THE COLLEGE MUSEUM 
361 
Faithfulness in mounting and permanency should be our aim. 
There is no more reason why we should put up with the painful 
and grotesque stuffed birds and mammals that stock our college 
museums than that we should be satisfied to draw our ideas of 
art from a few cheap ehromos, or that our notion of music be 
obtained from instruments out of tune. The best in taxidermic 
art today stops in birds just short of the song, and in mammals 
just short of graceful motion. A few well mounted and care- 
fully labeled birds and mammals would be far more attractive 
than and fully as useful as the scores of poorly stuffed speci- 
mens now to be seen everywhere. The cabinet or closet might 
better hold the rest in the shape of skins, where they are just 
as useful and look far better. 
May I lay especial emphasis on the saving of species that 
are destined to speedy extinction. In the Coe museum a 'Whoop- 
ing Crane has occupied a conspicuous position for years though 
poorly mounted and with feathers stained with grease. Dr. 
Hornaday most emphatically advised its preservation and it was 
recently remounted by an expert at the Carnegie Museum. To- 
day it is a thing of beauty and promises, with reasonable care,, 
to be a joy forever. There are many specimens in all our mu- 
seums that are worthy of similar treatment. If not given atten- 
tion, a few years at most and the grease, if not the insects, will 
put these specimens forever beyond recall. It is truly startling 
to find how little of Iowa material is in the largest and best 
museums of this country and it is distressing to note the shabby 
condition of that within the museums of our own state. I read 
with peculiar pleasure the words of Prof. Henry Osborn, the 
first President of this Academy, in his address to the newly or- 
ganized society, (P. 35, Iowa Academy Proc., 87-88-89; Pub. 
1890) in which he says, ‘‘The principal means at present existing 
for the illustration of the fauna, flora, geology and mineralogy of 
the state are connected with educational institutions. The State 
University, Agricultural College, Iowa College at Grinnell, Cor- 
nell College at Mt. Vernon and possibly some others possess col- 
lections of some extent. In all of these, however, and neces- 
sarily from the educational standpoint, it will be found that 
much space is given to foreign animals, and that our local fauna 
is meagerly represented. In none of them is there anything like 
a comprehensive exhibit of the state fauna. The State Univer- 
sity is rich in mammals from the Hornaday collection, and will 
