well as the dried flesh. Still other techniques are used on skeletons 

 desired for mounting. Thus the accession of 109 skeletons means 

 that they were cleaned by the Division of Anatomy, as well as added 

 to the collection. In connection with her work in preparing skele- 

 tons, Mrs. Foss has drawn up about fifty autopsies of birds and 

 mammals during the year for the zoos from which specimens had 



A* 







Fig. 17. Goliath beetles, from West Africa, are among the largest beetles of 



the world, often reaching a length of four inches. The family Cetomdae, to which 



they belong, is especially well represented in the Psota Collection, acquired by the 

 Museum in 1943. 



been received in the flesh. The skeletons prepared in 1943 include 

 a half-grown elephant and a giant eland among large animals, and, 

 at the opposite extreme, the smallest of birds and rodents. 



A continuing duty of the taxidermy shop — the care of the large 

 mammal skins, together with the preparation of skins from varied 

 sources — falls largely to Mr. Dominick Villa, the Museum's expert 

 tanner. The preparation of smaller bird and mammal skins from 

 fresh specimens is done by Messrs. Wonder and Eigsti. The recent 

 falling off of accessions has afforded the opportunity to engage in a 

 much needed program of repair and improvement of the older bird 

 and mammal skins of the reference collections. 



The physical care of the reference collections involves repeated 

 poisoning of the collections of skins and of insects, change and replen- 

 ishment of alcohol on specimens preserved in that fluid, and constant 



■57 > 



