28o TAXIDERMY AND MODELLING 



sweep given to the body and tail, and the limbs and toes in 

 easy positions ; as, however, neither the fore nor hind limbs 

 would have delivered if left unprepared, the inferior space, re- 

 sembling an open f\, formed by the flexure of each limb, was 

 filled in with a thin wall of putty ; the head was also supported 

 in its erect position by a wall of putty placed under the lower 

 jaw, just off the median line. As it was considered that, even 

 then, the limbs would be difficult to relieve, or, rather, to model 

 into, if the creature were cast entire, a thin wall of putty, rather 

 more than a quarter of an inch high, was built along the back, 

 just off the median line, and was " stayed " by buttresses of the 

 same material, springing from the slab on the opposite side, and 

 curving over the body on that side until united with the wall ; 

 this was, of course, to prevent the breaking away of the thin 

 wall by the pressure of the oncoming plaster. 



As usual, the specimen was washed, and, the casting-box 

 (see p. 231) having been placed around, was ready for the 

 casting. This was performed, as is usual for small objects, by 

 mixing plaster and water in a basin to the consistence of cream, 

 and putting it on gently, a thin skin at a time, by means of a 

 large spoon. When the summit of the putty wall was reached, 

 the mould was thickened at that edge by the same method 

 adopted for the shark, namely, by lumping it on thickly and 

 dodging overflows with a strip of zinc. When thick enough, it 

 was allowed to set ; then the putty walls were removed, the 

 edge of the mould was nicely trimmed, keys were made, the 

 mould was oiled (an important matter), and the other half was cast 

 in like manner. When properly set, the fresh edge was pared 

 down until the oiled line of division became visible ; the mould 

 was then reversed, the halves taken apart, and the lizard came 

 out easily enough, every knob, pustule, and line being ex- 

 quisitely delineated (see Fig. 3, Plate XV., in which, however, 

 the creature is represented in the modelling-composition before 



