THE AUDUBON BULLETIN 



MALLARD GROUP 



The Habitat Groups at the Chicago Academy of Science 



(Note: The attention of all bird students is directed to the work being done at the 

 Academy of Sciences in Lincoln Park, Chicago, in preparing habitat groups of birds of 

 Illinois. Here the birds with their nests and young are placed in a facsimile reproduction which 

 includes actual material from the environment in which the bird is found — soil, stones, leaves, 

 branches, etc., and behind this is a background in color photographed from nature. This back- 

 ground is so skillfully blended with the foreground that it is not easy to tell where the one 

 leaves off and the other begins. The large photographic backgrounds which have been colored 

 by hand are remarkable pieces of work. As seen in the accompanying illustrations the illusion 

 of reality is almost perfect. Mr. Woodruff, who has had charge of the preparation of these 

 habitat groups has kindly furnished the following notes). 



Through the generosity of Mr. LaVerns Noyes, the Chicago Academy 

 of Sciences has been able to construct a series of groups illustrating not 

 only the life habits and food of the native birds but the flowers, trees and 

 physiographic features of this region as well. The superiority of the 

 photographic background over the painted one is universally admitted, for 

 in the latter the paint is in evidence at all times and the infinite detail 



cannot be repro- 

 * duced by the ar- 



tist except by 

 years of work. 



We now have 

 sixty bird 

 groups finished 

 and forty of 

 animals, fish 

 and reptiles. A 

 few illustrations 

 are shown as 

 follows : 



The Mallard 

 group is a day- 

 break scene on 

 the Grand Cal- 



BLACK TERN GROUP 



