Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-05-30
FEAT IN TAX|DERMY,
Scientist Makes First Exact
 Cast of a Fish.
REPRODUCTION IN COPPER.

J. D. Higgins of American Museum of
 Natural History Tells How He Used
 Hot Wax In His Experiments-Plas-
 ter Model of Living Frog Made.
 Here is scientist who has accom plished feat never before performed He Is J. D. Higgins, head of the de- partment of preparation and exhibition of the American Museum of Natural History, in New York city, and after years of experimenting he has succeed ed in making an exact cast in copper of living animal.
 The experiments which eliminated in the successful reproduction were per formed recently at the museum on two frogs and grew out of new method of making reproductions of fish and batrachians which Mir. Higgins discov- cred.
 Tt has heretofore been an impossi- bility to mount fish, lizard or frog successfully" said the taxidermist when seen by New York Evening Mail reporter. Ever since the history of taxidermy began men have striven in vain to mount fish so that it re- tains all the characteristics 1t pos sessed when alive. It has been just as impossible to make correct and dura- ble plaster cast of fish, frog or lizard.
 Tn the first place, it has been im- possible to mount fish without giving 1t coat of shellac and oil, and then the colors have to be painted on. The result is that all the fine details of the skin-the scales, lines, etc.-are coated over so as to be obscured, and the fin- ished product is of no use from scien- tific point of view. Then 1t has been necessary in mounting fish to make an inward framework on which to stretch the skin and which can never be exact, and exactness is absolutely essential if specimen Is to be of any use to the scientist. Then mounted fish always shrink. After fish is framed, oiled, painted, etc, 1t becomes practically a manufactured product, with all the fine points which make it of scientific value obliterated.
 "In making a plaster cast of the same fish similar troubles are expert enced. In the first place, plaster does not take all the fine detail. In the case of plaster, shellac. oil and great deal of paint must also be used, and in the end the cast is of no more scientific value than the mounted fish, which is none at all.
 "In the case of batrachians like the frog and lizard 1t is impossible to skin them without tearing and otherwise mutilating the skin, and the result is also that when they are finished they are so doctored up as to be useless. For years taxidermists have sought to avoid these drawbacks, but with no success, but I believe I have at last discovered method whereby exact re- productions perfect in the minutest de- tail can be made of fish and reptiles.
 My method is first to pose the fish. Then make wax mold by spraying hot wax over the specimen. I use wax because it takes the finest detail, which plaster does not. Then I remove the fish from the mold, and by means of copper electroplating apparatus plate the interior of the mold with copper, which fills up every detail and line in the wax. By pouring hot water on the wax 1t is melted from the copper repro duction, which is then bathed in thin solution of silver to color it white.
 "The silver plate Is used to give white body to the reproduction so that 1t will not have to be painted on, thus eliminating one coat of paint which would tend to fill up detail. The great trouble with painting mounted fish white is that the white soon turns yell low, destroying the effect and making the specimen worthless as correct color. The silver plate never turns yell low. Then by oxidizlng it with heat the iridescent hues of the living fish can be exactly reproduced, which is impossible with white paint.
 "After the copper reproduction has been bathed in silver it is merely nee essary to paint on the dark colors of the fish, and the work is complete. You then have an exact reproduction of the fish that is impervious to change and will remain as 1t is practically for ever.
 "The metallic color of living fish has been sought in vain for years in paint, but on a metallic model this effect is natural. All danger of an opaque tint Is done away with. and we have a model perfect in every detail, color and hue and durable as metal.
 "After making my first 6sh model I hit on a plan for taking a cast of a living frog This has never been done before. The frogs have heretofore been always cast in plaster after they were dead. when. of course. they had to be posed with a danger of losing their own natural position while in life.
 T procured two large frogs, gave them knockout drops. and when they were sitting in their own natural posi- ton. but completely unconscious. I sprayed hot wax over them. thus mak- ing an exact mold similar to that in the case of the dead fish. Of course the