408 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1892. 



of that institution, I am enabled to present that group here as one of 

 my illustrations. It is shown in Plate xl.* 



The subjects shown in Plate xliii, Parrot; Plate i.xi, California Partridge; Plate 

 lxii, Massena Partridge; Plate LXni, Quail; Plate i.ix, Fig. 2, Quail; Plate lxiv, 

 English Pheasant; Plate lxv, Moor Cock; Plate lxvii, Ruffled Grouse; Plate lxvii, 

 Fig. 1, Dusky Grouse; Plate lxvii, Fig. 2, Richardson's Grouse, and the well-mounted 

 turkey head in Plate lxix, are all examples of Mr. Densiow's style of mounting. 

 My thanks are due him for the loan of the drawing from which the figure of the 

 Great Horned ( hvl, shown iu Plate i.xxn, was made. It is from his well-tilled "note- 

 book " of drawings and photographs of all kinds of animals from life and good 

 illustrations — just such a book as every taxidermist should compile. Mr. Denslow 

 was at one time employed by the National Museum and is in my opinion a taxider- 

 mist of the highest order of merit. 



Great simplicity may characterize groups of birds, or they may be 

 gotten up with every refinement of detail. A beautiful piece of work 

 representing the former style is to be found in the collection, where 

 two flamingoes and their nests are represented; while of the latter 

 kind, it would be difficult to find a group anywhere that would present so 

 many interesting features, and such wonderful harmony in detail, as is 

 seen in the group of jacanas, which, together with the flamingoes, were 

 sent on to the World's Columbian Exposition. The piece of pond work in 

 this latter, including the flowers and their leaves, and the handling of the 

 bottom, are simply exquisite. Such work is an adornment to any 

 museum, and a whole chapter in zoological science to any visitor who 

 may chance to give it any study whatever. The artist, I regret to say, 

 is not known to me, but there is no question that he knew a jacaua.t I 

 have seen the birds alive in nature, and the way he has rendered the 

 peculiar habit the males have of vertically erecting their Mings, in a 

 manner similar to our Solitary sandpiper, is capital. This delicate case, 

 as I have just said, was sent on to the World's Fair at Chicago, and it 

 is to be hoped that no misfortune will befall it either in going there 

 or having it returned here. 



Perhaps some of the finest groups in the world are at South Kensing- 

 ton of the British Museum, and at the commencement of this paper I 

 quite extensively quoted from Dr. Sharpe's article upon the nature of 

 many of them. That distinguished ornithologist, who is in charge of 

 the department of ornithology there, has kindly sent me, as I have 

 before said, two beautiful photographs of their method of mounting 

 specimens of the diurnal Raptores. Those photographs, unfortunately, 

 1 had to have very much reduced, but still they show very well the 



*This group was designed and prepared by Mr. Jenness Richardson, at the Ameri- 

 can Museum of Natural History, in 1890; the studies being made from life at Gar- 

 diner's Island. New York, in May. 1889. The accessories were made by Mrs. E. S. 

 Mogridge, uuder the supervision of Mr. Richardson, and are actual facsimiles from 

 nature. 



iThe group was mounted by Henry Marshall, for many years the principal bird 

 taxidermist in the National Museum. — Editor. 



