30O TAXIDERMY AND MODELLING 



to appear as in life, with the minutest surroundings of foliage 

 and ground faithfully reproduced," which is perfectly true so 

 far as the foliage is concerned, but leaves one in doubt as to 

 whether to Dr. Giinther or Dr. Sharpe are due the initiation 

 and credit of the groups, the later ones of which are uniformly 

 good in the design and execution of the foliage, and usually 

 very poor in the groundwork and in the modelling and arrange- 

 ment of the birds. 



As no recognition of the best and most artistic part of the 

 work — namely, the modelled foliage, much of which it is im- 

 possible to overrate — appears to have been officially given, it 

 is perhaps but bare justice to record that the greater part of 

 it was executed by the brothers J. H. and H. Mintorn and Mrs. 

 Mogridge, whilst, during the latter's absence in America, some 

 foliage was executed by her niece under the direction of Dr. 

 Giinther. 



In 1880, Lord Walsingham was imbued with a grand idea, 

 and employed Mrs. Mogridge and Mr. H. Mintorn to model a 

 number of plants, upon which the larvae of various Lepidoptera 

 were represented as feeding. Soon afterwards, Mr. Carruthers, 

 of the British Museum, sent for them to make some enlarged 

 models of botanical specimens for the use of students. After 

 twenty specimens had been done, the work was stopped, owing 

 to the lateness of the season ; then Mrs. Mogridge — after 

 hoping to model the foliage for the Gould collection of 

 humming-birds — left with her brother, Mr. H. Mintorn, for 

 America, where they were engaged by Mrs. R. L. Stuart to 

 model foliage for groups of birds of New York State to be 

 presented to the Natural History Museum of New York, the 

 execution of a number of groups occupying three years. (This 

 work is now being continued for the Museum by Mr. John 

 Rowley, a pupil of Mrs. Mogridge and Mr. Mintorn.) They 

 were afterwards engaged on the Morris K. Jessup wood-collec- 



