344 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters. 
feet while the skin was still wet; but in drying, the skin would 
shrink, and pull away from the clay form, there being no means 
of fastening the skin to it, but still this was a step in the right 
direction, and it served to stimulate taxidermists to further ef¬ 
forts. Later, the hollow wooden form was used, a center board 
being cut to conform to the outline of the body of the animal 
to be mounted; side pieces were then placed edgewise to the cen¬ 
tre board, and ordinary lathing being nailed to them; excelsior 
or tow, mixed with clay, was modeled over the wooden form. 
Some very good taxidermy work was turned out by this method, 
the taxidermist having the advantage of being able to nail the 
skin to the wooden manikin, and by that means to overcome to 
a great extent, the inevitable shrinkage. 
I^ext came the hollow plaster of paris model, reinforced with 
wire work, which was thoroughly dried and primed. The skin, 
after being properly tanned, was glued or pasted to it. This 
method, which makes a perfect specimen in every respect, is 
employed by many taxidermists at the present day, the only 
objection to it being, the great weight of the specimens when 
finished. 
The latest method employed, is the making of a clay model 
of the specimen to be mounted, from which a mould is made, 
and a light and durable form of wire work and papier machie 
is made in it. This is the most perfect and the most scientific 
method up to date, and I doubt very much if it can be improved 
upon. The scientific development of photography has been one 
of the greatest aids to the scientific development of taxidermy. 
Where the old-time taxidermists, as I remember them, were 
very secretive and jealous of their work, and relied mainly upon 
poorly drawn pictures for the attitudes of their specimens, the 
modem taxidermists have the advantage of the camera, and in 
many places of zoological parks, where they can study the live 
animals and photograph them. As a rule, they are more lib¬ 
eral towards each other, exchanging their ideas as to the differ¬ 
ent methods. This has had the effect of developing taxidermy 
of the present day to its high standard of excellence. Less than 
forty years ago, taxidermy was unknown in the United States, 
