The evening times., 1896-10-14

Allusion has been made from time to
time in the Smithsonian reports to the work
OF the National Museum perpetrators in
| mounting objects for exhibition or study.
Asearly as S75, when, by means of IN ap-
| preparation for the exhibit Of the Museum
at the Centennial Exhibition at Phladel
phia, it became for the first time possible to
| employ competent taXidermists an effort
was made to secure the best men available,
andt to have prepared better specimens than
were at that time to BE- found in American
museum.
Mr.. Joseph Palmer the present supcrin-
] tendent of the museum, and Mr.. julius
| Stoerzer were the chief agents in the prepa
| rationof the Xhibit of mou nted animal Is and
casts shown in Philadelphia, and the re-
suits, though below the present standard,
| We're in many instances quite equal to what
| has since been done. The most notable
| group mounted by these gentlemen and sent
to the Philadelphia exhibition was that of
a number of fur seals, which was greatly.
admired. This group is at present on ex-
hibition at the National Museum.
Since this notwithstanding and instructive
art has been taken up at the Museum, there
have been very great number of speci-
| mems mounted. one of the latest and most
| wonderful is an enormous Bengal tiger.
| The weight OF this tiger, without in
testines,' was go pounds. The figure
now stands in large plate glass case in
| the geological room, represented al fight
ing with smother tiger over the body Oh an
elephant. The process of mounting is in
teresting. Directly on arriving at the MI
scum, the jaws Were opened and washed,
the head placed upon box, with a wedge
opening the Jaws to the extent required,
and the muscles of the face having been
worked up To give the necessary expression,
rapid color sketch OF the head was made.
and cast i'll plaster of paris was taken
of the face and the head.
sKINNING A BENGAL TIGER.
The carcass was then handed over to the
skDnerS, who commenced by getting IL upon
the disSeCtinS bench, being assisted by
| rope and block, sore wed into beam
in the CeilinEabovc, The animal having been
placed upon its back, an inCiSion was made
in the skin, on the central line, from the
throat To the tail; cross cut was then made
from the chest 20 the arm pit of the fore
limbs. At the hind limbs another cross
cut was made.
The removal of the skin was then COM
menced by fiaying it back from the fore
leg on one side. 4 rope Was then tied to
each, assisting the stretching out OF the
limbs. Both sides of the limbs were then
flayed back by carefully working around
tow ard the body. The skin OF the side be-
ing freed, the hind limb was treated in a
Liz" manner. When one side had been thus
skinned up to the Ceuter of the back, the
other side was treated in the same manner.
After both sides had been relieved, SO that
the skin las loosened along the back, an
incision was made at the tail. a nd the tail
itself removed. The headquarters We're
then slung by Il rope and the skin pulled
from underneath them by shifting the rope
10 the fore part OF the body, so as TO lift
the head off.
After the Skinuing was completed the
hide was thoroughly washed with sulu-
ton OF burnt alum, saltpetrc and warm
water. 1t is Then cured.
Preparations for setting up were then
commenced by drilling a hole in each side
of the lower jaw, close To the junctioD-of
the upper jaw. through Naigh = stout
wire thread is dra wn and the ends turned
around the upper Jaw when IN the posi-
ton desired.
PREPARED FOR THE MOUNTING.
The clay model of the head and face are
now useful in assisting the operator to OBJ
tain the distances, relations Of parts, the
wrinkles and position of the mout@ and lips.
The skin ba wing driedi for day ortwo was
well stretched all over.
Prior to this the body being entirely freed
of its skin presented itself as complete
carcass without its head, that having been
severed in the SHINING The carcass is
then laid on-a stout board and propped up
frcm the back into the position tie mounted
animal S to assume, then a plaster cast was
taken of one side and allowed to dry, the
skin with the head attached is then fitted
into the corresponding side, the stuffing
and shaping was then commenced, the sub
ject being filled with mixture of sawdust
and yellow clay treated with arsenic. When