Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1911-08-29

u Tue museum, tFduc w Ne
ono requiring infinite patience and
great technical skill.
The removal of the National Mu'
scum from the old to the new build
Ing has resulted in the division OF
skeletons being given larger quarters.
and the display has been arranged 80
10 to give 1t prominence never BE-
fore had. To employees OF the mu-
scum and many visitors this division
10 known as the "boneyard."
Perhaps there is not the attraction
In 1t for the average visitor that
there is in the display Of mounted
animals and the big cases Of ethno-
logical groups, but it is one OF tho
most remarkable collections in tho
whole museum There is probably
less known about the technique OF as
uembling the skeletons than Of pre-
pairing the exhibits in any other sec
ton. Mr. Scollick. who works on the
upper floor Of one Of the small build
lnxs back Of the Smithsonian 1nsti-
tuition, has been in charge Of thfs
work for years. The display now IN
The museum is largely his work.
though some specimens have been
acquired by purchase and exchange.
Tho exhibits range all the way
from a full-grown elephant to q her
ing. Each Of them represents weeks
sf technical skill apparently out OF
all proportion to the finished result.
Though there Is more labor in the
work. the larger skeletons are the
easier to handle. The collection in
eludes elephants. rhinoceroses. horses.
Bor1llas, the larger monkeys, all
sorts of deer. man himself and many
mammals.
Every bone in these big skeletons
has to be drilled and articulated with
wires. springs and metal braces. Al
though these do not show. 1t is neces-
Bary that they be put in place with
mathematical precision to give the
natural appearance. And then. too.
everything must be scientifically Just
70. 1t is this which makes the IN
lshed work apparently so easy. but
In reality so dincult.
Tho smaller skeletons like lizards.
small fish, bats and snakes are not
held together by wires. Their own
cartilage dried in place is used to
hold them together. This Is one Of
the many reasons why skeleton
that 10 dried and mounted is never
boiled. Not only would the boiling
make the bones fall apart, but It
would drive in the grease and make
the bones yellow. the one thing not
desired. The meat 10 taken OF the
raw bones with scraper and then
the bones are carefully washed clean
Of grease with gasoline. Acids are
not used at all except on rare occa.
Ui0ns to remove stain.
Great care must be exercised in
the drying and bleaching of the
bones. This cannot be done in q hot
sun, because the hot sun will crack
the bones, as It will seasoning wood.
From bone artists viewpoint the
best bleaching weather is gray,
drizzling day, when there Is no dan.
ger Of the sun getting in its damag.
Ing work. Sometimes the bones de-
velop' black streaks, but this can
usually be remedied with the use of
dilute ammonia.
From beginning to end the whole
skeleton cleaning process Is tiresome
and Is said to get on the nerves"
worse than any other form of speci-
nen mounting carried on at the mu.
scum. Weeks Of cleaning are re-
quired to prepare some Of the small
6sh skeletons. some OF which have to
be mounted against glass to keep
them properly assemble for display.
The bat skeletons. with their long,
delicate wings. are also mounted in
this way.
Bone articulation and skeleton
mounting Is craft about which the
public knows little. and even when an
expert in this line starts on a new
specimen he has no idea how long 1t
will be before the Job Is finished.