MODELLED FOLIAGE AS AN ACCESSOET. 257 



series and modelled leaves and flowers, as will sliortly be 

 exhibited to the public in the new " British " IsTatural History 

 Room at South Kensington, and as is now exhibited in the 

 Leicester Museum. I remember getting foliage done for me 

 many years ago for such groups, and I believe Mr. Shaw, of 

 Shrewsbury, did it long before I copied his lead. Who was the 

 original inventor of this system I know not, but I shrewdly 

 suspect we have to thank French artists for this. Let it be 

 thoroughly understood that I do not intend to disparage the 

 beautiful work done for South Kensington by the various 

 gentlemen and artists interested, but I merely point the adage, 

 " Nothing new under the sun." 



Of course, when I say " modelled foliage " I do not allude to 

 stamped leaves in various materials, sold at so much (or so little) 

 a gross, and used to " decorate " " boxes of birds " in the " Black 

 Country" quite fifty or sixty years ago, but that which has 

 arisen on its ashes in response to the cry for " more art," and 

 because of the impossibility of getting any other natural flowers 

 than "everlasting," or any other leaves than those of grasses 

 and ferns (mentioned in the last chapter), to dry for decorative, 

 or, as we say, " fitting up " purposes. To describe the processes 

 involved in copying leaves and flowers of any plant from nature, 

 so that all will appear perfectly life-like and yet be durable, and 

 stand exposure to moderate heat and cold, would take up too 

 much space, added to which, my personal knowledge of all that 

 is required in this is of such recent acquirement, that, although I 

 have fairly succeeded in teaching myself modelling of this kind, 

 and have executed a few groups, yet I would like a little more 

 time to elapse ere I pose as a teacher ; but, no doubt, when the 

 time comes, someone — perhaps the publisher of " Practical Taxi- 

 dermy " — may be induced to give the results of my labours to 

 the class most interested. I may instance some groups : Robin's 

 nest, in bank covered with ivy, and primroses in flower, the old 

 female bird feeding the young, the male searching for more food, 

 or singing on branch near nest ; long-tailed titmice, in furze-bush 

 (South Kensington) ; chiff-chaff, in long grass, surrounded by 

 willow-herb; chaffinches in blossoming hawthorn; white-throat's 

 nest, with young, surrounded by leaves and flowers of the 

 bramble (Leicester Museum); blue-tits, in apple-tree with 



