MOUNTING BIRDS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 May 1939, Page 4

MOUNTING BIRDS

SPECIMENS PRESERVED FOR MANY YEARS. USE OF METHYLATED SPIRITS OR REFRIGERATION. While the Canterbury Museum is closed for a fortnight for reorganisation opportunity is being taken bj’ the taxidermist (Mr P. J. O’Brien) to mount birds which have been preserved in spirits till the work could be done, some for as long as 16 years. A group of birds was obtained from the Chatham Islands in 1923 by Mr Gilbert Archey, then the curator. They include a sparrowhawk, a cape pigeon, two Auckland Island parrots, a prion, and a small petrel. They have been preserved intact in methylated spirits ever since. Birds can be kept indefinitely in this way, according to Mr O’Brien. The only difficulty is that the skin becomes somewhat hard, and the plumage, where green and blue, slightly, discoloured. It is possible, however, to' remedy these effects to some extent. The other method of keeping birds till time is found to mount them is to place them in cold storage. The maximum time for which they can be left when stored in this way is about two years. The refrigeration method also has its disadvantages: the scaly parts on the feet tend to rot; and the bird loses weight through evaporation of moisture. The royal albatross recently mounted at the museum was kept in a refrigerator of a city firm for nine months. When it was put in it weighed 19 pounds two ounces; when it came out it weighed only 15 pounds. This evaporation has a drying effect on the bird, which makes it less satisfactory for mounting. It is remarkable, however, how fresh the birds look when taken out of the spirits. They are placed in the containers without cleaning, except to remove outside blood; sometimes an injection of spirits is also given to preserve the interiors. Probably the only real advantage of keeping them in spirits, however, rather than doing the work immediately, is that they are sterilised, and become safer to handle. A bird properly mounted should last indefinitely, for several hundred years, if kept away from moths, strong sunlight, dampness, and changing atmospheres, according to Mr O’Brien. Old methods of taxidermy did not sufficiently remove the fat under the skin, causing deterioration. Modern methods of scraping, and washing in petrol and amyl acetate prevented this. Arsenic preservative also ensured that the skin would not deteriorate, and a mothkiller, paradichlorobenzine, was sprayed on. The legs and beak were covered with a solution of wax and carbon tetrachloride and then painted. The work on these birds will complete the mounting, not for exhibition, but for scientific reference, of a collection of some 40 birds which have been in the museum for some time.