Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1893-04-14
AN ODD EXHIBIT.
COLLECTION OF ANIMAL PRO.
DUCTS AT THE WORLDS FAIR.
Surprising Purposes Tor which Fur',
Feathers, Bones. Teeth. ITO -
and Hair Are Employed
Some Curious OILS.

Transcript, form par VI wv -'H''"4''
Museums exhibit OF animal products at
the Worlds FAIR. Even the poison.
breathing ella monster will contribute
its hide TO the most remarkable collection
of tanned skins ever got together. The
fashion of the ccntury's end requires
what are termed Clancy pelts, for max.
ing all sorts Of articles, from belts to
travelling bags, and, in response TO tnls
demand, animals until now unhcard OF
as leather producers find their skins re-
ouired of them. Such humble creatures
as the frog, the Goldfish and the domestic
chicken are included in the list. lhe
/ lion and the golden eagle are faye Tor
similar commercial use, as well As the
shark, the pelican and tac rlttlesnaNc,
In the collection describe VIII ap.
pear the hides of aligators and crocoilc'
tanned whole and in many COlorS-grccn,
blue, yellow, bronze and black. Lac
wise feathers from the iguana lizard, the
porpoise, the eel, the trout, the wild
swan, and all sorts OF domestic fowls
Skins similarly prepared are contributed
by the skunk, the woodchuCE, the arna.
dillo, the tame cat and the elephant.
One OF the most remarkable feathers .
obtained from the Chamele IN that cur.
Gus South American reptile whoa has
lung so huge that, when 1t IS lniiltcd,
the body appears transparent. TINS lie
the auclents to believe that the animal
fed on air. 1t is like two creatures in
one, each half having movements and
feelings of its own. While one side is
asleep the other may be awake; the eyes
have separate motions and the limbs do
not act IN concert.
Another important feature of the sImc
exhibit will consist of teeth and objects
made from them. To begin with there
will be one of the biggest elephants
tusks in the world, weighing 49, pounds
and measuring over eight feet in length.
The tusks are merely the upper inclsor
teeth of the animal developed for pur.
poses of defense. The Manufacture Of
piano ivory AMI a great variety Of other
things from the tusks OF the elephant will
| be illustrated. For example thin
"plank" cut from tusk !engthwlse
| shows several brush handle, marNcd out
on it with lead pencil for saving on;
The tip of a little tusk makes carving
/ knife handle, while the piece mex. il
furnishes an umbrella handle. Beyond
/ that point the ivory is not solid, and so
| the lower part of the tusk is transformed
into hairpin box and a napkin ring.
The ivory lance of the narwhal, from
when carvings and other ornamental
| objects are made attain length OF
twelve feet and is sharp and strong
+ enough to be driven through the side 0.
a ship. 1t is simply the lett upper in.
csor tooth OF the marine mammal. Once
III while, by freak, both upper in
cisors are developed, though ordinarily
the right one is aborted. Tnus the ami.
nal is equipped with two lances instea
Of one. This extraordinary tooth is not
possessed by the female. 1t is on nc
count of the value Of its teeth for ivory
that the walrus has been well nj III cx
terminated. Exquisite carving and pipes
OF elaborate designs are produced from
walrus tusks by the japanese and tho
Eskimo. They are employed IN tht
manufacture of sword hilts, buttons,
necktie rings and even pie crinper'.
Among other things included in this dis.
play will be the carved teeth Of sperm
/ whales, wild boars' teeth for umbrella
handles and alligator teeth Cor jcweIry.
+, The incsor teeth of the beaver are EN-.
ployed as chsels by the Indians.
Just aS the Indian strings wildcat
teeth for ornaments 80 the society woman
of to day wears the carved tooth Of the
common pig tor brooch, with gold pin
to fasten it. Even the teeth OF hunln
beings are utilized for personal dccort.
ton Dy savages. One OF the horrors a,
the National Museum is necEiacc Of
f1rty-cight human inCisots, reicutin5
SIX lives. There is also Il collection OF
! necklaces made OF the claws Of varlou,
auimals-among them one conposci o!
the end fin ger joints, bearing tn9 nails,
of four men. Tue South Sea Islanders
fasten sharks teeth all along the ed yes
of their swords, thus rendering those
weapons extremely Formidable. 1t is
worth mentioning, by the way, thtt the
most elaborate dental apparatus kuoEn
belongs to the sea urchin, whose ji"'
are composed OF forty pieces, move b;
as many different muscle.
Yet another feature OF the exhibit
will comprise horns and their usc'. For
instance, the Dutch Beers make ramrois
from rhinoCeros horns, while the Hot.
teItots cave war clubs from them.
Civilized people manufacture amber.llNc
umbrella aud cane handles from them.
The horn of the rhinoceros is an oddly in
its way, being nothing more than pro-
tuberance composed of hgglutinated hair
When cut in two and examined under
the microscope it 10 found to be entirely
made up of little tubes resembling hijr
tubes. Rhlnoceros horns were auclently
employed for drinking cups by royal
personage5, the notion being that poison
put into them would show itself by bub
bling. There may have been some truth
in this idea, inasmuch as many oId.timc
poisons were acids and would decompose
the horny material very quickly.
I The horns of many other animals pos
sess commercial value. From the horn
of the COW ever 50 many beautiful OBJ.
jects are manufactured. TO begin With,
the core is pulled out and sent to the
glue factory. The horn is tnen save
into three pieces. These are boiled in
oil, which renders the material so soft
that it can be rolled out into sheet like
putty. The sheet thus prepared i:
sta nped out into fret work or other
pattern, colored, and put through
various processes, until it is finally trans
formed into an exquisite "tortoisc SHELF
comb or other things Of use or orna.
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