144 



GOULD'S NEOMORPHA. 



handsome bird when closely inspected in a good light. The general hue of the feathers is a 

 very dark green, appearing to be black in some lights, and having a bright glossy surface. 

 Upon each side of the neck is a fleshy protuberance, or "wattle," analogous to the wattle of 

 the common turkey, and of a rich orange color during the life of the bird. After death, how- 

 ever, the bright color rapidly fades, and the full, round, fleshy form quickly contracts, so that 

 after a while the only remnants of the wattle are to be found in two flat, shrivelled, dusky 

 projections, which give no idea of their former shape and beauty, and look as if they hadf 

 been cut out of old parchment. 



GOULD'S NEOMORPHA. heUraktcha acutlrostris. 



The same unfortunate result is to be found in every stuffed or dried skin, whenever the 

 skin itself is not concealed by fur, scales, or feathers. It is very much to be regretted that 

 some plan cannot be discovered for preserving such portions of the creatures in their original 

 form and color, as in many cases they are extremely important in affording distinctive marks 

 of species, and in all are so characteristic in their appearance, that their total absence, or any 

 change in their shape and hue, entirely alters the whole aspect of the creature. At present, 

 the only mode of getting over the difficulty is to model the organ in wax, but this is at best 

 but a kind of charlatanry ; and as it depends entirely on the skill of hand and faculty of 

 observation possessed by the individual taxidermist, is not sufficiently reliable to be of much 

 value in a museum. 



Moreover, the greater number of rare and new species are obtained when there are no means 

 of obtaining the wax and other appliances which are needful for this mode of proceeding, and 

 even if it were otherwise, the skins are seldom set up before they reach their final destination, 

 on account of the space which they would occupy, and the great risk of injury they would run. 



