WISCONSIN ACADEMY. 1 7 
devoting no small amount of time and labor to 
the formation of a cabinet of natural history. He 
had the art of imparting his enthusiasm to his 
scholars, and many of them count as among the 
pleasantest recollections of their lives the memory 
of the long rambles over hills and beside streams, 
in which they were invited to join him for the 
study of nature from his stand-point of loving 
admiration. 
It was in connection with the formation of this 
cabinet that Mrs. Maxwell made her debut as a 
taxidermist. 
“ We must have a Department of Zoology; 
can’t some of you young ladies, who have more 
skilful fingers than I, assist me in putting up some 
birds ? ” asked the professor one day. 
Her sisters declined the task, but recommended 
her as possessing the elements of touch and 
taste which they lacked. They recalled her ac- 
count of an amusing attempt to learn taxidermy, 
which occurred just before her return home. 
During a temporary business visit of her hus- 
band to the East, she had purchased a ranch 
on the plains, a few miles below Denver. Need 
I explain that Coloradoans have appropriated a 
number of words from the Spanish which seem 
more appropriate to that country than their Eng- 
lish synonyms. “ Ranch” is one of them, and 
means any kind of a farm. The one in question 
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