464 CHAPTERS ON THE NATURAL HISTORY 



Africa, that develop enormous ears, and are endowed with ex- 

 traordinary powers of hearing. The Fennec and the Otocyon 

 are good examples of these last-named genera. We have much to 

 learn about them yet. The Dingo of Australia, a fox-like dog, 

 occurs both wild and in a semi-domesticated state as a companion 

 of the aboriginal people of that land. 



Many naturalists and anatomists have devoted themselves to 

 the history of this group, and the researches of the paleontolo- 

 gists in various parts of the world have been rewarded by find- 

 ing the fossil remains of different species of the Canidce, and not 

 a few of their extinct allies. 



Among unskilled and thoughtless taxidermists the opinion is 

 more or less prevalent that in the case of mounting any large 

 mammal endowed with a heavy coat of hair a long and thick 

 pelage in other words it becomes unnecessary in manufacturing 

 the model to take any pains in reproducing the superficial mus- 

 cles as they occur in life. This is undoubtedly a great mistake, 

 and is doubtless best exhibited in such a group of animals as we 

 see in the bears. If a taxidermist, in making his model for a bear, 

 makes the body and limbs round and smooth, and utterly ignores 

 the sulci and elevations created thereon by the various groups of 

 muscles of the external muscular layer, he deceives himself; and 

 when the animal's skin is placed over such a model and adjusted 

 with the view of having the specimen appear life-like, it will be 

 found to be quite impossible and the result far from a natural 

 appearance, and consequently to that degree unsatisfactory. In 

 Fig. 127 is shown a reproduction of the photograph of the model 

 that was made for a Polar bear and used in its mounting. It will 

 be seen that considerable pains were taken in carving out the 

 superficial muscles as they are developed in life, and the great 

 advantage gained thereby is at once apparent in the finished 

 specimen here shown in Fig. 128. 



The large tendon in each hinder limb, the muscles of the 

 thighs, of the shoulders, and the fore part of the neck, as sculpt 

 in the model, have all had their influence in giving character to 

 the finished piece, and the general result and effect are most ad- 

 mirable. 



As I have remarked, the Polar bear shown in Fig. 128 is but a 

 young animal, and the subadult specimens of this species are 

 larger than the adults of some other kinds; indeed, a full grown 

 Polar bear is snid to exceed in size the largest Grizzly. Records 



