GROUPS OF BIRDS AXD REPTILES. 249 



a ground-nesting' bird is shown, a section has been cut from 

 mother earth, placed on the base as the foundation, and all the 

 perishable plants growing thereon have been carefully repro- 

 duced in wax by casting, and put back in place. 



Where a nest was situated in a low bush, the bush and its 

 foliage, and the ground beneath have all been included in its 

 transfer. When a nest was placed on the end of a bough, the 

 difficulty has been surmounted very satisfactorily by cutting oft' 

 as much of the bough as could be put in the case, then repro- 

 ducing, on the bottom of the case, the ground exactly as it was 

 under the tree, and simply laying carelessly upon it the cut 

 branch containing the nest and the birds. Of course watery 

 situations call for the introduction of the plate-glass imitation. 



The feature of these groups that is so pleasing is that each 

 one appears to have been cut out of its place in field or forest, 

 and brought to the museum within an hour. The life-like birds, 

 the earth and water, the natural wood, and the beautiful foliage 

 of spring combine to impart to each group the breezy freshness 

 of the forest, the very soul of Nature all unchanged. 



To see these charming productions, fresh from the hand of a 

 true artist-naturalist, and lay aside the spirit of carping criticism 

 which would find fault with even a heavenly harp, is the next 

 thing to finding one's self in the actual haunts of our native 

 birds, with their songs trilling in our ears. Mr. Richardson's 

 groups lack but one thing the song of the birds. They are so 

 many pretty pages from Nature's choicest book, and actually 

 bring the life of the forest into the otherwise dead and silent 

 museum hall. 



The time will yet come when our wealthy lovers of art and 

 animated nature will find places in their houses for such groups 

 as these, and the money to pay for them will be forthcoming. 

 At present they are tired of the old-fashioned glass " shade,'' 

 covering a stiff and utterly unnatural pyramid of small stuffed 

 birds on an impossible " tree." The old-fashioned wall-case of 

 birds also fails to satisfy the aesthete, for the simple reason 

 that something better is wanted. We are all ready to step up 

 to a higher plane. 



GROUTS OF REPTILES. I know of but one good group of rep- 

 tiles, and that is a group of turtles which was prepared by Mr. 



