78 Report of the President 



essary to gain this illusion of the natural, even on closest 

 approach. 



Like the other reptile and amphibian groups, this, on a larger 

 scale, shows what can be accomplished with wax as a medium. 

 The lifelike turtles, alligators, lizards, snakes, frogs and toads 

 are but perfectly posed and colored casts from life — and, for- 

 tunately, years have proved that such wax casts are permanent 

 through all variations of heat and cold in the New York cli- 

 mate. 



The group is not simple ; it is very complex and shows many 

 species and many individuals. In planning the various reptile 

 groups in the American Museum, where space is so much an 

 item to be considered, it has been the feeling of the depart- 

 ment that enough was not accomplished when a group set forth 

 one theme or one or two species of animals, or when it was 

 made a beautiful picture only; but that it should be as highly 

 educational as possible in number of forms portrayed, in life 

 histories and habits and in adaptation to the given environment 

 — even though this should mean sacrifice, to some extent, of the 

 aesthetic element, because of decreased simplicity. 



It is to be noted that the very beautiful little white herons 

 of the group were obtained through exchange with the Louisi- 

 ana State Museum at New Orleans. 



The color scheme of the group includes gray (varying to 

 white) and green, enlivened by glimpses of red. There is the 

 gray-white of lichen-grown tree trunks and knees, and of the 

 hanging tillandsia, the summer green of sweet bay, myrtle, 

 deciduous holly, and various tropical vines. On the river side 

 of the group are white flowers of rare beauty belonging to the 

 amaryllis family. In the center are the red, ripening berries of 

 the holly and red lilies which grow commonly at this time of 

 the year (early September) in the white sand among the saw 

 palmettos. The field work for the group was done in the 

 swamps and on the rivers within a radius of from twenty to 

 sixty-five miles of Orlando, and all accessories and animals of 

 the group are made directly from the living material. 



It is hoped that the group will prove instructive in presenting 

 in their natural haunt the many and very unusual reptile and 

 amphibian species of the southeastern United States. It is an 



