22 RUMINANTIA. 



too large. To diminish the wood-work they foresaw would run 

 the risk of putting- its parts out of proportion. It then occurred to 

 them, that the best thing to be done under these awkward 

 circumstances, was to take off the skin again and reduce its 

 thickness with knives; they removed all the internal thick- 

 nings which came in their way. In this operation five men 

 were occupied for four days, during which time they cut out 

 one hundred and ninety-four pounds weight off the internal 

 surface. During this process the skin had dried, and required 

 again to be immersed in cold soft water ; after allowing it to 

 remain twenty-four hours to soak, it was then put on the mo- 

 del and found now to cover it completely ; the edges were 

 brought together, and secured with wire nails deeply driven 

 home, and large brads. Except at the edges, the nails and 

 brads were only driven in half-way to keep the skin down to 

 the different sinuosities and hollows until dry, when they were 

 again all pulled out. 



The alum with which the water was saturated gave the skin 

 an ugly gray appearance, in consequence of its becoming crys- 

 tallized. But this was soon remedied, by first rubbing the skin 

 with spirit of turpentine, and afterwards with olive oil. 



By the admirable and well executed contrivance here adopt- 

 ed, a specimen has been mounted with all the appearance of 

 life, which, with a little attention, may resist for ages the 

 influence of Time's destroying hand. It is the only specimen of 

 an Elephant in Europe worth looking at, all others being great 

 misshapen masses, completely devoid of all appearance of na- 

 ture. 



The Rhinoceros, Tapir, Horse, and its congeners, should all 

 be mounted in the same manner. At the Jardin du Roi, a 

 fine specimen of the Quagga has been mounted in this way. 



ORDER IX. RUMINANTIA, 



The same plan should be adopted with all the larger ani- 

 mals of this order, as with the Elephant described in Order 

 VIII. At the Jardin des Plantes, Paris, the Giraffe is 

 mounted in the same way as the Elephant : as are also some 

 of the larger Antelopes. 



