The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1903-04-11
P-APIER-MAcHR ANIMALS.
Realistic ReproduotIons OF zoolega
tcaI sBeeimens BY Govern-
ment Experts.


An interesting phase Of the SMITH
sonian institutions preparation for
the coming st. Louis exposition is to
be found in the government taxider-
mist's shop There, with a few boards,
some p~apier-mache and'a hide or coat Of
fur, specimens of animal life are being
made SO realistically that if seen out
side of an exhibition it would be diff
cult to distinguish them from live
creatures, reports the Washington
Post.
When the workshop was visited late
ly the men were found putting the
finishing touches on two of the beasts
which are to be sent as delegates to
represent, their division of the animal
kingdom at the exhibition. One of
them, a lion, had reached a stage of de-
velopment where only the fur was
needed to complete it. 1t stood in a
life-like attitude, andi body of paste
showed ribs and veins and muscles as
naturally as that of a living animal.
The other specimen is a 4~rhinoceros.
This was in q more unfnishedts state.
Here and there one could see pieces of
the wire sheeting which is used be-
meath the skin to pad it out in SEM
blance Of the natural body. The head
n feet were roughly outlined, and
the tail was as yet only a twist of rope.
In the adjoining room the hide was
soaking in a huge vat of salt andlsul-
Phuric 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 SEM to the taxider-
mist. In this particular case, however,
the ~rhinocerOs hide was imported from
South Africa. When brought here it
weighed nearly 1000 pounds, but the
sleeping had shrUnken it to half it's
original bulk. In the same cask were
lying a big sharks head and skins of
every variety going through the Same
preservative process which all animal
coatings, from the kid of the glove
maker to the hide of the whale must
pass through before being used for
practical purposes.
1t must be admitted that the mural
decorations and other furnishings of
the workroOms are of a somewhat
greWsome character. To stand UNDER
ceiling f~estOoned with the bones of de-
ceased animals, to gaze upon shelves
Ornamented with skulls. or to trim ac-
cldentalIy over the foot of a wild beast
gives n plenty of local color, but it
takes time to become acclimated to
the suggestive atmosphere.
Among his accomplishments. the
ehief taXidermist must possess a thor
ough knowledge of anatomy; he must
understand modelling, and be able to
get the proportions for a whole speci-
men from a skull or toe bones, much as
the student of geometry builds his fE-
ure upon the given sides and angles.
When an order is sent in, the designer
taxes his skin and skull, or whatever
he has to build from, and gauges be
other parts by comparing its relation
to a standard skeleton.
Sometimes. as in the case of the ex,
hlblts to be sent to St. Louis. he goas
toa menagerie to study from life. The
next step is to set up the fat boards
used to outline the legs and backbone,
These are held in place by iron rods.
n are covered by wire netting to give
them the proper shape.
The Papier-mache, which is largely
made of the pulp of old money and the
usual paste and glue, is used in the
same manner as sculptor's clay. All of
the detail and finishing work is done
with it. 1t is the artistic part of the
process. Finally, when the eyes have
been put in place and the outer coat
has been added, it is nearly two months
since the commencement of the Job;
for; although an imitation lion or tiger
may seem atfirst thought a simple af-
fair. it is rather an intricate business
to make a scientifically accurate repro.
duction of animal life from a board, a.
little wire, som paste and a piece of
fur.