Daily Kennebec journal., 1914-03-02

1t is asserted that President John G.
Bowman has indicated to confreres that
the Urbana institution cannot win
away from Iowa one of its very best
men, that the Illinois universitys offer
viii be duplicated here, and that the
Iowa educator will be honored with a
new title, covering the assignment of
a new duty-the full charge of the
museum.
As a prominent devotee of the 20
illogical science deeply interested in
the wonderful Hawkeye museum has
said, when Prof. Dill came to Iowa,
seven years ago to take charge of the
taxiderInist work, the museum was lit
tic better than dump for geological
material that had been collected for
some twenty years previous. AS much
of this material had been prepared by
old fashioned methods, 1t was neces-
sary 20 go over the entire collection
and put it in shape. Some of the
specimens were past help and were re-
placed with new material In addition
to the serial collection many beautiful
habitat-g groups have been designed and
installed; the greatest of these how
ever is the Laysan exhibit upon which
Prof Dill is working at the present
time.
At this time therefore, word con-
cerning his chef d oeuvre, will be most
apropos. A museum man of high
standing has made the following state
ments concerning the Laysan Exhibit
and Prof. Dill:
-
credit upon the men who have promot-
ed its interests and raised the money
for the same; Prof. Nuttins and others
concerned have, in my opinion, rem
dered n great service to the Iowa uni
versity, but the man who really made
this work an artistic success, and in
fact made such an undertaking possi-
BILE is Prof H. r. Dill.
Prof. Dill made an expedition to
Laysan Island and for many weeks
studied local conditions until he knew
every inch of the island by heart; so
faithfully did he study that not the
smallest detail escaped his notice. The
Laysan Exhibit as we shall see il in
few weeks, when it is thrown open
to the world, is Prof. Dills interpreta-
ton Of the island and it's life.
THE mounted birds, although ex-
quisite)y done, are not the most diff
ficult part of the work. On the right
as We enter We see a massive coral
reef, apparently extending a mile or so
from the ocean; this reef is so careful
ly modelled that it blends insensihly in
to the painted background. From the
reef a broad beach is extended, on
which real sand, brought from the
island, has been placed and tinted to
throw back the same brilliant light
sky. Rising abruptly from the beach
is the outer portion of the old coral
reef that slopes gently to level plane
surrounding a central lagoon of salt
water unconnected with the sea. Not
far from the lagoon is a tiny fresh
water pond. partly in the foreground
with the distant portion painted on the
background; so cleverly has this bit Of
work been executed that it is impos-
sible to tell just where the joining is
made. In this little pond Prof. Dill
has used his artificial composition
water that has proved to be such a
success in the deer and turtle groups
that were installed a number Of years
ago.
"Al Of these things have been so
carried out that one gets
more valuable information relative to
the physiography of the island.
THE plant life has also been care
fully produced. Each bush is made
from an actual specimen taken for that
purpose, the leaves and blades Of grass
are cast in wax one at a time, more
than $4,000 being used.
add to this the very artistic ar
of the whole thing, the
group of the birds. the perfect balance
of the composition, and we have
quiet. dignified work Of art, quite free
from striking action or other objec-
tionable features. One can visit many
times with pleasure this beautiful ex-
hibit and find that it grows on them
and never loses it's charm. That Prof.
Dill has done all this work in three
hol hn