Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-16
Some Amusing Cases of Popular
Misconoeption.
THEY DID NOT KNOW 4 CHIPMUNK.
Visitors Who Think the Speci-
mems Are for Sale.
NEED FOR LARGER QUARTERS.
Written for The Evening Star.

moor OF the National Museum. One familiar
with the wealth of material behind the
glass OF the display cases may spend many
entertaining hours by keeping within hear
Ing distance Of an average group Of strang-
ers and noting the remarkable comments
queries and displays Of supposed erudltion.
A mammalogist's assistant was recently
arranging series Of the little sQuirrel-like
animal known to the naturalist by the
generic name Of Tamias, and which Is pop
ularly referred to az a chipmunk or ground
squirrel 1t Is one Of the most common of
mammals In the northern states, and a
farmers boy would think quite familiar to
everyone. So the natur alist's assistant. once
himself farmers boy, concealed a smile
beneath the dry goods covering his arm on
hearing young lady. standing near. In
Quire of a companion:
What are these things, spiders?''
NO" replied the companion. they are
bats"
One OF the speakers was recognized as q
teacher in the Washington public schools.
On another occasion a bevy of school
girls. wide-eyed with curiosity. startled the
assistant with the query:
Mister, are these dead?'
Incredible as was the thoughtlessness in
dicated. the same inquiry has repeatedly
been uttered But most passers seemed free
from any doubt upon that point, attributing
the odor Of the bi-sulphide Of carbon used in
the cases to the decay Of rodent flesh. This
seemed to account for another odd ques-
ton. coming from more than a few: Mis-
ter, are you going to stuff these rats?''
All visitors 1t appeared, were not suffi-
GENTLY familiar with the taxidermists art
to understand that, as indicated by the
name 1t consisted In a removal Of the skin.
Some doubtless regarded the big rhinoceros
standing at the south end Of the mammal
mummy. to Judge from ejaculatory remarks
made by ladies passing with closed nostrils.
They were innocent of the fact that the
odor came not from the supposed corrupt
mass Of rhinoceros steak, which Is really
Just big shell of very tough hide, but
from some recently opened case, emitting a
volume OF the .'bi-sulphide' gas
one Of the most viaineus 81 stenehes ppS
duced. It will most effectually dispel a
crowd. When young man Of my &C.
quaintance in charge of q small apartment
visiting public desired to be left alone with
his work without resort to a suggestion
OF its desirability he would quietly turn a
shallow vessel The fact that the depart
ing sightseers were unconscious of any de-
signs upon their comfort made the effect
even more laughable.
It's fumes being poisonous as well as Of
fensive this stuff Is valuable in protecting
skins from destructive insects. It is also
highly volatile. thoroughly filling every crew
ice of large apartment or case For these
reasons 1t Is selected for use in Kidding the
museum collections of vermin. Antrena
and dermestes are the most dreaded of
these. The former is a hairy larva whose
paradise Is the suggestion of meat left upon
old bones Once well intrenched in but
terhy collection the beauties are doomed
Dermestes Is a small beetle coming in skins
and bones gathered in Mexico. compared
with which the antrena is Of small conse-
quence AS determined by experiments
made at the Department Of Agriculture a
few drops Of bi-sulphide of carbon poured
into a closed jar will kill a rat confin ed
therein inside of three minutes. It has
therefore been recommended as an exter
minator Of those rodent pests which are
domiciled In subterranean passages.
A Government Side Show.
The killing Of rats and services Of like
grade constitute in the eyes of a certain
class Of citizens the main warrant for pub
lie support to professional naturalists. Soma
OF these appear at least to have representa-
tives In Congress. To them the National
Museum Is simply a big government side
show and store house of "curiosities" for
the entertainment Of the sightseeing pub
lie. They are daily to be met within its
uooiS, Swung evidence or lack or q con-
ception OF the educational function and
value OF the institution by their character
isticaliy superficial manner of inspection.
with the entertainment theory In mind
these citizens seldom question the occasion
for the accommodation Of the objects of
interest In the display collection, This
material contains enough to divert the at
tenuon OF any normal human being how
eyer devoid or the instincts of the student
But every theory becomes fatally defective
wnen the visitor attempts to extend its ex-
planatory service to the really larger part.
numerically, Of the nations scientific store
house This more important part is NOT
exposed to the public view, being stored
IN the closely arranged drawers Of the dark
ehed cases to De noticed beneath those with
glass walls. When visitor obtains a aug
gestion of the existence of this undisn,a we'd
coIlectlon In passing some curator a worL
oetore an exposed case his first impulse is
oIten 10 give expression to a feeling Of
public outrage that everything in the ma
tlonal institution should not be laid before
Astonishment is most frequently express-
ed when the study series Of mammal specj
mems happen to be In part exposed to view.
These animals being to some extent familiar
to the popular eye the duplication of like
forms Is more apparent than in some other
collections. Then, again, the series OF a
given Kind are probably larger in this de-
partment than in others. Back of the
wooden doors of these study cases between
10000 and 5000 mammal skins are con-
extraordinarily more than are on az.
hibition. The skins are not artfully nodded
into lffe-like forms, as are the mounted
specimens under the glass covers but are
merely stuffed and dried into straight fig
ures, devoid even Of glass eyes, The skulls
are preserved and cleaned and, after being
labeled with numbers corresponding to
those given the skins from which they
came. are carefully laid away in walls or
small boxes. To the mammalogist of re- |
cent years the skull is of as much import |
ance as the sktn-often 1t is more important |
Not to BE Purchased,
These study skins are laid side by side in |
close rank. often to the number Of a hun.
dred or more Of given species from a sim |
gle locality. 1t is the sight of such a series !
of pocket mice" wood rats" sophers or |
squirrels that strains the understanding Of /
the curiosity seer |
What do you want with SO many rats p, |
is frequent exclamation from passing
strangers Commercial value is naturally
the first explanation that occurs to these /
comprehensions and so surprise is aroused
when request to purchase some object
OF interest Is met with a statement that the
does not place tts ruatarioI ~