Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-16
No American Millionaire
Cares for Taxidermy.
LIKE THE ANIMALS
THEREFORE, DOES NOT BoTHED
OVER HEADs AND NORMA
Europeans on tho Contrary Consider
These Collections Valuable
and Necessary.

Taxidermy Is undoubtedly a much neg.
lected and little appreciated art and this
we attribute to the fact that not a singls
American millionaire has gone in strong
for a collection of horns and heads Nor
can single public institution in the United
states rightfully boast OF a collection that
VIII compare favorsbly with even the third
rate collections in Europe" This statement
was made TO Star reporter recently by
a New York taxidermist
FOR some reason or other the directors
OF museums do not seem to comprehend
the full geological value of a good coIlec-
lion, and hence they do not care To spend
money TO secure heads and horns OF ami
mails that are rapidly becoming extinct
In the twenty-five years l have been In
business | do not believe 1 have sold So 900
worth of goods to museums and | am one
OF the largest importers and dealers In my
line in America.
AS for the millionaire. II seems to be al
most an impossibiilty to awaken him to the
Importance OF making a collection. He
VIII buy head or two OF a couple OF dozen
pairs OF horns and then he will be satisfied
Maybe during the course OF his lifetime he
spends as much as 5000 with a taxider-
mist. and then again maybe he doesn't.
Il attribute the American millionaire's
neglect of the field OF taXldermy to his
hobby OF establishing game preserves. He
says to himself: Instead of having mere
horns and heads around me, I'll have the
real things-live animals But he forgets
that he cannot have many OF the most
noted animals of mSdern times In his pre-
serves. for the simple reason that the few
specimens now alive cannot be obtained
for love money.
Take the Alpine ibex. FOR instance. The
King Of Italy owns the only twenty now
alive, and to kill one Of them means life
long Imprisonment. A millionaire could NOT
secure one of these animals no matter how
much money he might offer for 1t, but he
could buy quite few heads and horns at
prices ranging from S75 to $3.50 which are
reasonable when you remember that the
Alpine ibex Is extinct for all practical pur-
poses.
AS this is also true Of many other ami
mals-not a few Of which are American-it
behooves American museums and American
men OF money to make before II Is too late
collections that will give posterity an ample
idea OF the animals of the present day. In
spirati along this line should be taken
from Europe, and especially Germany and
France.
Foreigners Like It.
Every nobleman and every person OF
wealth In those two countries has colec-
ton costing thousands of dollars. A castle
In Germany is not considered habita be
without its myriads OF heads and horns
about the walls. and as for the hunting
lodges. they are filed to OVERLOOKING with
specimens of taxidermy.
II believe | have seen all the most noted
collections in Europe. and l know that IL il
no exaggeration to say that their combined
value. at present market rates, is close on
to So, Geo 900
ION his Hanoverian preserve Emperor
| William has what l consider the finest and
largest collection of horns In the world 1t
consists not only of specimens of the Ger
man stag and OF the roebuck. but Of hun
dreds of heads and horns of foreign ami
mails.
Every American animal Is represented
ana TO secure the specimens the emperor
has spent thousands of dollars His Ameri-
can collection alone would put TO shame
the combined halfdozen biggest collections
owned in this country.
After a months inspection OF the en-
perors entire collection several years ago 1
estimated It's value at nearly $1,000 Opo and
several Of the emperor's subjects have col
lections almost costly.
Fact is. the taxidermy business in this
country would about go into bankruptcy II
II were not for our mighty hunters and
fishers. They have lately begun TO use il
TO back up their seemingly false stories Of
experiences with rod and gun
This is especially true of the fisherman
When he catches a black bass weighing
eight pounds he doesn't eat it as was for
merly the custom. and thus destroy all evil
dence of veracity OF the story of the bie
catch that he relates to his friend
instead. he sends the black bass to n
taxidermist who prepares IT for preserva-
ton at the rate OF 81 pound And then
when the fisherman has his STORY douhtad
by his friends all that he has to do IN move
his words Is TO lead his hearers IN 10 the
black bass mounted on an appropriate base
me freak horn collector also contributes
toward Keeping the taxidermlst in business
The average American seems 10 think III
a pair of horns is not worth owning unless
IL be abnormal I'm some way.
Unusual Shapes
III bull moose has twisted its antIers
into some unnatural shape we can disnosa
or them for two or three times the price wa
ask Tor a perfect pair. which the expert
collector would rave over. Why. for one
pair of exceedingly freakish moose borns
received s2S0 or nearly double the money
sot lor one or the finest pairs OF moose
antlers I've ever seen.
they had spread OF sixty-eight Incbe.
ana showed spread of forty-three points
but freak collectors passed them by with
OUT second glance, and 1t took me NEARLY
five years to dispose of them The fraaS
horns sold In less than two weeks after
receipt Indeed. cannot keen up with tbs
demand for freak things "'
OF late years the mounting Of u,,,
specimens has made considerabIe bu,inasa
Aiisaeors are brought up north in great
numbers by the wealthy who have deysione
ta,s IL U no ol scattering the hideous saur-
sions: For one New York millionaire alone
stuffed a score of alligators last year ana
ne wrote me lately that he was forwardIng
me six more. " al "i"s
on, Su n heads? No sale for them. The
Snty man who makes any money out of
punaio heads Is the plainsman who has
managed TO secure several heads by book
OF CROOK He disposes of them 10 bupter,,
from east OF the Mississippi, who take the
trt phles back home with them and then
can In tfelr friends and say:
See what L killed on my hunting Fri,
west The guide told me / was a very Iucky
nan-probably killed the last wild bufralo
ON the plains
Yes the hunter prefers to pay 5000 mr.
Sl,oOo for head out west than $3.50 for a
much better specimen in the east That,
why I've stock of twenty buffalo heads
that I've been unable to sell since / bought
them, four years ago.
Siberian Specimens
did you ever stop TO think that the
march OF civilization is a great aid to taxi
dermy? Take Siberia for example Ten
years ago we had scarcely any specimens
OF the Siberian ibex and roebuck in either
Europe or America.
Since the railroad has been opened speci
mems are coming out OF the interior BY the
carload. The prices are still high, however
A fair pair of ibex horns will bring y.O0 In