METHODS IN THE ART OF TAXIDERMY. 233 



may be turned or bent in any direction to give any desirable curve to 

 the neck. The next thing is to make side pieces to contorm to the 

 shape of the sides of the animal, which, on the whole, are about quarter- 

 round. These are fastened about nine inches apart on each side of the 

 center-board, between the legs, as in Fig. 2, Plate LVI. Across these 

 are nailed thin strips of wood, and the whole are bound with tow. 

 The legs and neck are built out with tow, as in the greyhound. Over 

 all these the muscles are imitated with clay. The skin should be 

 fitted on the manikin at various stages in the progress of its making, 

 in order to see that all the dimensions are correct. All other pro- 

 cedures in the mounting of large mammals are similar to those 

 described for the mounting of the greyhound, except in the case of 

 some of the large elephants, which are mounted on a manikin of wood 

 similar to the one in our Plate LV. As my experience with these ani- 

 mals is limited to two small African elephants, I shall place in a foot- 

 note a description of the mounting of the African elephant Jumbo, at 

 Ward's Natural Science Establishment, Rochester, N. Y,' 



1. The Mounting of the Elephant Jumbo. — In ihe mounting of this particular elephant one of the important 

 elements which had to enter into its structure was itringtli ^the building of the manikin so that it would witli- 

 stand the constant rack and strain of travel in transporting it from place to place with a menagerie. The follow- 

 ing is compiled from Ward's Natural Science Bulletin : 



A heavy oak pedestal was built with 8 .\ 10-inch cross pieces of oak to hold the leg irons, which were of 

 2-inch round iron. These were secured in place, two to each leg, by heavy nuts and iron plates. Connecting the 

 tops were heavy oak cross pieces, upon which were fitted joists serving as a back bone for the manikin. Two- 

 inch planks fitted between these were cut to the contour of the back, others gave the shape of the sides at dis- 

 tances of a foot apart, while still others were put around the leg irons and the heavy beam in the trunk. All of 

 this work was accurately done and firmly fastened and braced and bolted so that there should be no shaking of 

 the parts. Over this outline frame two series of strips of inch square steamed basswood were firmly nailed, bent 

 and hewn so as to give the exact shape of the animal ivithout any stuffing between ihe tvood and skhi. This we 

 deemed necessary that the specimen might withstand the exceptional usage which it was to undergo. The tusks 

 were sawed off a little above the part protruding from the skin, bored and threaded, and into each a heavy iron 

 was screwed which ran back into the framework of the neck w here it was securely bolted. After this manikin was 

 completed and the skin had been dressed down to its proper thickness, less than half an inch, and thoroughly 

 poisoned with arsenic, the work of applying it to the manikin was commenced. To hold the skin firmly in place 

 it was nailed to the wooden manikin. For this purpose several thousand steel wire nails of various sizes were 

 used, weighing in all about fifteen pounds. Perhaps no other animal was ever stuffed in this manner, and in fact 

 for any other purpose than railroad travel, or, even then, in mounting any smaller animal such a method would be 

 unnecessary. When these thousands of nails had been countersunk so as to be entirely invisible, and all the 

 seams firmly sewn up, the finishing touches weie put on, and Jumbo stood complete and as lifelike as his photo- 

 graph. All the hundreds of creases, wrinkles and folds that characterize the elephant and were so prominent in 

 this one were brought out. This was no easy matter to accomplish — a thing hardly even attempted in any other 

 stuflfed elephant — and it was only by very painstaking and tedious work, together with a rigid adherence to the 

 exact size of the animal, that the result was so successfully attained. We give a few measurements of the stuffed 

 specimen that may be of interest. Greatest width of ear, 5 feet 5 inches. Length of trunk from base of tusk, 5 

 feet 11 inches. Circumference of tusk, 1 foot 6 inches. Circumference of front foot, 5 ff>et 3 inches. Greatest 

 circumference of fore leg, 5 feet 7 inches. Smallest circumference of fore leg (14 inches above ground), 3 feet 4 

 inches. Circumference of head back of eyes, 10 feet 4 inches. Circumference of neck back of ears, 11 feet 

 6 inches. Greatest circumference of body, 18 feet. Measure from sole of fore foot to top of back between 

 shoulders, 12 feet. 



