I04 Field Museum or Natural History — Reports, Vol. V. 



duplicates and imperfect specimens has been commenced. Early in 

 the year material in the taxidermists' shop was thoroughly overhauled 

 and a few old specimens of no value, were condemned and destroyed. 

 The skin dresser has been occupied most of the time in preparing 

 skins of large mammals recently obtained. The group of Alaska 

 Moose has been finished and installed in an alcove of the west court. 

 It is the largest single group thus far produced in the Musetim shops 

 and is undoubtedly the best representation of this splendid game 

 animal in existence. In a case 24 feet in width and 12 feet in depth and 

 provided with a large painted background the scene reproduced is of 

 the interior of Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, with a foreground of poplars, 

 willows, small spruce, and mixed low vegetation a background of lakes 

 and streams and snow-clad mountains. Four animals are shown, an 

 old biill, a young bull, an adult cow and a calf of the year. The skins 

 of these are in the finest possible condition, having been personally 

 collected, preserved, shipped, dressed and mounted by a taxidermist of 

 the Museimi force. The antlers of the old bull of this group are the 

 largest of which there is authentic record, the total spread between 

 outermost point being ySys inches. These record" antlers have been 

 in the possession of the Museum for some years and on account of their 

 special interest it was decided to take them from storage and make them 

 available to the public by placing them in this group even though it was 

 necessary to associate them with the skin of an animal not the one 

 which bore them originally. Therefore they were mounted with the 

 skin of another old bull of very large size and the facts stated on the 

 label. During the year work has progressed on other mammal groups 

 notably the capybara and jaguar group which require the preparation 

 of a large amoimt of artificial tropical vegetation. It is now almost 

 ready for installation. Plans and preliminary models ha/e been made 

 for a new group of American Bison in which entirely fresh specimens of 

 high quality will be used. The group formerly prepared under diffi- 

 culties from relatively poor material has been dismantled. Living 

 animals for the new group have been selected and as soon as they are in 

 proper condition will be prepared for use by the Musetim taxidermists, 

 who will thus be able to take all necessary measurements and life 

 studies. A few additions to the systematic exhibition of mammals 

 have been made, the most important being a pair of Saiga antelope, a 

 species from the steppes of western Asia having unusual amber-colored 

 horns and long tubular overhanging nostrils. Other mammals added 

 to this series include South American Cavies, the wild progenitors of 

 Guinea pigs, African wild rats, and fresh specimens of North American 

 hares. The fourth and final unit of the first four-section case of tropical 



