﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  DIRECTOR 
  IQI2 
  43 
  

  

  VII 
  

  

  REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST 
  

  

  The 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  Zoologist 
  and 
  Taxidermist 
  has 
  been 
  occupied 
  

   chiefly 
  in 
  cleaning-, 
  repairing 
  and 
  packing 
  the 
  zoological 
  collec- 
  

   tions 
  for 
  removal, 
  especially 
  those 
  that 
  were 
  on 
  exhibition 
  in 
  

   Geological 
  Hall. 
  As 
  it 
  was 
  desired 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  Museum 
  open 
  to 
  

   the 
  public 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  practicable, 
  but 
  few 
  of 
  these 
  exhibits 
  had 
  

   been 
  disturbed 
  during 
  the 
  previous 
  fiscal 
  year, 
  although 
  the 
  du- 
  

   plicate 
  and 
  study 
  collections, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  

   shells, 
  had 
  been 
  mostly 
  packed. 
  The 
  shell 
  collection 
  was 
  the 
  

   most 
  difficult 
  to 
  handle 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  number 
  of 
  speci- 
  

   mens 
  both 
  on 
  exhibition 
  and 
  in 
  storage. 
  As 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  shells 
  

   were 
  in 
  uncovered 
  paper 
  trays, 
  with 
  loose 
  labels 
  laid 
  upon 
  them, 
  

   it 
  was 
  important 
  to 
  pack 
  them 
  so 
  that 
  all 
  chance 
  of 
  confusion 
  

   would 
  be 
  avoided. 
  This 
  work 
  occupied 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  

   Zoologist 
  and 
  Taxidermist 
  during 
  the 
  entire 
  winter 
  and 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  spring. 
  

  

  The 
  bird 
  and 
  animal 
  groups 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  packed, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  

   decided 
  to 
  leave 
  them 
  as 
  they 
  were 
  and 
  have 
  them 
  carefully 
  

   transported 
  without 
  packing. 
  The 
  single 
  mounted 
  birds 
  and 
  

   animals 
  were, 
  when 
  not 
  of 
  too 
  great 
  size, 
  packed 
  in 
  boxes 
  by 
  se- 
  

   curing 
  the 
  stands 
  to 
  the 
  bottom 
  or 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  box. 
  When 
  it 
  

   seemed 
  necessary, 
  the 
  specimen 
  was 
  given 
  additional 
  support 
  to 
  

   prevent 
  shaking. 
  Those 
  too 
  large 
  to 
  be 
  dealt 
  with 
  in 
  this 
  way 
  

   were 
  wrapped 
  in 
  several 
  thicknesses 
  of 
  tissue 
  paper 
  which 
  was 
  

   carefully 
  tied 
  on. 
  In 
  many 
  cases, 
  the 
  specimens 
  were 
  cleaned 
  

   and 
  repaired 
  previous 
  to 
  packing, 
  but 
  this 
  was 
  not 
  always 
  pos- 
  

   sible, 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  amount 
  of 
  material 
  to 
  be 
  handled. 
  

   This 
  work 
  had 
  been 
  largely 
  completed 
  by 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  fiscal 
  

   year. 
  

  

  The 
  services 
  of 
  Mr 
  C. 
  E. 
  Mirguet, 
  formerly 
  of 
  Ward's 
  Natural 
  

   Science 
  Establishment, 
  and 
  now 
  in 
  the 
  employ 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  

   States 
  National 
  Museum 
  at 
  Washington, 
  were 
  obtained 
  for 
  tak- 
  

   ing 
  apart 
  and 
  cleaning 
  the 
  skeletons 
  of 
  mammals 
  and 
  other 
  verte- 
  

   brates. 
  The 
  smaller 
  ones 
  were 
  prepared 
  for 
  transportation 
  with- 
  

   out 
  entirely 
  disarticulating 
  them, 
  the 
  skull, 
  or 
  the 
  skull 
  and 
  

   limbs, 
  being 
  removed 
  and 
  packed 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  diminish 
  the 
  danger 
  of 
  

   breakage. 
  The 
  skeleton 
  of 
  the 
  finback 
  whale, 
  which 
  was 
  hung 
  

  

  