shown made by Indians
from the horn of a Rocky mountain goat. Ills
ladle with bowl big enough to hold q quart
of soup. Hoofs go naturally With horns, and a
display of them is made in the shape OF iewelIy.
caster rollers for furniture, glue and Prussisn
blue.
WHAT BONES ARE GOOD For.
After the horns come naturally the bones
Beef bones are extensively employed as = sub
| stitute for ivory in a hundred brands Of manu-
facture. Poker chips are made from the shin
bones Of the COW, FOR example. Teeth have an
enormous variety Of uses. The tusks OF the
elephant and the walrus are valuable for ivory.
and sperm whales teeth are utilized to some
extent for billiard balls and ornaments.
Aligators teeth furnish much ornamental
I ivory. The Eskimo uses sharks teeth fas-
tened TO stick for O weapon. When the
| savage Indian boy kills a wildcat he stripRs its
teeth around his neck. Later on, perhaps. he
| finds larger game in men, and their teeth 90
| to make him n necklace. In one of the glass
cases at the museum there is such q NECKLACE
l made of for,y-eirht hnmao inc,sor. s.nd -