The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-02-01

H. head of Business Opportunities y
er is his wife. But the Ban
ner An left off taking pro-
hibition' with the Stafford street sage
last Sunday afternoon long enough to
spend an hour in Mr.. Harrington's
private natural history museum and
taxidery parlor and learned some
things he didn't know before-which
of course isn't saying much, accord
ing to general knowledge and belief.
The mounting of deer heads is an
interesting piece of work. First, no
two heads are alike; second, no two
hunters are alike in the manner OF
saving their specimens and delivery
to the taxidermist. Some heads ar
rive with horns broken. skins nearly
ruined by cutting in the wrong place
and other imperfections. But every
hunter expects to receive head so
life-like and expressive It would even
turn Teddy Roosevelt green. The
job of the skillful taxidermist is to go
ahead and do it. In this he beats
some reformers. although the work
may be less interesting.
The first operation in mounting
head is to strip the skull of spare
flesh and leave 1t to dry. The skulls
cannot be boiled to secure this result
because it is necessary to leave tuft
of hair around each horn so the sew
ing OF the dressed skin will not show
on the finished product. When the
skull has been cleaned it is then fast
enned in the top of mould shaped
like deer's neck Plaster-paris is
turned into this. the head being fast
ened securely as the material dries.
In the center of this mould piece OF
hard wood has previously been insert
ed with which the head can be secure
ly attached later to the pol
ished back. Mr. Harrington's work
shop is in his cellar and in
the height of the season it pre-
,ents curious appearance. Long
rows OF deer skulls with the weird
horns fastened in the neck shapes
taken from the moulds, are hung to
dry, this drying process consuming
about two weeks. Eighty-three
skulls, horns and casts were strung
up in the cellar the past month.
All the horns are lead-tagged, a
similar tag being fastened to the
hide when the head arrives. The
skins meanwhile have been treated
with arsenic and other chemicals and
are ready for drawing over the forms
and sewing about the same time as
the skulls and casts are dried. 7ny5
1t is necessary at times to pad the
head after the skins have been drawn
on and sewed Some taxidermists use
a cast for the skull also, but utilizing
the original skull gives the head the
in life. The placing of the glass eyes,
attaching to the back board is mat
ter of detail
But Mr.. Harrington does not con-
fine himself alone to the mounting of
deer-heads. A room in the north east
corner of his new house is museum
of specimens which he has mounted
for his own amusement, or awaiting
delivery. He started the business sew
eral years ago because he wished to
preserve trophies of his shotgun and
rifle. He then began doing the work
for outsiders as he became proficient,
afterward exchanging specimens or
buying birds and animals from foreign
countries. He now has over thous-
and specimens OF native and foreign
birds and fur.bearing animals
He has mounted all the native song
birds. together with specimens of ma
tive foxes, coons and bob cats.
Among the difficult birds to procure
he has whip-poor-will and white
crow which he shot on the outskirts
of Bennington several years ago
Some months ago he corresponded
with an English taxidermist and pur-
chased several hundred specimens of
English birds which were shipped un-
In his spare moments he
has been working on these and adding
them to his collection. The business
has grown until it nets him tidy
sum each year outside his regular
trade of carpentering.
Mr.. Harrington secured the first
buck shot in Vermont the past year,
which, by the way. was brought down
by lady hunter in Montpelier. He
also has sent him for mounting from
York state bucks head with thir,
teen points on it's horns. This is some
thing rarely discovered and is valu-
able as curio. Twelve and fourteen
points are common, but small freak
horn made this head of especial
value.
He also has in preparation an elk
head worth good sum of money be-
cause the animal is practically extinct.
the few specimens remaining being
protected. He is also
the head of huge bull
moose whose horns will measure near
ly seven feet from tip to tip. He
owns this head and will eventually
hang it in his sitting rom
His museum is also furnished with
a life-sized stuffed bear and deer. He
also makes specially of mounting