THE CONSTRUCTION OF MANIKINS. 141 



put together on a manikin with perfect success, provided the 

 skin is all present. 



Speaking 1 from my own experience, I must say that my clay- 

 covered manikin process seems to possess important and undis- 

 puted advantages over all other methods I have ever seen em- 

 ployed or described for the mounting of not only the most diffi- 

 cult mammalian subjects, but also reptiles of many kinds, and 

 fishes. By it the most perfect results attainable by the taxi- 

 dermic art are not only possible, but may be achieved without 

 even a risk of failure save through lack of anatomical knowledge. 

 Nearly all the mechanical difficulties which beset the other 

 methods are eliminated, and the result becomes chiefly a ques- 

 tion of knowledge and artistic sense. By this method, I have 

 successfully mounted such mammals as the following : Ele- 

 phant,* American bison, polar bear, zebra, tiger, puma, elephant 

 seal, hairless Mexican dog, etc. The last-named specimen was 

 in competition against the elephant in a competitive exhibition, 

 and I learned afterward from the judges that it came near 

 wresting the grand prize from its lordly competitor. This fact 

 is mentioned to show that the process was equally successful in 

 the treatment of a thick-hided elephant and a small dog with a 

 skin as thin as writing-paper, and utterly destitute of hair. A 

 plaster cast of the unskiimed body of the dog was exhibited 

 with the mounted specimen, to enable the observer to judge of 

 the success of the process. 



The unchallenged superiority of the clay-covered manikin 

 process is due to the following reasons : 



1. The absolute control the operator is able to exercise over 

 the form of his subject from first to last, without prejudice to 

 the safety of the skin to be mounted. 



2. The possibility of working out anatomical details which it 

 is useless to attempt by other methods. 



3. The absolute permanency of the form produced. 



4. The ability of the operator to place his subjects in atti- 

 tudes so difficult that by ordinary methods they would be un- 

 attainable. 



* This specimen received the silver specialty medal awarded " for the best piece in 

 entire Exhibition," at the New York Exhibition of the Society of American Taxider- 

 mists, in 1883. 



