Practical Taxidermy Part 6

Swainson appears to have used a composition somewhat different from the preceding. He describes it as follows:

No. 2.--Swainson's a.r.s.enical Soap.

a.r.s.enic, 1 oz.

Distilled water, 6 drms.

White soap, 1 oz

Camphor, 2 drms.

Carbonate of potash, 1 drm.

This mixture should be kept in small tin boxes; when it is to be used moisten a camel-hair pencil with any kind of spirituous liquor, and with it make a lather from the soap, which is to be applied to the inner surface of all parts of the skin, and also to such bones as may not be removed.

The next formula is of my own arrangement; I have used it, and have found it quite equal to any of the other a.r.s.enical preparations, which is not saying much for any of them.

No. 3.--Browne's a.r.s.enical Soap.

a.r.s.enic, 1 lb

Distilled water 6 drms

Soft soap, 2 lb.

Whiting (or powdered chalk), 3 lb.

Camphor or tincture of musk, 2 oz.

Place the a.r.s.enic in an old saucepan (which is not to be used for any other purpose whatever); put the whiting over it, next pour sufficient water over it to make it into a thick paste, then add the soft soap, stir the whole well together, add a little water, and place on the fire to boil, adding from time to time water sufficient to render the whole ma.s.s of the consistence of gruel. When it boils up it is sufficiently well done; take it off the fire, and place outside in the open air to cool, as the fumes, if given off in a close room, are highly prejudicial to health. When nearly cold, stir in the camphor, previously pounded to a fine powder by the addition of a few drops of any spirit--spirits of wine, gin, rum, turpentine, etc. If musk is used it is sufficient to stir it in the ma.s.s, or 1 oz. of pure carbolic acid (previously melted) may be subst.i.tuted for either the camphor or musk.

The reason for stirring in the camphor, musk, or carbolic acid, when the a.r.s.enical paste is nearly cold, is twofold--first, to prevent the inhaling of the metallic fumes, which readily attack the lungs; and secondly, to prevent the said fumes or heated air carrying off with it the volatile essences of those drugs. The quant.i.ties given are sufficient to fill two six-pound Australian meat tins, which form capital receptacles for a.r.s.enical paste, and should be soldered up, only to be opened as required for use. As this quant.i.ty is, however, perhaps too much for the amateur, the proportions may be decreased, and what is not in actual use had better be soldered up in the tins just referred to, and which may be found very useful, besides, for such purposes as paint pots, etc. Carefully label this preparation "Poison," and place it out of the reach of children.

I have given the foregoing formulae, not because I have the slightest faith in any of them, but simply for the benefit, or otherwise, of those persons who elect to use a.r.s.enical preparations in defiance of the teachings of common sense, and in deference to the prevailing notion that a.r.s.enic is the only poison extant which has extraordinary preservative powers. This I flatly deny, after an experience of more than five and twenty years. Let us dissect the evidence as to the claim of a.r.s.enic to be considered as the antiseptic and preservative agent par excellence.

Its advocates claim for it--First, that it dries and preserves all flesh from decay better than anything else known; secondly, that if the skin is well painted with a.r.s.enical soap no moth or maggot will be found to touch it. This, then, is all is wanted--immunity from decay and protection from insects. Now I maintain that a.r.s.enical mixtures are not only most dangerous, but quite useless also for the purpose.

a.r.s.enic is simply a drier of animal tissue to a certain extent, but so are hundreds of other agents not so dangerous. It is also perfectly useless as a scarecrow or poison to those betes noire of the taxidermist, the larvae of the various clothes and fur eating moths of the genus Tinea, or the larvae of Dermestes lardarius, murinus, and other museum beetles. They simply laugh a.r.s.enic to scorn; indeed, I believe, like the Styrian a.r.s.enic eaters, they fatten on it. I could give many instances. Of course, when you point out to a brother taxidermist--rival, I mean; there are no brothers in art--the fact that somehow this a.r.s.enical paste does not work the wonders claimed for it, he replies, "Oh! ah! yes! that specimen, I now recollect, was done by a very careless man I employed; he never half painted the skin."

All nonsense! Men, as well as masters, lay the "preservative" on as thickly as they can. Verb.u.m sap.! A great outcry is being made at the present day as to a.r.s.enical wall papers and ladies' dresses--very properly so; but did it never strike any taxidermist--they must read the papers some times, even if not scientific men--that if it was dangerous to live in a room, the paper of which contains a barely appreciable quant.i.ty of a.r.s.enic, it was also dangerous to work all day in a shop amid hundreds of specimens actually reeking with a.r.s.enic, and giving it off when dry, and when handled, in the form of dust?

Painted on the skin while wet is bad enough; but what shall we say to those--well, we will not use harsh terms--who calmly tell you that they always use dry a.r.s.enic. Incredible as the statement may appear to the scientist, yet it is true that I have seen a man plunge his hand in the most matter-of-fact way into a box containing dry a.r.s.enic, and coolly proceed to dust it on a skin. What is the consequence of this to the user of wet or dry a.r.s.enical preparations? Coughs, colds, chronic bronchitis, soreness of the lips and nose, ugly ulcers, brittleness of nails, and partial or complete paralysis. I knew a man who formerly used dry a.r.s.enic, whose const.i.tution was thoroughly broken up by it. Again, an amateur of long standing called on me some time since, paralyzed in one hand--the doctors could make nothing of him. I said at once, "You have been using quant.i.ties of a.r.s.enic, and probably dry?"

