292 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Aug. 25, 1906. 
skeleton and after a long and delicate process 
shapes a perfectly formed animal out of papier 
mache. The skeleton is taken out and later set 
up separately. The skin of the animal is thor¬ 
oughly soaked, and is then sewed on the form. 
An expert taxidermist takes into account every 
muscle that shows in the perfect animal and 
every line or feature. It is the process of com¬ 
pleting a .perfect animal that is known to so few 
taxidermists. The pliability of the skin after 
soaking allows it to stretch at every point, 
and the results of many attempts may appear 
absurd to the naturalist. 
ANTELOPE GROUP IN THE CARTER MUSEUM. 
by courtesy of the Denver Post. 
Photograph by Joseph H. Langer, 
stately deer. A hideous monkey, clinging pre¬ 
cariously to the branches of a tree, chatters to 
himself in lonely wisdom. Beautiful birds of 
paradise are merrily disporting themselves, and 
among them is one of a rich, luminous blue, the 
only one of its kind in the world. Ivory billed 
woodpeckers are rapping at the tree trunks as 
nonchalantly as if they were not already extinct 
and priceless in value. 
The Colorado Museum of Natural History will 
be one of the greatest and most comprehensive 
institutions of its kind in the world. While 
never, probably, being favored with the wealth 
and general magnificence of the immense mus¬ 
eums of New York and London, its location in 
a field from which all others draw their best and 
most valuable specimens, should give it a natural 
advantage. 
The project was started several years ago. At 
that time Col. Edwin Carter, a famous Colorado 
hunter, had gathered a very extensive collection 
of mounted animals, some of them very valuable. 
He attained great fame for his collection, and 
people from all parts of the country visited his 
place. 
The time came when he was desirous of selling 
the collection. Immediately a movement was 
begun in Denver to purchase it and make it the 
nucleus of a great museum. The project was 
received with favor by the people. About twenty- 
eight prominent men. numbering among them 
the Colorado millionaires, subscribed $1,000 each, 
and the city of Denver duplicated the total 
amount. Other subscriptions have been secured 
from time to time. 
The association has spent from $125,000 to 
$140,000 on the museum. Following the purchase 
of the Carter collection, men were sent out to 
secure other specimens. At the present time a 
number are in the employ of the museum, travel¬ 
ing the west in search for material. 
The work of eqipping a museum is expensive 
as well as difficult and tedious. Expeditions 
must be sent out, and the members must be sup¬ 
plied with everything that is necessary. Wagons 
must be secured, guides obtained, provisions and 
camp equipment provided, and every preparation 
made for a- long and difficult trip. 
The specimen found and secured, an artist must 
be sent to sketch in detail the surroundings. An 
accessory man then appears and he procures the 
eggs, if it is at the nest; the chickens, if there 
are any, or anything that may be in the pictures. 
The man who secures the specimen takes every 
possible measurement, skins it as only an ex¬ 
pert museum man can, and prepares the hide and 
skeleton for their journey home. 
Arrived there the taxidermist sets up the 
The Colorado Museum of Natural History will 
have perfectly mounted specimens. Experts who 
have visited the building from London and New 
York, declare that there is no work in the world 
to equal that already done here. The museums 
of the largest cities have stopped mounting mam¬ 
mals because they cannot find a man who thor¬ 
oughly understands the work. Denver is unique 
in this respect. The mounting has been done by 
Rudolph Borcherdt, an expert employed contin¬ 
uously by the museum. 
The local museum contains the two finest speci¬ 
mens of buffalo that have ever been mounted. 
They are enormous bulls, perfectly mounted, and 
each one is valued at $10,000. The case of ten 
mountain goats is the best of its kind in the 
world. There are very few ivory-billed wood¬ 
peckers, and the blue bird of paradise is the only 
one in any museum. The cases of antelope, wild 
turkey, pheasants and the musk ox are unsur¬ 
passed. 
Three of the finest of the Mexican variety of 
.our mountain sheep were sent from Old Mexico 
by Dali DeWeese, the famous hunter. He also 
sent two Pacific black tailed deer and a magnifi¬ 
cent pair of moose horns from Alaska. 
It is the object of the association to gather a 
great collection of Indian relics as well as geo¬ 
logical material, and place them in the museum. 
The upper floor of the large building will be de¬ 
voted to paintings. 
No museum in the world has the site that 
nature and the city of Denver have given the 
Colorado institution. Its windows open on a 
magnificent view of the mountain range, while 
the shining buildings of the city are in the fore¬ 
ground. 
MOUNTAIN GOAT GROUP IN THE CARTER MUSEUM. 
Photograph by Joseph H. Langer, by courtesy of the Denver Post. 
