94 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXX. No. 759 



all conclusions, have been based. If the re- 

 construction of a skeleton or a part thereof is 

 a graphic one those parts which are uncertain 

 or missing ought to be indicated by the style 

 of the drawing. As an example to be dis- 

 approved let us take Professor Marsh's restora- 

 tion of Camptosaiirus dispar. In his " Dino- 

 saurs of North America," Plate LVI., the 

 skeleton is represented as complete, except 

 the front extremity of the hip bone and the 

 tip of the lower jaw, the predentary. Never- 

 theless, according to Mr. 0. W. Gilmore, who 

 has recently studied all the materials," it is 

 found that the skull was missing (except per- 

 haps the lower jaw), nearly all of the dorsal 

 vertebra3, all of the tail, a part of the scapula, 

 a part of the coracoid and all of the ribs. The 

 skull shown in the restoration is evidently that 

 of 0. mediusf and this in its turn was, accord- 

 ing to Gilmore, restored partly from probably 

 another species, C. amplus. The restoration 

 of the reptile would have been far more valu- 

 able had the doubtful and missing parts been 

 so represented. 



As regards the restoration of the skeletons 

 of fossil animals for exhibition a few words 

 may be said. Where the actual bones enter 

 into the preparation their value may be im- 

 paired either through their being put into in- 

 accessible positions or being partly covered 

 with plaster. Sometimes a skeleton or a part 

 may be mounted in a slab of plaster so as to 

 show one side, naturally the best one. The 

 investigator worthy the name will burn to see 

 that hidden side. Hence, means should be 

 sought for concealing as little as possible of 

 the precious bones. 



In mounts where original materials are used _ 

 in connection with artificial substances the 

 latter ought to be plainly distinguished from 

 the former. It was a complaint of some of 

 Marsh's assistants' that one would have to go 

 over some mounts with a moist sponge in order 

 to distinguish plaster from bone. The prac- 

 tise now in the museums may not be quite so 

 bad, but Barbour's test has sometimes, at least, 



"Proc. V. S. Nat. Mus., XXXVI., 1909, p. 270. 



'Marsh, op. cit., PI. LVIII. 



'' Am'er. Naturalist, XXIV., p. 388. 



been made ineffective by the application of a 

 coat of shellac. Too often the texture and 

 the color of the bone is imitated very closely. 

 Then the device of a thin red line between the 

 bone and the plaster and that of a small red 

 cross on whole restored bones are employed. 

 These, however, are hardly visible at a dis- 

 tance and are not understood readily by the 

 visitor ; and they do not appear in photographs 

 and reproductions of them. The writer be- 

 lieves that there ought to be a decided differ- 

 ence between the color of the bone and that 

 of the plaster. It may be that the appearance 

 of a great mammal or reptile thus mounted 

 will be somewhat variegated, but equally varie- 

 gated is probably also our knowledge; and 

 beauty ought not to be secured at the expense 

 of truth. 



It frequently seems that the restoration of 

 missing parts represents lost labor. In the 

 United States National Museum is a large 

 part of the skeleton of the extinct bird Hes- 

 perornis which was mounted by Mr. F. A. 

 Lucas. For suJSScient reasons the missing 

 sternum was restored in plaster. The few 

 cervical vertebrse preserved are shown in their 

 place on a rod of metal. Nothing would have 

 been gained by restoring the missing cervicals 

 and the missing skull ; especially since a draw- 

 ing in the exhibition case shows the visitor 

 the form of the whole bird. The example is 

 to be commended. 



The visiting public ought to be shown the 

 reasons for each restoration that has been 

 adopted; and this because of its educational 

 value. If the hind leg of a great dinosaur is 

 missing it may be restored from the other, but 

 differently colored, and then labeled as missing 

 in the specimen and reproduced from the one 

 present. If both legs are wanting and are 

 restored from the limbs of another individual 

 or from those of a related species, this fact 

 should be stated and the attention drawn to 

 those real limbs, in case they are in the mu- 

 seum. The interest of the visitor will thus be 

 excited, he will make the problem of the expert 

 his ovm problem, and will pass judgment on 

 the work done. 



The plain indication of the restored parts of 