Much astonished, he said "Yes;" and he had never mentioned this fact to his numerous doctors, who worked, of course, in the dark, when, by a course of antidotes taken at first, he might have been saved.

Used alone, a.r.s.enical paste is worse than useless for animals, causing them to "sweat" at once in certain places, and preventing your pulling them about, as you must do if modelling; again, if used for fur, you seldom or never can relax by that crucial test of a good preservative, i.e,--plunging in water.

Yet one question to the advocates of a.r.s.enic. If it possesses the chief advantage claimed for it, why use camphor in museums under the idea that it drives away moths?

Perhaps it will be as well to point out secundum artem the pros and cons for the use of a.r.s.enic.

a.r.s.eNICAL PASTE.

Advantages claimed. Disadvantages.

A perfect dryer of Will often "sweat" skins, especially animal tissue. those of mammals, for which it is useless.

Keeps all things free Is not of the slightest use for from attack of insects. this purpose.

Easier to make and use Denied.

than any other preparation.

Gives off poisonous fumes when hot.

Deposits metallic a.r.s.enic when drying.

Gives off poisonous dust when thoroughly dry.

Causes colds, coughs, etc, which turn to bronchitis, paralysis, etc.

Having now summed up in the case of Common Sense versus a.r.s.enic, I challenge contradiction to any of my statements, and ask, Why use a dangerous and inefficient preservative agent, when a harmless preservative, and that quite as good worker and dryer as a.r.s.enic, will suffice? I have invented a soap for which I claim those advantages, and as to its deterrent principle re insects, I am convinced that it is quite as good as the other, for is there any one thing known--compatible with clean-looking work--that will prevent the ravages of the maggots in birds' skins? I answer, No!--if we except one thing, too dangerous to handle--bichloride of mercury, of which anon. Let me whisper a little fact, and blow the poison theory to the winds: The real secret of success is to case your specimens up as soon as practicable, or to keep them always in full light, not poking them away in obscure corners, which the Tineidae and other pests love--hating light as the Father of Evil is said to hate holy water.

My Preservative formula is as follows:

No. 4.--Brown's (Non poisonous) Preservative Soap.

Whiting or chalk, 2.5 lb.

Chloride of lime, 2 oz.

Soft soap, 1 lb.

Tincture of musk, 1 oz.

Boil together the whiting and the soap with about a pint of water; then stir in the chloride of lime (previously finely pounded) while the mixture is hot; if this point is not attended to, the mixture will not work smoothly; when nearly cool, stir in the tincture of musk.

This will about fill a 6 lb. Australian meat tin. Caution: It is not necessary to hold the mouth over the mixture while hot, as chlorine is then rapidly evolved. This mixture has stood the test of work and time, and I therefore confidently bring it to the notice of the public as completely superseding the a.r.s.enical paste or soap for small mammals and all birds; indeed, numbers of persons, totally unknown to me, have written to me about its advantages.

One says: "I have followed the bird-stuffing now for several years in connection with another trade, but I have never seen anything to touch it before. I have quite given up a.r.s.enic, and can get on fine without it, and only wish that I had known the grand secret before."

Another: "Your recipe for preservative unction (non-poisonous) is simply invaluable to taxidermists. I have been trying for a long time to make a non-poisonous unction, but never fairly succeeded; always had a doubt as to their efficacy, prejudice had something to do with it."

A third says: "I have tried your recipe, and am well satisfied of its qualities for preserving skins, having tried Swainson's, and Becoeur's, and yours, and after a twelvemonth have relaxed the skins, and give my favour to yours as a toughener of the skin."

None of the above correspondents are known tome, and their opinion was sent unasked. Those people I do know who are using it are perfectly satisfied, as I myself am after a constant use of it for the past seven years. I find that skins dressed by it are not "burned," as some people may think, but relax most perfectly after a lapse of years by any method, even by the water process spoken of hereafter. I do not think it any better or worse than the a.r.s.enical preparations for preventing the attacks of insects, but the addition of tincture of musk (a lasting perfume) has seemed to me to be a great gain. One person wrote to me stating his opinion that the lime unduly corroded the wires used in setting up. I believe this might happen in cases where the mixture was used in a more fluid state than directed, namely, as a paste of a creamy consistence. I know of no evil effects produced.

Of course the mixture, if kept exposed, dries up in time, and is then best wetted with a little warm water, into which a few drops of tincture of musk have been stirred. Where there is more fat or flesh than usual, say, on the inside of the wings, or on the leg bones, or inside the mouth, a small quant.i.ty of carbolic acid wash (Formula No.

16) will be found useful to dilute the preservative paste. Carbolic acid, however weak, must not be used on the thin parts of the skin of small mammals or birds, as it dries and shrivels them up so quickly as to seriously interfere with subsequent modelling.

Though many insects eat the skin itself, yet how is it possible to guard against insects which attack the feathers only of birds (as the most minute species of the little pests do) by an agent which professedly cures the skin only? I remember once seeing the most comical sight possible, a stuffed c.o.c.k and hen entirely denuded of feathers by thousands of a minute tines, their dry skins only left; they were as parchment effigies of their former selves. Difficult as the matter is, I yet hope to show both amateurs and professionals how to considerably increase the chances of preservation. It is this: After using the soap, and having the mammal arranged or bird stuffed ready for "cottoning," brush over the whole of the feathers, legs, toes, and beak, with the following preparation: