ession of some hundreds of animal
forms.

It is quite true that this art--which has for its end and aim the
better delineation of character as exhibited by the lower animals--is
not teachable unless the pupil is well grounded in anatomy, and is
also a clever draughtsman and modeller--in fine, an artist!--with all
an artist's perception of beauty of line and of form. I will here
indicate what I take to be the basis upon which a competent
taxidermist must proceed to become a zoological artist. First, then,
let him take lessons in drawing, pinning himself steadily to copying
pictures by the best masters of zoological subjects; as he advances,
let him draw from the casts of animals, when procurable.

Let him beware, however, of the conventional lion, and lion's head,
which are about as much like the real things as the donkey is like the
horse--just a family resemblance, nothing more. Having done all this,
let him copy animals from nature; and if he lives in or near London,
so much the better, there is the "Zoo" for him to study in. Indeed, it
is a marvel to me that, with the museums and the Zoological Gardens
surrounding them, so few London taxidermists attain even a respectable
proficiency in the correct delineation of animal forms. The pupil
being well grounded in drawing, will have observed many points in
animal anatomy not hitherto suspected by him, and will naturally wish
to know the why and wherefore of the swellings and depressions
occurring in his subjects. To this end he must study a little simple
anatomy of bones and muscles--their objects and meanings in different
animals.

The last stage is the reproduction, by modelling in clay, etc, of the
various parts of animals, the head, of course, in the instance of
large mammals, being looked upon as the chief motif in composition. To
do all this requires time and considerable perseverance, but, with the
facilities for study now offered by the various schools of art, he
should not despair of success in a few years' time after mastering the
first principles of his art.

I will now proceed to demonstrate how the learner may work himself up
to a respectable proficiency in modelling animals, should he possess
the necessary aptitude.

Let us divide our theme into three parts--First, mounting the skin of
the specimen, by using the skeleton as a foundation.

Secondly, mounting by means of a rough framework of wood and iron,
more completely than as instanced in the examp