ARTIFICIAL EYES 193 



German -made eyes are far before the English in point of 

 artistic excellence and variety of colour, but, although some 

 prefer the rather flatter, thinner German eyes, there is no 

 doubt that the French are the best. There is, however, a 

 clever maker in Birmingham, who, when he likes, can make 

 eyes to any tint and size, and has made some marvellously 

 good imitations of human eyes, said to be superior to those 

 made by the French. 



Albeit the French and German eyes for mammals are often 

 carefully and beautifully made, and in addition are veined, 

 streaked, and cornered, some of the eyes for the Carnivora and 

 Ungulata being very good, still, for high-class work, there is nothing 

 which approaches half spheres, or, better still, half ovals, of thin 

 glass, which can be painted in oil-colours from the inside in such 

 a manner as to absolutely imitate the exact hues of any given 

 eye. Unfortunately they cannot be made small enough for 

 ordinary-sized birds, but for the larger birds and for medium- 

 sized mammals, reptiles, and fishes they can be made. 

 Commonly, eyes for the latter are made "clear," i.e. of white 

 glass with a black pupil, and are coloured or gilded at the 

 back by the taxidermist. 



Although eyes should not stare, to obviate this there is no 

 need to have them so flat as some do, for nearly every animal 

 has a full, liquid -looking eye — some extraordinarily so — and 

 therefore the French eyes are the best to use, and, if well set in 

 the orbit, with the top eyelid drawn down a little, and both lids 

 rather elongated at their corners by pinning them up with very 

 fine entomological pins, a staring wooden expression will be 

 avoided. The fact is, that eyelids are usually stretched too 

 much and made too round, whilst the posterior angle of the eye 

 is not brought forward enough to make the animal look to the 

 front ; the eyes are flattened to the sides of the head in such a 

 ridiculous manner that often the anterior angle looks backward, 



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