174 



TAXIDERMY AND ZOOLOGICAL COLLECTING. 



corrugations that you saw in the mouth immediately after 

 death. 



This is slow work. It requires a good eye, a skilful, artistic 



touch, and unlimited patience. If you are 

 an artist, prove it now by the fidelity with 

 which you copy nature in this really diffi- 

 cult work. 



In modeling the surface of papier-mache, 

 you must have a clean, well-polished mod- 

 eling-tool, like Fig. 42, and by wetting it 

 now and then so that it will slip over 

 the surface, your work can be made very 

 smooth. 



Next comes the tongue. The only per- 

 fect tongue for a feline animal is a natural 

 tongue, skinned, and stuffed with clay. 

 The papillae on the tongue of a lion, tiger, 

 leopard, or puma simply defy imitation, 

 and after many experiments with many 

 1 different animals I found that with the 

 real tongue, and with that only, one can 

 reproduce nature itself and defy criticism. 

 Of course, this is possible only when you 

 have the animal in the flesh, and can cut 

 out the tongue and preserve it in alcohol 

 until you are ready to mount it. 



To prepare a tiger's tongue, for exam- 

 ple, first preserve the whole tongue in al- 

 cohol, for safe keeping. When ready to 

 proceed, slit it open lengthwise under- 

 neath, and skin it carefully. Take a piece 

 of sheet lead, cut it and hammer it into 

 the right size and shape, and fit it in the 

 Modeling Tools of steel. mouth as nearly as possible in the shape 



the finished tongue is to have. By judic- 

 ious hammering with the round end of a machinist's hammer you 

 can give it any shape you desire. When it is just right, cover it 

 with clay to replace the flesh of the tongue, treat the skin with 

 arsenical soap, put it over, and sew it up. Now fit the tongue 



