28 



THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE. 



THE HAWAIIAN GROUP IN PREPARATION. 



The figures are shown without wigs, and the properties which are displayed with the completed group 



are not yet added. 



found. These, and similar up-to-date 

 groups elsewhere, have a foreground which 

 is not an exact copy of any particular spot, 

 but is intended to give a good general idea 

 of the sort of place where the animals live. 

 The plants and shrubs, the rocks and soil, 

 are imitated as closely as possible to har- 

 monise with the actual conditions surround- 

 ing the living animal. This foreground 

 merges into a painted, curved background, 

 resembling the drop-scene of a theatre, 

 which, by a clever use of perspective, con- 

 veys an illusion of expanse and distance, 

 so that, when viewed from a darkened 

 passage-way in front, the whole scene, 

 which is illuminated from within the case, 

 has an almost startling air of detachment. 



In the Australian Museum, groups of 

 nesting birds, and some of the smaller Aus- 

 tralian mammals, such as the platypus and 

 the native cat. were installed years ago. 

 These small groups, which are comparable 

 with the habitat bird groups in the British 

 Museum, are skilfully and artistically 

 arranged, and are life-like representations. 

 More recently a large case, containing a 

 group of four lions, each a fine example 

 of the taxidermist's art, has been provided 

 with a scenic background of forest, plain, 

 and hill, with here and there small lierds 

 of zebras, antelopes, and giraffes. The 

 foreground and the mounted lions are the 

 work of Ward's Natural Science Establish- 

 ment, Rochester, New York, "the god- 

 father of all museums," which lias played 

 an important part in the development of 

 modern taxidermy and animal groups : the 



background was painted by Mr. H. R. 

 Gallop. Within the last twelve months an 

 xA.ntarctic group lias been added. Here, the 

 foreground represents a low, snow-covered 

 shore, with the seals and birds characteris- 

 tic of these inhospitable regions ; and, ex- 

 tending away to the distance, is an ice- 



A quaint old sketch of a family of Sydney 

 Aboriginals made by Governor King when he 

 governed New South Wales. The family are 

 returning from a fishing expedition, the man 

 carrying a curious fishing spear. It is such 

 groups as this that the Museum hopes to erect. 



