Taxidermy - Crafts

Taxidermy is not for people who are squeamish or too fastidious, although for anyone with an interest in natural history it is a practical and fascinating occupation. Students of bird life, the hunter and the fisherman are those most likely to care about becoming amateur taxidermists. The sailfish mounted and displayed in the angler's trophy room will naturally not be as big as the one that got away, but it may very well be the only one in the neighborhood mounted by the sportsman himself. It is a reflection of the fisherman's skill and the taxidermist's art, and it will certainly be one of the finest conversation pieces anyone could hope for.

The finest examples of taxidermy are to be seen in the museums of natural history. These select specimens are in a perfect state of preservation, and they are shown in authentic life-like poses. They are the products of master craftsmen, who have spent many years developing their techniques and studying animal life in its natural habitat.

Though you cannot expect to compete with the museum technicians without many years of experience, you can do a creditable job with a little practice and long, close study of living specimens of the creatures you wish to preserve. There are not a great many available books on the subject, but those that do exist are detailed and informative. You will find a good introduction to taxidermy in any of the first-rate encyclopedias. Though the articles are brief, they do describe the required tools and offer quite detailed descriptions of the procedures of preparing, preserving, and mounting mammals, birds and reptiles. The cleaning and preserving techniques of the taxidermist are also employed in the manufacture of fur coats and other fur articles, so if you wish to widen your knowledge you will also want to check the sections relating to furs and skins.

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