Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-10-10
CHAPNAN'S BIG TASK
Travelled 10000 Miles to Get
Nearly 1000 Birds.
FINISHING TEN YEARS. WORK.

After eight years of preparation, in
which he crossed the continent four
times and travelled altogether more
than 10000 miles on land without 60
ing outside Of North America. Frank
Michler Chapman, ornithologist of the
American Museum of Natural History
at New York city, has now the satis-
faction of watching his work blossom
into completion.
The task set for Mr.. Chapman near
ly a decade ago was to present in the
museum every important bird of the
American continent, nearly a thou
sand in number, surrounded by its
natural environment Some apprecia-
tion of what this means in the way Of
work may be gained from the very
fact that though he had been engaged
upon it SO long, aided by skillful men
in their peculiar lines, the results are
just beginning to be seen.
Mr.. Chapman has brought shrubbery,
grass and soil from the Everglades of
Florida as a setting for the various
birds of the heron type which he OBJ
tanned there. From Rocky mountain
peaks he brought the stones and sticks
with which an eagle had built its nest.
And so wherever he has found the
bird he has brought with it for the
final picture the nearby shrub, stone
or soil and often all three and more
to make the setting true to nature.
More than that, wherever he has
Travelled he has had competent artist
at his back to paint in the native
background. Mr.. Chapman is making
what he calls a habitat group" says
the New York Times. Not only are the
soil, the shrub which grew in it and
the leaves which fell from it trans
ported from the other side of the con-
tinent as the chief setting of the pic
ture. but the artist, on the spot when
Mr.. Chapman shoots a bird, makes a
sketch and photograph Of the exact
surroundings of the bird when it is
killed, so that those who behold it
mounted see it as nearly like the or
nithologist found it in the depths of
the forest as it is possible to make it.
Seven years ago a friend of Mr..
Chapman showed him a photograph he
had made of an eagles nest high up.
on a ledge in the Rocky mountains. 1t
was picturesque, and Mr.. Chapman
determined to obtain it If possible.
The opportunity never came until a
short time ago. The nearest railroad
station was scores of miles from the
place, and this distance was travelled
by Mr.. Chapman and his artist in a
prairie schooner. When he reached
the vicinity of the place they learned
that the guide whom they expected to
engage was a hundred miles away,
rounding up cattle. Mr.. Chapman's
friend had given him a number Of
photographs Of the section, and with
the aid of these the nest was located
seven years after the first photograph
had been taken after a two days
search. For all that the nest and the
environment showed no human being
had been there since the Chicago man
left, and the nest was In an excellent
state of preservation. The mother
eagle had called to her aid a variety
of things In building her nest, includ-
Ing a buffalo's horn, this, too, in Sec
ton where Mr.. Chapman says there
has not been buffalo in twenty years.
Not only can that nest, with the
sticks and all the rubbish which the
eagle had employed, be seen in the
museum, but the ledge on which it
was found has been reproduced, and
the artist has painted in the back
ground.
Mr.. Chapman prides himself on a
certain grouping of reedbirds. The
scene this time is marsh in Virginia.
There are the wild oats, the cut lemon,
the tuckahoe, and through 1t all runs
tiny stream of scummy marsh water, a
typical marsh drain or sluice.
A few days ago several young wo-
men were passing, but, attracted to
the birds In the marsh, stopped in
front Of the group.
"That's pretty good" said one, "but
1 don't see why the museum authori-
ties allow that dirty water to stand
there like that. You can smell it clear
through the glass case, and ] should
think it would be unhealthy" She
was speaking of a celluloid prepare
ton used as a water substitute which
has no odor at all.
The wild turkey group from the
mountains of West Virginia is partic-
ularly attractive. Not only are there
fine specimens of wild turkeys there.
near their nest, but the decaying pine
log, the lightwood knots, the pine tags,
the yellow leaves of dogwood-ev-
erything, just as the collector found it,
has been transported to the museum.
About this the artist has painted as
background the more distant scenery.
Mr.. Chapman was engaged the other
day putting together a much twisted
and stunted tree which he recently
brought from the Florida Everglades.
He had to cut it into a number of
pieces for transportation. numbering