WARD’S NATURAL SCIENCE BULLETIN. 
OSTEOLGY. 
Interesting Skeletons. 
Among the most interesting skeletons that 
have recently been mounted at the Establish- 
ment are those of three native Australians, which 
were prepared for the American Museum of 
Natural History, Central Park, New York. The 
lowness of forehead and great development of 
the superciliary ridges was especially noticeable. 
On one point we feel compelled to differ from 
Mr. Wallace, who says, in “Australasia,” page 
86 , that “the bones are delicately formed.” The 
three specimens examined were remarkable for 
the great proportional size and angularity of the 
leg bones. The posterior part of the femur was 
very sharp, presenting a great contrast in that 
respect to the femur of a European. The tibia 
was similarly angular, but the fibula presented 
the greatest amount of departure from the trape- 
zoidal shape, a section of it presenting an almost 
crescentic outline. 
A. B. 
The accompanjdng cuts give a better idea of 
its appearance than any description can : 
Cut A — Section of right fibula of European. 
“ B — “ “ “ “ Australian. 
These skeletons are now in the Zoological 
Hall at Central Park. F. A. l. 
Prices for Mounting Skeletons. 
These prices are for average specimens and 
vary according to the difficulty of cleaning, re- 
pairing, &c. : 
Homo sapiens, .. $ 25 to $ 35 
Giraffe, large Walrus, 100 to 125 
Moose, Sea Lion ( Eumetopias ), 85 
Ox, Bison, Horse, Camel, 70 to 80 
Lion, Tiger, Grizzly Bear, 60 
Deer, Llama, Mountain Sheep, Black Bear, 50 
Wild Boar, Ostrich, medium Alligator, 
Giant Kangaroo, Sea Leopard (Zalophus),.. 40 
Rhea, Emu. Porpoise, Capybara, Harbor 
Seal, 30 
Coyote, Condor, 25 
Lynx, Glutton, Small Alligator, 20 
Beaver, Otter, Sloth, Iguana, 18 
Pox, Raccoon, Badger, Turkey, Swan, 12 to 15 
Opossum, Skunk, Rabbit, Owl, 8 to 10 
Mink, Duck, Squirrel, Crow, Partridge, ... 8 
Pigeon, Quail, 7 
Rat, Mole, Frog, Toad,. 5 to o 
i.jyiJHE CODFISH (Gadus morrhua.) 
^The above cut is taken from the “Illustrated 
Descriptive Catalogue of School Series 
of Skeletons” just issued, 40 pages, price 25 cts. 
The “School Series” consist of the following 
mounted Skeletons: — Cat, Cow (foot only), Crow, 
Water Snake, Lizard, Turtle, Frog and Codfish as 
typical of the five classes of vertebrata. The 
Catalogue contains a brief description of the 
osteological pecularities of each with references 
to those of various members of their respective 
classes, thus forming as it were a “primer” of 
Osteology. The price of the “School Series” is 
$ 100 . boxed. 
Catalogue of Specimens of Comparative 
Osteology. 
September, 1880. Price, 25 cents. 
This catalogue enumerates about six hundred 
species, representing very fully all classes of 
Vertebrates, and among Mammalia the greater 
part of the families. 
The skeletons and skulls offered in this cata- 
logue are perfect, and belong to full-grown 
animals, except when otherwise stated. 
The prices as given, are based upon this per- 
fection in the specimens. When a skeleton is 
ordered, and the specimen on hand is not (as 
sometimes happens) of this first-class category, it 
will be announced at once in its real character 
and a lower price fixed upon it. I take great 
pains, however, to exclude medium or under- 
sized specimens from my stock so far as is 
possible under the conditions which govern the 
first collecting of this class of objects. 
Each skeleton is mounted with brass or (in the 
larger ones) bronzed standards, on a Black W alnut 
pedestal. The skulls have the lower jaw mov- 
ably articulated with spiral brass springs. Both 
the skull and the fore and hind legs of the 
larger specimens are so articulated that they may 
be readily removed from the body, for closer 
examination or lecture room illustration, and 
again replaced. A handsome printed label 
accompanies each specimen, giving name, sex, 
locality, etc. 
Disarticulate specimens of the larger skeletons, 
bleached, with bones separate, in box or bag, 
with vertebrae numbered and strung, and with 
each hand and foot by itself, furnished at one- 
half to three-fifths the prices noted for mounted 
specimens. 
Parties ordering for $300 or more, will receive 
a reduction of 5 per cent, from catalogue prices. 
No charge for packing, except for the box itself 
in the case of specimens of the size of the Wolf 
and larger. 
In this catalogue (as in all my others), I have 
mentioned no specimens but such as I have 
actually on hand at the time of going to press. 
Many of these, however, are still unmounted. 
Parties wishing to purchase are therefore re- 
quested to send in their orders promptly, so as to 
allow time for mounting. 
Mounting Skeletons. 
We think that very few appreciate the great 
amount of mechanical work in cleaning and 
mounting a skeleton, and many labor under the 
delusion that the hardest portion of the work is 
in finding the proper places for the various 
bones, the wiring them together being a second- 
ary matter. This corresponds to the remark, 
so frequently made in reference to taxidermy, 
“Oh! if I could skin a bird I think I could 
stuff it without much trouble,” and is quite as 
incorrect. In most large animals it is compara- 
tively easy to assign each bone to its proper 
place, and an expert can readily arrange the 
skeleton of a ruminant in half-an-hour. “Putting 
it up,” however, is quite a different matter, en- 
tailing the boring of several hundred holes in 
hard bone, the forging of the rod for the verte- 
brae, fitting of considerable metal work, and 
finally the making of the supports; all this, to 
say nothing of the fact that wild animals usually 
have bones broken by bullets, and minor break- 
ages arising from unskilful packing, all of which 
must be neatly repaired. 
Moreover, care must be taken in piercing holes 
for the numerous wires and adjusting the various 
joints that all is done correctly, for mistakes 
once made can not readily be rectified, and the 
result may be that a skeleton which it has taken 
a week to mount, instead of having a correct 
form and appearing to sustain its own weight, 
seems merely hung on its supports, with its weak 
legs giving way beneath it. “ Would that mine 
enemy had written a book” finds an echo in 
“would that my critic had mounted a skeleton.” 
Human Skeletons. 
It is said that “the proper study of mankind 
is man,” and that there is some truth in this — 
probably as much as is usually found in poetry — 
is showm by the frequent demand for human 
skeletons. This has been so great that we have 
heretofore had considerable difficulty in keeping 
a sufficient supply on hand, but we have recently 
made arrangements which we trust will furnish 
us with an adequate number. The price for a 
mounted skeleton is $40 to $50, for a skull, $7 
to $12. When so desired, one hand and foot 
instead of being immovably wired together are 
strung on catgut, so that the bones can be studied 
separately. For a slight additional charge the 
skull is vertically bisected. Besides human 
skeletons mounted and disarticulate, we keep on 
hand or prepare to order various other osteologi- 
cal preparations, such as limbs, hands and feet, 
pelves, skulls a la BeaucMne, disarticulate or 
mounted in sections, all of which will be found 
noted in the Catalogue of Human Skeletons, etc. 
»♦ « » 
The skeleton of the celebrated trotter “Henry 
Clay,” recently mounted here, and now in the 
U. S. National Museum, is an example of how 
long a skeleton may be buried and still be mount- 
able. This horse was buried fourteen years ago, 
and the bones were in a very fragile condition; 
but by using great care they were successfully 
put together, although of course they could not 
be rendered white. 
