REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETAKV. 47 



is ill i)r<;pariiiy the other classes of Vertebrata aud the Iuveitel»rata that American 

 taxidermists take the lead, and it is their excellence in this direction that we have 

 endeavored to set f'ortli as an example. 



]>ut for tlie j>('iic'r;(l ai)i)i(>val of tlie Aniericaii work, as shown in the 

 coiimients u[>on this paper, I shouhl i)erhaps not venture to ex}>ress so 

 frankly my own opinion as to what the American taxidermi.sts liave 

 done, and, as it is, this is done chiefly for the purpose of explainin.ii' the 

 causes whicli have led to its develoi)ment. 



The editor of Natural Science is quite right in (juestioniug Dr. 

 Shufeldt's statement* that tlie development of taxidermy in the United 

 States is due to the stimulating iuHuence of the World's Columbian 

 Exposition. As a matter of fact, the taxidermy at the ('oluml)iau 

 Exposition, with the excei^tiou of that in the Government building aud 

 that of Prof. Dyche iu the Kausas building, was decidedly i)oor. Cer- 

 tain mammal heads mounted by Mr. vStainsky were of hiuli merit. 

 Beside these, there was scarcely a specimen of remarkable merit in the 

 general taxidermic display; and many of the groups, so-called, illus- 

 trating the fauna of special States, belonged to the grotesque aud 

 unworkmanlike period of twenty years ago. 



Very important advances had been made before the Chicago E:xposi- 

 tion was organized, and there was scarely a group among those shown 

 by the Xational Museum which had not l)een planned and partially 

 executed before preparation for the Exposition began. The Caribou 

 groups already referred to are possiblj' exceptions, but these were 

 simply advances along established lines. 



To emphasize the fact that work of the very highest type was done 

 in the Museum as early as 1884, representations are given here of a 

 tiger (PI. 34) and a zebra (PI. 35) mounted by Mr. Hornaday and his 

 assistants at that time. These have all been engraved before, but so 

 unsatisfactorily that for the purpose of making a record in this place 

 new plates have been prejjared. 



The true explanation of our advance in taxidermy lies in the happy 

 relationship which was established iu 1882 between the authorities of 

 the Museum and the representatives of the Society of Taxidermists. 

 These were l)ascd ui)on a recognition of the dignity of persoiuil labor, 

 and a recognition of the fact that work of this kind could not be done 

 by men who counted their pay as the only remuneration for their 

 exertions. The taxidermist was recognized either as an artist or as an 

 expert artisan, as his individual capacities might merit, and he was 

 encouraged to do every part of the work with his own hands, trusting 

 nothing to laborers or ordinary mechanics. He was furthermore told 

 that one specimen well mounted wcmld be more highly appreciated than 

 twenty "stuffed in the old way," and that no expenditure of thought, 



'Dr. 8hnfeldt assnres me that his statement has been misapineliendcd, and that he 

 quite agrees with the critic in his views as to the cause of the development of the 

 higher taxidermy. — G. B. G. 



