A NEW ART BEGUN 13 
I laid a sheet of muslin and worked it carefully and 
painstakingly into every undulation of the mould. 
On this went thin layers of papier-maché with the 
wire cloth reénforcement likewise worked carefully 
into every undulation of the mould. Every layer of 
the papier-maché composition was carefully covered 
with a coating of shellac so that each layer, as well as 
the whole, was entirely impervious to water. For 
animals the size of a deer two layers of reénforced 
composition give strength enough. For animals the 
size of an elephant four are sufficient and four 
layers are only about an eighth of an inch thick. 
When the final coat of shellac was well dried I im- 
mersed the whole thing in water. The water affected 
nothing but the thin coating of glue between the 
mould and the muslin. That melted and my muslin- 
covered, reénforced papier-maché sections of the 
manikin came out of the plaster mould clean and 
perfect replicas of the original clay model. The 
four sections of the manikin were assembled with the 
necessary leg irons and wooden ribs and the whole 
was ready for the skin. 
The combination of glue and muslin was the key 
to the whole problem. The manikin so made is an 
absolutely accurate reproduction of the clay model, 
even more accurate than bronze castings for there is 
no shrinkage. The manikin of a deer so constructed 
weighs less than thirty pounds, but it is strong enough 
to hold a man’s weight. I have sat on the back of 
an antelope mounted in this manner and done it no 
harm. Moreover, it is entirely made of clean and 
