The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1895-03-06
ANIMALS IN EFFIGY.
THE FAMOUS COLLECTION OWNED BY
THE SMITHSONIAN.

Ani1naAS-IrOOI InaC the Wn8lo COut0
Have Held Jonah-Of Value to Students
and Historians.
Strewn along for a distance Of so
yards in the rear of the Smithsonian In
stitution are blocks Of plaster of paris of
every imaginable shape, some of large
size and others fitted together as IL to
form boxes. For the most part they look
like the refuse of workshop. Here and
there one fragment or another is seen to
resemble part of fish or other ami
NAL, perhaps tail, or hea2 with a
pair of fore fippers A big slab bears the
impression of snake, as If the creature,
having buried itself In mud for the win
| ter, had walked from its 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 80 years past, and
some of them have cost great deal Of
money. Quite number have been fetch
ed all the way from Alaska, represent
ing various animals peculiar to the re-
gions Of the frozen north. If aqueer rep
tile or fish is found anywhere, there is
| nothing better than to make cast of 1t
in plaster of paris. By this means its
shape is copied to perfection, and that Is
| q great help for museum purposes.
| When, a few years ago, whale was
stranded ON the New England coast, DR..
! Palmer, taxidermist of the Smithsonian
institution, was sent to make copy of
it in papier mache This he did-that
is to say, he made mold of the cetaoean
in plaster, of which he took several bar
rels full with him, and the papier
maohe cast was produced afterward in
Washington.
Only one-half 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 IL shows the out
side of tho creature and from the other
side the inside. It was o clergyman
| who on certain occasion not long ago
| was steering some members Of his flock
through the building, and, pausing In
|
to the capacious interior Of the great
marine mammal:
"You see, my dear friends, that there
was plenty of room for Jonahf'
In such ways the Smithsonian insti-
tuition has collected molds and made
casts of great variety of animals, Of
ten sending long distances to get them.
| OF reptiles alone it has secured several
hundreds, each representing q typical
species, while the fishes run up to 1900
and upward. From each plaster mold
about 90 casts may be made, If de-
sired. This facility Of multiplication
| is utilized to considerable extent In
another branch of the work not re-
lating to animals at all. To schools and
| to museums all over the world the
Smithsonian institution sends sets Of
typical aboriginal implements Of Amer
lea. These are valuable for purposes OF
study. A mold from an actual stone ak
will furnish 80 facsimiles, which only
have to be painted in order to look ex-
actly like the original. If more are
wanted, another mold is easily made.
While it would not be easy to ship q
whale or walrus to the Smithsonian
institution, smaller animals are readily
transported. Nearly all Of the creatures
of which these molds are made are sent
to this city for that purpose. When
practicable, two living specimens are
forwarded. One serves for the mold.
The other is O model for the artist. Be-
fore going further 1t should be ex-
planned that the casts are intended to
represent the animals themselves In the
museum, and they must be as lifelike
as possible. They are painted by men
who are skilled in this branch Of art.
Before making mold from snake
the animal, IL alive. receives dose of
chloroform. 1t may or may not recover.
There have been instances where SER
penis have got over the effects of tho
chloroform two or three times in success
sion, only to be subjected to further
doses and made to serve again and
again. Perhaps an an@sthetized ophid-
ian will be coiled gracefully about the
branch Of tree, and the mold will be
taken from branch and snake together,
to be subsequently painted, of course.
Or, II 1t were rattlesnake, it would
probably be coiled in spiral, as If ready
| to strike. In the west wing of the
| Smithsonian institution Is beautiful
exhibit Of the rattlesnakes Of the United
States. They look as IL alive, though
only casts, so we'll are they painted,
with surroundings Of heritage, ETC., to
counterfeit nature. -
1t Is the same way with reptiles OF
other kinds There are ever SO many
queer species of lizards in this country,
particularly in the western deserts. The
| horned toad is one of these not being in
reality a toad at all, though it looks
| like one. There are the edible lizards
of Death valley and others which are
| able to outrun the fastest race horse.
| Such creatures as these are easily mold
ed, every scale in their armor being re-
produced with wonderful accuracy OF
detail. With land mammals ii is differ
emit, for cast of O creature with O fur
coat can hardly be made to look like
life. Nevertheless Dr. Palmer's collec-
| ton includes casts Of portions OF many
land mammals For example, hanging
| on the wall of his studio in the rear OF
the Smithsonian institution is plaster
head of tapir, taken direct from the
animal. When he has occasion to stuff
O tapir, he will not be obliged to guess
at the measurements Of that part of the
beast. Close by is cast from the head
| Of q sea lion that was killed in the Pa
cifio. Another cast is from the tongue
Of q bear. Some day the taxidermist
will desire to set up stuffed bear with
its mouth open, and there will be o
tongue ready. There is also calf's head
which is very lifelike, though it would
not make good soup. Washington Star.
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