The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-03-01
ANIMALS OF PAPER
Smithsonian Preparing It's Exhibit,
for the st. Louis Exposition.
Washington Star.

Washington Star
An interesting phase of the Smithsonian
Institutions preparation for the coming
ST. Louis exposition is to be found In the
from few boards. some papier-mache
and hide or coat of fur, specimens of
animal life are being made so realistically
that if seen outside OF an exhibition it
would be difficult to distinguish them from
live creatures.
When the workshop was visited last
week the men were found putting the fin
are to be sent as delegates to represent
their division of the animal kingdom at
the exhibition. One of them, lion. had
only the fur was needed to complete it,
1t stood in hfe-like attitude and its
body of paste showed ribs and veins and
muscles as natural as those of a living
animal. The other specimen is rhin-
oceros. This was in a more unfinished
state. Here and there one could see pices
of wire sheeting which is used beneath the
natural body. The head and feet were
roughly outlined, and the tail was as yet
only a twist of rope.
ing in huge vat of salt and sulphuric
acid, undergoing the tanning process
preparatory to being placed on the figure.
Whenever an animal dies at the National
Zoo its skin, If at all valuable, is sent to the
taxidermist. In this particular case, how
ever, the rhinoceros hide was imported
from South Africa. When brought here it
weighed nearly thousand pounds, but the
sleeping had shrunk Ii to half its original
bulk. In the same cask were lying a big
sharks head and skins of every variety go
ing through the same preservative process
which all animal coatings from the kid of
the glovemaker to the hide of the whale
must pass through before being used for
practical purposes.
1t must be admitted that the mural deco
rations and other furnishings of the work.
rooms are Of a somewhat grewsome charac-
ter. To stand under ceiling festooned
with the bones of deceased animals, to
gaze upon shelves ornamented with skulls
or to trip accidentally over the foot of a
wild beast gives one plenty of local color,
but II takes time to become acclimated to
the suggestive atmosphere.
Among his accomplishments the chief
taxidermist must possess thorough knowl-
edge of anatomy: he must understand
modelling and be able to get the proportions
for whole specimen from a skull or toe
bones, much as the student of geometry
builds his figure upon the given sides and
angles. When an order Is sent in the de-
signer takes his skin and skull or what
ever he has to build from and gauges the
other parts by comparing their relations
to a standard skeleton.
Sometimes, as in the case of the exhibits
to be sent to st. Louis. he goes to a me-
nagerie to study from life. The next step
is to set I'D the fat boards used to outline
the legs and backbone. These are held in
place by iron rods and are covered by wire
netting to give them the proper shape.
Inc paper udchtr WHICH Is largely made
of the pulp of old money and the usual
paste and glue, is used in the same manner
as sculptors clay. All of the detail and
finishing work Is done with Ii. 1t is the
artistic part of the process. Finally when
the eyes have been put in place and the
outer coat has been added II is nearly two
months since the beginning of the Job. for
although an imitation lion or tiger NAV
seem at first thought simple affair ii is
rather an intricate business 10 make a
scientifically accurate reproduction of ami
NAL life from a board, little wire some
paste and piece of fur.