Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1911-11-23
cO|1Gs Of 4 FROG
New Group in New York National
History Museum.
Work Represents About Two Years
Study and Preparation by Mary
Cynthia Dickerson-Eserythins
Is Shown, Even Cracking.

New York.-The last word in frog
sociology Is the way Prof. Bashford
Dean describes the new bulifrog group
which has just been installed in the
east tower Of the second floor OF the
American museum of natural history.
The bullfrog group represents q July
scene typical Of southern New Eng
land and is unique inasmuch as 1t is
the first group with descriptive labels
to be placed on view in public mu'
scum showing the general biology of
the frog, It's swimming, croaking, Its
food habits in connection with small
mammals, snakes and fish and also the
nletamorphosis from e tadpole.
The bullfrog group represents about
two years of study and preparation by
Mary Cynthia Dickerson, of the mu.
scum staff, and Is novel in that 1t has
transparent porous background
curved in panoramic fashion and made
OF fine and durable linen. The back.
ground was painted by Hobart Mich.
OILS and Albert Operti and is In trans.
parent colors, the high lights on the
front, the shadows on the, back In an
effort to obtain realistic woodland
scene with shifting light in, and
through it as in nature
The light at the back of the canvas
has been kept at the minimum and
balanced on the canvas in front by
weak indirect light, while relative
ly strong direct light has been focused
on the foreground as. il from the west
ern sky. To help the perspective in a
minor degree, the arranger of the
group has resorted to various small
devices. For instance, the foreground
slopes upward to meet the back
ground: tall shrubs in the front are
made to lead into others less tall far
Their back, while. the large leaf plants
such as alder and birch have been
placed in the immediate foreground.
The story of the group tells itself
at sight One frog is moulting its
skin in typical frog fashion; a second
Is dashing from the water to catch a
white footed mouse descending from
a sparrow's nest;. another Is croaking
and fourth: Is demonstrating how
large a mouthful of young water
snakes bullfrog can master A
smaller bullfrog, giving his attention
to chickadee just alighted on birch
branch above his head, and oblivious
of danger, is about to fall prey to
blacksnake. A swimming frog is send.
Ing up stream Of bubbles from her
nostrils, showing that the lungs are
emptied OF air as the skin comes into
play for breathing.
In addition to the bullfrog group
there have been put on view recently
Monitor group and various smaller
exhibits. The modelling of these
groups in form life; all work on both
form and color is done from the living
animal, the New York geological park
and the New York aquarium having
lent many living specimens for study.
News has been received OF the
Congo expedition of the museum,
which is being conducted in Africa un-
der the leadership Of Herbert Lang.
The expedition has been unusually
successful among the. Mangbetu.
The collection In anthropology now
consists OF some 1,4D0 specimens, &C.
cording to Mr. Lang, and is unique not
only on account of its numbers, but
especially by reason of the selection
that has been made throughout the
territory inhabited by the Mangbetu
and other tribes. The expedition has
travelled with a caravan Of $50 men
and in the report 2,4O0 mammals are
listed, 1,3O0 reptiles and 1850 birds.
Specimens include white rhinoceros,
two elephants, Black rhinoceros and