INTRODUCTION 



'VTIEWED from any side or angle, a long, 

 ^ arduous and costly expedition from Denver 

 to the north-eastern boundary of Alaska in the 

 interest of museum groups of wild animals well 

 may be regarded as a tribute to the Museum 

 Group Idea. Moreover, as hunting trips go, 

 that kind of "game" is well ''worth the candle." 

 Up to this time, the term "habitat group" is 

 of new coinage, and very generally unknown. 

 In a few words, it stands for an assemblage of 

 important zoological specimens that have been 

 mounted by the taxidermist's art, surrounded by 

 natural or artificial trees, plants, flowers, rocks, 

 land and water, either drawn from or made to 

 represent the natural haunts of the beasts or 

 birds, and displayed in a museum case specially 

 designed for it. 



The animal specimens must be the finest of 

 fine. The accessories must be provided lavishly, 

 and with consummate skill. Each large group 

 of this kind represents a tour de force ^ and many 

 of them are masterpieces of real art. They are 

 expected to endure for a century or longer, and 

 to interest and instruct millions of people long 

 after the species represented have been exter- 

 minated by the grinding progress of modern 

 civilization. 



