Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-02-15
THE ROOSEVELT HUNT
Frederic j. Haskin.

mammal skulls. hundreds of them being
SO small that they are packed away in
little broadnecked bottles of from two TO
four tablespoon capacity. Each one has its
little tag, telling where 1t was found,
who prepared il and all other data neces-
sary to it's complete Identification. When
the skeletons are shipped il is the usual
practice TO leave as much flesh on tho
bones as will dry out. This is to protect
the delicate little bones from injury in
transit. After the skeletons arrive they
the subject to a boiling process, so that
all this dried flesh may be taken of.
The skins are all arriving in good
shape. Heller, who had charge of their
packing, is an expert. They were all
packed IN brine and placed in sealed
casks. Not a single skin has been in
jured in transit. The expedition had hard
work getting assistants for the skinning
of the big mammals. The natives are
usually slow and lazy. At last group
of men from a raw-flesh eating tribe
were gathered together, and their anx-
iety to get the daintiest morsels served
to make them hustling workmen. They
keep their teeth filed sharp and eat the
flesh while yet it quivers.
quiries as to how soon the collection will
be placed On public exhibition. The re-
ply is that the work of preparing exhibits
has begun some of the skins already
having been sent to the tanneries, but
that IL will be a matter Of years until IT
is completed. When il is stated that 1t
may take as long as six months to mount
a single large mammal, it is plain that to
prepare a whole group of exhibits will
take years.
The process by which mounting is &C
compIished is an interesting one. First
the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. makes a little
model OF the animal he proposes to
mount. 1t is usually on a scale of about
1 to IS. After he gets his model to suit
him. In pose and detail, he submits il to
others for criticism and suggestion.
After the model has been worked up to
the satisfaction of the responsible au-
thorities. the task of making a life-sized
form is begun. wood and paper being
used principally. When this is completed.
the placing OF the skin on the model is
but a small undertaking. To construct
a great group. like the famous bison
group in the national museum. with all
the accompanying natural settings, is a
task that requires infinite patience and
much ability. This bison group is re-
garded as one OF the finest mounted an
imal groups in the world. 1t was done
by W. T. Hornaday, now head of the
Bronx zoo. He killed the big bull bison
himself, and declares that when he shot
the splendid creature he felt as though he
had perpetrated a cruel murder.
Not all OF the mammals will be mount
ed for exhibition purposes, as they re-
quire too much space. After the prin-
cipal specimens are mounted, IL is prob
able that the others will be used as ex-
changes with various museums of the
country. OF course a good specimen of
every species will be kept at the Smith
sonian and the national museum. DR..
Gerrlt Miller, curator of the division OF
mammals. national museum, who has
charge OF the animal collections. says
that when a big animal is mounted and
placed In an exhibition case science bids
goodby to it. The action of the light will
change the color of its hair, and other
transformations will take place which
end its usefulness TO science.
Not less interesting than the animal
collections are those of the birds About
1900 have been received and some 1,40O
more are expected shortly. They range
from the tiny little sunbird, that is some
times confused with the humming bird.
up to the goliath heron, the saddle-billed
stork and the giant eagle-owl. All Of
these birds are carefully skinned, the
skins poisoned so as to render them i'm
mune to vcrmin and parasite attack. and
then stuffed with cotton. At the Smith
sonian they are kept in trays in big
dark cases.
One CT the most interesting speci-
mems is the honey-guIde. This little
bird mas a taste for larvae and other
life that abounds in a wild beS hiv%