The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-09-14
PLANS new NOAH'S ARK
NEW YORK MUSEUM OF NATU.
RAJ HISTORY COLLECTION
Would Put It in Bronze or Stone
Fear That Many Rare Specimens
Now Living Will Be Extinct in a
Generation stirs Scientists Into
Taking Action.
Special to The Globe.

Special to The Globe.
| NEW YORK, Sept. 18.-The author
tiles Of the Natural History museum,
are seriously discussing the Question
OF perpetuating disappearing animal
species In either stone or bronze.
AT the present time there seems to
De danger of many species of wild
animals becoming extinct, and al
though the stuffed specimens will
aoubtless last many years beyond the
NE OF the present generation, it will
not De possible to replace those when
once they are gone, nor can models
pc made from them so satisfactorily as
from the living specimens.
EVEN now, in order to make O. COM
piete collection of all living specimens
the modelers would have to go to ali
parts of the world where a collection
OF wild animals can be found. Me-
nageries in South America, Central
america, Australia, Europe. Asia and
searched, and perhaps then the rarest
varieties living could not be reached.
Inc formation of such a collection
would be OF inestimable value to sci
entlsts of the future and would be the
only means of preserving actual COP
les OF the animal life at present popl-
iating the globe. Man. Of course. the
monarch of creation. would be in
cluded
Trying Out Stone and Metal e
Chemists are now experimenting
with different kinds Of powdered stone
and metal, with the idea of forming
material for these casts which will be
practically indeStructible. since II I'd
obvious that all kinds of stone are of
TOO h1msy character for this perpet-
uation. ,
considerable impetus has been lent
to The idea of forming such a collection
by recent discovery that there is
not printed book in existence which
Will be deeipherable in century or
two.
The wisdom of the Babylonians and
others in inscribing their language
ngures, ETC., upon pottery Is shown by
the revelations they have conveyed to
us of past civilizations on this planet
by recent excavators.
The most perfect collection of an
lmals In the world today is that at
the London Zoo, where some of the
rarest existing specimens may be
found. These include certain species
of CRATES, zebras, tigers and Ieopards,
found nowhere else in captivity. There
are also species of the rhinosceros
and hippopotami not found elsewhere,
although the rarest specimen of the
former Is in the New York Zoo.
Rhinoeeros Disappearing. IN
The rhinoceros is, in fact, fast disap-
pearlng on every hand, and, like many
Of the rarer animals, will not reproduce
in captivity. Only a few years ago
all the larger geological gardens con-
tanned specimens of this animal, but
now it is almost as rare as the white
elephant. 1t seems, from the latest
reports of the hunter that no more
specimens are likely to be captured,
as enormous prices have been offered
for one of any kind.
There is not an African rhinoceros in
Europe, and with the exception of one
In the Bronx park, none positively
known to be in existence. There Is
one of the Indian variety in London
and only one more in Berlin.
There are a few odd specimens OF
animal life in Berlin which should be
duplicated in bronze at once. They
are bird Of paradise, the ornithoryn-
chus-an egg-laying mammal, Tas-
manian wolf resembling cross be-
tween dog and tiger, and a marsupial,
which is unlike any other animal, even
the kangaroo.
Walter Beard.