194 THE AMERICAN MOOSE 



Scoring by such a system as here suggested may 

 be done by anyone, anywhere, and the relative 

 merits of moose-heads be thus intelHgently com- 

 pared. For the purposes of an exhibition, in which 

 judges were to make an award, it might be well to 

 add not exceeding some stated number of points, 

 say ten, for symmetry and general appearance. 

 Thus the freak" head would lose some of the 

 unfair advantage which it sometimes enjoys. 



Some candid taxidermists assert that the scalp, 

 or head-skin, of a moose or caribou cannot be so 

 cured and mounted that one can safely guarantee 

 that it will not crack — chiefly around the muzzle. 

 It is certain that many mounted moose-heads have 

 thus become unsightly. This trouble is likely to 

 be caused by the skin repeatedly becoming moist, 

 and afterward drying. Salt in the skin, or clay or 

 plaster in the manikin, tend to draw moisture from 

 the atmosphere, and thus atmospheric changes 

 will cause the scalp to stretch and shrink, the skin 

 finally breaking away from the manikin, and 

 cracking. Hence the use of salt, clay, and plaster 

 should be avoided. For the same reason the 

 skin should be attached to the manikin by a 

 medium in which water is not used as a solvent. 



The skill of European taxidermists in devising 



