A NEW ART BEGUN 19 
covered that with these hairless skins there was op- 
portunity for a little simplification of the method used 
in the deer groups. It was possible actually to model 
the skin on the clay manikin, only in this case the 
clay manikin was for convenience in three pieces. 
A layer of plaster of paris was then laid on outside 
the skin to hold it firmly in shape. Then the clay 
removed from the inside was replaced with a layer 
of plaster. Thus every detail of the skin was held 
firmly in the matrix of plaster until it was thoroughly 
_ dried, when the plaster was removed from the inside 
and replaced with succeeding layers of wire cloth and 
shellaced papier-maché, making the skin an integral 
part of the manikin. In other words, the skin func- 
tioned practically as does the muslin in the manikins 
made for haired animals. When this was done the 
plaster mould was taken off the outside and the clean} 
light, durable half-sections of elephants were put to- 
gether. 
When I got back from Africa in 1911 I was dream- 
ing of a great African Hall which would combine 
all the advances that had been made in taxidermy 
and the arts of museum exhibition and at the same 
time would make a permanent record of the fast- 
disappearing wild life of that most interesting ani- 
mal kingdom, Africa. 
