The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1911-07-16
Man Who Mounts Skeletons
For the Smithsonian.
DIVISION CALLED BONE YARD.
!. w. scoElick Mounts Everything
From an Elephant to a 6at--Wirsn3
Bones Together 10 Delicate Work
and Gets on ths Nsrves~-SmalI
Skeletons Mounted Against Glass

J. w. Scollick Of the National mu
scum in Washington is craftsman 10
a trade with probably the smallest
competition in the world. He is the
official bone man" Of the government.
or, In other words, the expert ID charge
Of the work OF cleaning. artleuIafing
and mounting skeletons at the nitlse.
um, trade by itself and one reqnir-
ing Infinite patience and great techni-
cal skill
The removal of the National museum
from the old 10 the new building has
resulted in the division OF skeletons
being given larger quarters, and the
display has been arranged 30 as to
give 1t more prominence than ever, i0
employees Of the museum ana many
visitors this division is known as the
''bone yard
Perhaps there is not the attraction
| In II for the average visitor that there
| IL In the display Of mounted animals
| and the big cases OF chronological
groups but ID Is one OF the most re-
| markable collections In the whole nu-
| scum Mr. ScolIick has been in charge
] of this work for years. The display
in the museum is largely his work
The exhibits range all the way from
a full grown elephant TO. herring
Each Of them represents weeks of tech
meal skin apparently out Of all pro-
portion 10 the finished result Though
| there is more labor In the work, the
larger skeletons are the easier to han-
die, The collection includes elephants.
| rhlnoceroses horses gorillas, the lar
| ger monkeys. All sorts of deer. man
| himself and many mammals.
| Wires, Springs and Braces.
| Every bone III these big skeletons
has to be drilled and articuiated with
| wires, springs ard metal braces. Al
though these do not show. Il is neees-
sary that they be put IN place with
mathematical precision to- give the
natural appearance. And then. 100.
everything must he scientifically Just
So 1t Is this which makes the finished
work apparently 50 easy, but Ia reality
80 difficult
The smaller skeletons, like lizards
small fish, bats and snakes. are not
held together by wires. Their own
cartilage dried in place Is used TO bold
them together This IS one Of the
many reasons why n skeleton that Is
dried and mounted II never boiled.
Not only would the boiling make tue
bones fall apart. but II would drive la
the grease and make the bones yellow,
the one thing not desired. The flesh
is taken off the raw bones with Il
scraper and then the bones are care
fully washed clean Of grease with gas
oline. Acids are not used ut ali ex-
cept on rare occasions to remove a
stain.
carelessness rs Fatal.
Great care must be exercised IN the
drying and bleaching OF The bones. This
the hot sun will crack the bones, as II
win seasoning wood. From bone
artists viewpoint the best bleaching
weather IL a gray. drizzling day, when
there is no danger of the sun getting
In Its damaging work. Sometimes the
bones develop black streaks, but this
can usually be remedied with the
use Of dilute ammonia.
From beginning TO end the whole
skeleton cleaning process Is tiresonit
) and Is said to get on the nerves
\ worse than any other form Of speci
/ men mounting carried on at the NH
; scum. Weeks OF cleaning are required
b to prepare some of the small fish skele
, tons, some Of which have to be mount
ed against glass 10 keep them prop
4 erly assembled for display The ba
+ skeletons. with their long, delicat
g wings, are also mounted In this way,