36 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 
with burlap, to combine strength and durability with the minimum 
of weight. After the plaster was dry, a coat of shellac was given to 
make it water-proof, the skin was adjusted, and the seams were neatly 
sewed up. Last of all, the eyes, nose and mouth were modeled,—the 
COMPLETED PLASTER CAST OF LION 
Ready for application of skin 
most difficult and interesting part of the work, for the delicate lines 
require the utmost skill and closest study for successful reproduction, 
and the modeling here determines the whole expression of the face 
and the success or failure of the mount. 
This, in brief, is the method which was employed in preparing the 
Carnegie lion for exhibition. In mounting the animal the subject has 
been treated from the artist’s standpoint, and the effort is successful in 
getting away entirely from the mechanical side of taxidermy. ‘The 
attitude chosen is rather unusual. The animal is represented as being 
in a position of rest, which gives an excellent opportunity for displaying 
the general anatomy which has been so carefully worked out by the 
sculptor. 
THE NAOSAURUS, OR ‘“SHIP-LIZARD.” 
NE of the most ancient as well as most grotesque of 
fossil reptiles is the Naosaurus, a skeleton of which 
has recently been placed on exhibition in the Dinosaur 
Hall. ‘The animal was about eight feet long, a heavy- 
bodied, short-tailed carnivorous reptile with an enor- 
mous bony fin upon its back. ‘The fin is composed 
