CHAPTER XIY. 



Geneeal Eemaeks on Aetistic ^' Mounting,," Modelled 

 Foliage^ Sceeens^ Lamps^ Natueal Histoey Jewel- 



LEET^ ETC. 



Artistic Mounting. — General E/Emarks. — By tlie time tlie 

 student lias slowly worked liis way to this chapter, he will no doubt 

 — should he be apt, and have an artistic mind — have achieved 

 things beyond the mere drudgery of the profession. I take it that, 

 being interested in his work, he will not have rested content with 

 mounting — even in a perfect manner — his animals at rest, but 

 will have " had a shy " at animals in action, or engaged in some 

 characteristic occupation. The days of birds on "hat-pegs," 

 stiff-legged, long-necked and staring, round-eyed, at nothing — 

 of mammals, whose length and stiffness are their greatest merit — 

 has passed away for ever; and only in dreary museums, far 

 behind the age, where funereal silence obtains, and where the 

 dust of mummied animals arises to awe and half poison the 

 adventurous explorer, are these " specimens " to be found. 



Public museums are, unfortunately, in nine cases out of 

 ten, not good schools for delineating the natural attitudes or 

 characteristics of animals. This arises partly from the fact 

 that all, save the more modern ones, retain their original spe- 

 cimens mounted in the old style. The newer work of the 

 museums of London,* Paris, Madrid, &c., is, however gene- 



* Since this was -written, the new South Kensington Natural History Museum has been 

 built, and I lately had the pleasure of a private view— through the courtesy of Mr. R. Bowdler 

 Sharpe, F.L.S.— of the new style of mounting of the future, i.e., pairs of birds, their nests 

 and young, surrounded with carefully-modelled foliage and accessories. I there saw a bimch 

 of " willow-herb " magnilicently modelled. I was pleased, however, from an artist's point 

 of view, to discover that we in Leicester could give them a *' Roland for an Oliver " in our 



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