CHAPTEE XXXV. 



CASTS OF MAMMALS, FISHES, AND KEPTILES. 



CASTING PARTS or MAMMALS IN THE FLESH. Although it is 

 usually impossible to carry more than ten or fifteen pounds of 

 plaster into the field when you go off on a collecting trip, a 

 quantity sufficient, for a special purpose is often worth its 

 weight in silver dollars. But many a fine subject comes entire 

 to the laboratory, where the taxidermist can work his will upon 

 it. If I have never done any other good thing in my life, I be- 

 lieve I have at least taught some of our best American taxider-, 

 mists the usefulness and value of plaster casts taken from the 

 flesh. It is only a few hours' work to make a mould and cast of 

 the entire side of an animal as large as a large dog, or even a 

 lion, and still less to take half the head, or the nose, a fore leg, 

 or hind leg. Once we had an opportunity to cast the entire 

 head of an immense bull moose, and right greedily did we seize 

 it. The resultant cast has been of priceless value to us as an 

 exact record of the form of a wonderful head. If you wish to 

 do a fine piece of work, and have the animal in the flesh, by all 

 means make a cast of one whole side of it. It will repay its 

 cost ten times over. No record of form is equal to a cast, even 

 though it be a poor one. I once made a mould of one entire 

 side of the head of a large leopard in twenty minutes. It is 

 about an hour's w r ork to make a good mould of the entire head 

 of a monkey, or two legs of a tiger. 



The principles of this work have already been stated, and 

 there is little more to be said. If the specimen is a large one, 

 lay it upon the floor, build up around it with sand, or even wet 

 sawdust, and arrange to take one side of the animal's head, or 

 entire form, as the case may be. To take the two legs it will be 

 necessary to first fill plaster under each one to make a separate 



