Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-09

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the creature, having buried itself in mud
for the winter, had walked from it's torpid
state and crawled away Other objects yet
more strange are faces and various parts
or human bodies apparently fossilized.
These odd-looking things are molds. The
Smithsonian Institution has been collecting
them for thirty years past, and some OF
them have cost great deal of money.
Quite number have been fetched all the
way from Alaska, representing various ami
mails peculiar to the regions of the frozen
north. If queer reptile or fish is found
anywhere there IS nothing better than to
make cast of it in plaster of paris. By
this means its shape is copied to perfec-
ton, ard that is great help for museum
purposes. When, few years ago. whale
was stranded on the New England coast.
Dr. Palmer taXiderm;st of the Smithsonian
Institution was sent to make a copy of 1t
in papier-nache. This he did-that is to
say, he made mold of the cetacean III
plaster. of which he took several barrels
full l"ith Kim ard the papier mache cast
was produced afterward III Washington.
Valuable for Study.
Only one-haIf Of the whale was cast,
however representing what might be
termed the port side of the animal This
is now hung up in the National Museum.
On one side it shows the outside OF the
creature and from the other side the in
side. 1t was a clergyman who on GER
tain occasion not long ago was steering
so u,, iiehl,ei VI ms ,iooh my tue
whale. remarked pointing to the capacious
interior of the great marine mammal:
You see, my dear friends. that there
was plenty of room for jonah
In such ways the Smithsonian Institution
has collected rnolds and made casts of Il
great variety of animals, often sending
alone it has secured several hundreds.
each representing typical Species while
the fishes run up to l,2o and upward
fioli e'Sh piaS.ei iliou au ~, my oaSlS
m,itin;icotion is utiI;ze5 to q considersbIe
eytent n anothcr branch Of The wors not
relatinp To animals at all 10 schools and
to museums ali over the world the smith.
sonian Institmt;on sends cots If tvn;cal
ohoriain,I ;,,nIanants of hm.r;ca Tbesa
80 30 20 bio fpr r,n,,,os.si of st,,dv noIS
fran, an actnai stone AZ win f,Irnisb fifty
TO- s;,,i,,s r,h;oh wi, h,,,. to 10 rs;nt -
Ia nrdnr 70 Inok oTac,,,, Ill. tbe or,1;nai
re- 80 ~, -, Uon.ed arcthnn ,,o1d ~ nn;i
=. ." "' "'o'-'e' '"'iA - -" Wy
Wh;,e T. would not no eosv 70 shin
1,,h.Ia ar = ,,,oI-us 70 ~. Sr,;thso,;,r n
,;.a,,o ,aI1ar ~ Inc 90 ran s,;i,
nortad Naariv all ne The craat,,ras Of
which tbesa n,o,ds ara made ara sent to
this civ for that nurnose When nractica.
H. 49,, H,,nn spaniy,an. .ra for,,,ori.d
a. 49,. 20 tba ,,,oiI. ~ nthor is .
r woJ fo,. 3ha artist Refora ,ro;nsr f,rtb,r
=. sho,1a ~ axn,a;n.d tSat III casts r.
intendeG TO renresent the animals them
a..,n u; =. ~ ,,,,a,,,,, ' na 49,, 80 ta
sehus n 'n. .s;hIn IT,, ~ nn;,.oS
as iis"Ne % poss ,ne;,r,, :,;i,aa p. tn;.
ny InSh W. arc "pe'io"S "Ni''eo III '''e
DFdhch VI ait.
Life-Lfke Casts.
Rafore making q mold from q snake the
-, 90 IT. ,..o,,,o, = ,o,, &c oh,or,
annual II ai''e' ie0ee' q "o@o VI
for m
have been instances where serpents have
pot over the effects Of the chloroform two
e. .hr.o t,ro :, s,oo.ssion only, m H..
vi ."iee ''iies ~ ~ "
subjected 10 Iurther ooSes anu haue u
serve again and again. Perhaps an an
aesthetized ophidian will be coiled grace
fully about the branch of tree, and the
mold will be taken from branch and snake
gether-to be subsequently painted, of
course. Or. If it were rattlesnake. it
would probably be coiled In spiral, as II
READY 10 strihe. IN the wes' wliis VI tne
hibit of the ratt1esnakes of the United
States. They look as if alive. though only
casts, so we'll are they painted, with sur
founulngs Oh herpase' e'c'' u couh'eileit
r. 10 tho sama vav with rentiles IF otnar
kinds. There are ever so MANY queer spe-
cies of lizards in this country, particularly
in the western deserts. Ihe horned TOAD
Is one OF these; not peing IN reaity d 'oau
the edible lizards OF Death Naley' ana
others which are able TO outrun the fastest
race horse. Such creatures as tnese are
easily nodded, every scale IN tnelr armor
being reproduced with wondeT1ui accuracy
or detail. win lana mammals IL IS dineI-
ent. Tor a cast OF creature win 1uiry
coat can naroiy oe maze 10 Iooh IKE ne.
Nevertheless' Dr. fainer coilection IN
cludes casts OF portions or many iand mann,
mails. For example, hanging on the wall
of his studio IN the rear OF the Smith-
sonlan institution is piaSter heau OF
tapir, taken difect from the animal w men
ne mas occasion 10 STUN d laplr, ne VII! lios
be Obliged TO guess at the measurements OF
that part OF the beast. close by is cast
from the head of a sea lion that was Killed
in the Pacific. Another cast Is from the
tongue OF bear. Some day the taNlder-
mist will desire to set up stuffed bear
with its mouth open, and there viii be
tongue ready. There is also calfs head,
which is very liz like, though it would not
make good soup.
Lend. tho Nor1d.
go .....
Inc Smithsonian institution mas some SUI
perb casts of porpoises There are none
like them anywhere else in the world, save
on1y q few in New York citv The mn