66 SOC. OF AM. TAXIDERMISTS, AXNTJAL REPORT. 
into a house are nothing compared with the over-draped and 
highly decorated walls of thousands of the model homes that are 
held up for vacillating mortals to admire. 
The poisons said to be employed in manufacturing many kinds 
of household forms of decoration, the injurious chemicals often 
resorted to, to produce the lovely colors of the female apparel, 
are more direct agents in poisoning the atmosphere surrounding 
one than most of these honest people dream of. 
Many of the most beautiful pieces of decorative taxidermy 
are as free from poisons as are the soft luxuriant downy beds 
that many people indulge in so sumptuously. Everything of a 
destructible nature should be avoided. Selections should be made 
to further this end. 
The field is broad enough to work in and avoid all material 
that is likely to perish. Every feather or hair can be preserved 
when necessary, and guaranteed to last a long time. Many say 
birds and the like are fragile material — this is not so — if they 
are strongly prepared, and made in such a way as to resist a mod- 
erate abuse, and if this is done they can be kept whole and in 
a smooth condition. And as for their requiring dusting — that is 
true — so does eveiything else, and that which is true of one thing 
is true of the other. Accidents and. the ravages of time will 
injure all things in their turn. 
All decorative pieces of taxidermy that are well made will re- 
sist all these' so-called destructive agents, and with moderate care 
and judicious use they will outlast many other things that are 
freely admitted to be strong and resisting. 
A few more moments are allotted me, and I will take up your 
attention by a brief reference to the pieces of decorative taxi- 
.dermy that stand typical of the art at the present day. In our 
exhibition will be found various pieces of different degrees of ex- 
cellence. 
They are representative pieces as it were. And in commend- 
ing them to your inspection I trust that the efforts to place them 
on exhibition here will meet with approbation only so far as they 
are justly entitled to it. 
I feel safe in stating that the possibilities in this direction are 
fairly set before you in the character of these decorative pieces 
