Class XXIX.]
GROUPS OF STUFFED BIRDS : BARTLETT’S, IIAXCOCK’S, &c.
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specimens are of great interest, not only from tlieirnumber (forty-two) ami the beauty of the examples, butalso from the evidence they afford of the cultivation ofscience by the officers of the British Navy. WesternAfrica .— Her Grace the Duchess of Sutherland (16,p. 954) exhibits a case of birds from the river Niger .
It is much to be regretted that no contribution hascome from France . The attention and the chemical andscientific research bestowed upon this art by French naturalists, Be'coeur of Metz, the inventor of the metallic-soap,* Fontenelle, Dufresne, and others, and the value oftheir writings is well known to naturalists; and it wouldhave been interesting to compare the present condition ofthe art in that country, with the progress which has beenmade elsewhere.
The only contribution is an elk from the ZoologicalMuseum at Turin . This specimen is most remarkable.It exhibits to perfection the art of representing the livinganimal, not only in its general form and character, butmarking also the fine and delicate undulations of the fleshand muscles, and all the anatomical details which areexternally traceable. The difficulty of effecting this is sogreat that generally it is scarcely attempted; but in thepresent instance the artist has been most successful. Theprocess adopted by Sig. Comba (83, p. 1305), the exhibitorof this specimen, has been that of modelling the animalin clay, and from that model forming a mould; thismould enabled him to construct a figure of a materialresembling papier-mache, retaining all the fidelity of theoriginal model; upon this figure the skin is stretched.
The number of British exhibitors is thirteen. Of thesethe following deserve especial notice. A. D. Bartlett(291, p. 817) exhibits an ingenious example of the art inthe constructed figure of the Dodo—a bird which wasonce a native of Mauritius , and found there in consider-able numbers at the beginning of the last century—butnow, as far as is known, entirely extinct. The drawings ofSavery, preserved in the Belvedere at Vienna , and in theRoyal Gallery at Berlin, and some remains of a skeletonformerly in the collection, already alluded to, of EliasAshmole , consisting now but of the head and one foot—are the data from which the figure has been compiled. Theprocess is of course very different from that of preservinga real animal, the skeleton and skin of which are entire:an artificial body has to be constructed, and then covered,feather by feather, with such plumage as is most inaccordance with our knowledge of the bird. This hasbeen very skilfully executed; and the result, by the testi-mony of Mr. Strickland, and! of Mr. Gray, of the BritishMuseum , “ represents with great accuracy the form,dimensions, and the colour of the Dodo, as far as thesecharacteristics can be ascertained from the evidenceswhich exist,” whilst it “does great credit to Mr. Bart-lett’s skill, and to his practical acquaintance with thestructure of birds.”
There are other specimens exhibited by Mr. Bartlett,which are, perhaps, more attractive, inasmuch as they re-present nature with a fidelity of which all can judge.
* Becceur’s Arsenical Soap.
Camphor ------ 5 ounces.
Arsenic (arsenious acid ), in powder 2 pounds.Curd Soap ------ 2 pounds.
Salts of tartar (carbonate of potash ) 12 ounces.
Lime, in powder — - - - 4 ounces.
The soap is first cut in small slices, and melted gra-dually with water over a slow fire, stirring all the time.AVhen melted, the salts of tartar and lime are added andwell mixed. The mass is then taken from the fire, and thearsenic triturated with it in a mortar; and, lastly, thecamphor is added, after having been separately trituratedto powder with the aid of a little spirit of wine. The mix-ture has the consistence of stiff flour-paste.—The Art ofTaxidermy , by Peter Boswell, p. 2.
The pair of Impeyan Pheasants, entitled “ Courtshipand the Sleeping Ourang-outan, “ Repose ,” are especiallydeserving of notice. The fleshy parts of the latter havebeen very skilfully treated ; and the dried and shrivelledappearance which they so often assume is entirely avoided.
The skeleton of the ourang-outan has been preserved,and also the viscera; the whole furnishing an example ofthe manner in which rare specimens should he dealt with,in order to secure accurate information to the naturalist,aud to promote the advancement of science.
J. A. Hancock, of Newcastle (320, p. 818), exhibits, inthe North Transept, some beautiful examples, not only ofa faithful and spirited adherence to life and nature, but ofa skilful and harmonious combination of forms aud co-lours. The three illustrations of Hawking, and the scenein the Tropics , will go far towards raising the art oftaxidermy to a level with other arts which have hithertoheld higher pretensions. The first of the three objects,illustrating the ancient sport of falconry, is the HoodedHawk, looking lean and hungry, with the strap attachedto his leg, by which he is held on the falconer’s fist. Inthe second group, the falcon has struck to the ground,and is in combat with the Quarry, a powerful heron, whois struggling in vain against the attacks of his enemy;whilst the eel, which, but for the interposition of thehawk, would have been soon devoured by the heron, isquietly making his escape. The third tableau exhibitsthe gorged falcon: what a contrast is here presented! theblood-thirsty enemy of the heron is scarcely to be recog-nized in the drowsy figure: standing on one foot, theother being drawn up under his breast, the eye halfclosed, he is the very image of gluttony. The tropicalgroup comprises cockatoos and parrots, disporting in arich tropical vegetation, glittering (perhaps too much so)with brilliant butterflies and beetles, lizards, aud otherreptiles. The stolid, heavy, self-satisfied expression ofthe parrots is well brought out by comparison with theanxiety and trepidation of the Mate of the Dead Gull, inanother group; or, with the restless gaze of the Lainmer-geyer of the Alps. The contrast between life and deathis also well kept up, by the display of a group of deadgame, the ruffled state of the feathers being exceedinglytruthful.
C. Gordon (202, p. 801) exhibits a representation ofan owl “ mobbed by small birds,” in which the action ofthe owl and of his tormentors is given with great livelinessand fidelity.
Dr. Beevor, of Newark (204, p. 801), exhibits a dog,prepared much in the same way as the elk contributedfrom Sardinia , and although not included in the awardshereafter to be enumerated, it is deserving of favourablenotice.
J. Leadbeater (221, p. 801) exhibits a curious and in-structive collection of Indian gallinaceous birds; and anextensive collection of humming-birds, comprising about300 or 400 varieties, in the North Transept, which arevery carefully set up.
T. M. Williams and J. Gardner (219 and 223, p. 801)exhibit a brilliant assemblage of richly-plumaged birdsfrom various parts of the world. The productions ofthese artists are apparently of a class rather for the draw-ing room than the cabinet of the naturalist. They haveselected chiefly those denizens of the air most distin-guished for the brilliant colouring of their plumage. Sofar as the careful preservation of the plumage is con-cerned, they deserve commendation, but in respect to adedineation of the habits of the birds by appropriatescenery', they fall short of the excellencies attainable inthis art.
Wurtemburg.
The collection of II. Ploucquet, Wurtemburg (107,p. 1120) consists of, 1st. A series of scenes taken fromKaulbacli’s illustrations of the well-known German storyof Reynard the Fox (Reineke Fuchs), and executed withgreat skill. In these the exhibitor does not of courseclaim the merit of conception; but the humour withwhich the design of the artist is carried out, and the ex-pression thrown not only into the attitude, but into thecountenance of each animal, is admirable.