426 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1892. 



But the climax of the taxidermist's ambition is reached when lie can 

 mount a hairless mammal, large or small, that is at once a perfect 

 reproduction of the original, and will keep indefinitely uninjured by 

 the ordinary ravages of time and pests. Of this kind of work the 

 Museum has several notable examples, and none of these can exceed in 

 beauty of design, and consummate skill and knowledge in workmanship 

 thenowfamous African elephant "Mungo" (Plate lxxxii). Chief among 

 the factors of success in mounting an animal of this kind is the fact 

 that the skin is laid over a thick coat of clay, which latter overspreads 

 the manikin. Through this ingenious device, after the skin is on and 

 the taxidermist essays to model the form to copy the live animal in 

 every particular, it is seen that all the depressions, wrinkles, lines, and 

 pits, and protuberances can be exactly reproduced by the proper sim- 

 ple instruments by working them on the skin through the agency of 

 the yielding clay beneath it. 1 have compared most critically this 

 specimen "Mungo" with photographs of living elephants in my collec-. 

 tiou, and find that in each and every particular it is anatomically cor- 

 rect, and that the attitude is most perfect. Another piece which shows 

 equally well the master hand is the specimen of the hairless Mexican 

 terrier (Plate xc). This dog had no hair at all apparently, and his 

 skin was as thin as ordinary writing paper, but through the aid of a 

 plaster cast of his entire body as a model and the use of the clay- 

 covered manikin, a most remarkably line thing has been produced. 

 This specimen has also been delicately tinted where it became necessary, 

 and as now preserved will last without change for an indefinite length 

 of years. Hornaday mounted both " Mungo 1 ' and this terrier. The first 

 received the silver specialty medal awarded " for the best piece in entire 

 exhibition" at the New York exhibition of the Society of American 

 Taxidermists in 1883, which prize was nearly wrested from it by the 

 judges and given to the terrier, which had been entered in competition 

 against it. This process of using clay has also been employed by its 

 introducer in mounting the bison, polar bear, Burchelfs zebra, the 

 tiger, and the puma, figures of each of which illustrate this naper and 

 are the work of the same illustrious taxidermist. 



Speaking of comparing "Mungo" with photographs of living ele- 

 phants brings up the use of the camera again as applied to mammals. 

 Now, 1 entirely dissent from Mr. Hornaday's opinion as to the necessity 

 of taking photographs of all the mammals we can. 1 believe in photo- 

 graphing them in all positions, every possible species, wild and domes- 

 ticated, living and dead. In his Taxidermy (pp. 21, 22) he remarks: 



To the taxidermist and collector, photographs of dead animals are of very little 

 value, unless it be a large picture of the head of a, large specimen, such as a 

 moose, hut that photographs of live animals, taken "broadside on,'' as the sailors 

 say. arc extremely valuable aids in mounting; but these you get only in the zoolog- 

 ical gardens. I never took a camera into the field with me, and have always been 

 glad of it, for it would not have repaid the trouble it would have involved. 



