Royal Ontario Museum Department of Museum Volunteers Gallery … Birds Ostrich Egg... · 2011-08-31 · effect on the eggs are pores, permitting the exchange of gases. ... Ostrich

Revised: October 3, 2007 Page1of2

Royal Ontario MuseumDepartment of Museum Volunteers

Gallery Interpreters

Information Sheet

Ostrich and Ostrich EggHandling Instructions

Caution Level: FragileGI Handling: Stroke GentlyVisitor Handling: Stroke GentlyPackaging: BasketTransporting: Carry the EggReal or Reproduction: Real

The largest living bird, a flightless species found in Africa, the adult male may be 2.5 m (nearly 8 feet) tall - almost halfof its height is neck - and weigh 155 kg (345 pounds); the female is somewhat smaller. The ostrich's shiny, off-whiteegg, averaging about 150 mm (6 inches) in length by 125 mm (5 inches) in diameter and weighing up to 1.35 kg (3pounds), is the world's largest (about one hundredth of the adult=s weight), and is 4,500 times heavier than that of thesmallest, a hummingbird. One of the heaviest birds that ever existed - the elephant bird - laid eggs that could haveswallowed up seven ostrich eggs with room to spare - the elephant bird egg could hold 9 litres (2 gallons), and mayhave been the mythical Roc bird described by Marco Polo. The ostrich egg contains the equivalent of about 24 chickeneggs.

The male is mostly black but has white plumes in the wings and tail; females are mostly brown. The head and most ofthe neck, reddish to bluish in colour, is lightly downed; the legs, including the powerful thighs, are naked. The head issmall, the bill short and rather wide; the big brown eyes have thick black lashes. Ostriches have extremely keeneyesight. Their eyes are larger than their brains.

The ostrich lives in flocks of 5 to 50, usually in the company of grazing animals. The ostrich relies on its strong legs -uniquely two-toed, with the main toe developed almost as a hoof - to escape its enemies, chiefly humans and largercarnivores (lions, leopards, hyenas). A frightened ostrich can achieve a speed of 65 km per hour (40 miles per hour).If cornered it can deliver dangerous kicks. Eggs and chicks can be eaten by vultures, hyenas, and jackals. Themovements of some of the dinosaurs in the film Jurassic Park were based on the movements of ostriches. Groundostrich feet are used as an aphrodisiac.

Ostriches live mainly on plant matter (taking the seed heads of grasses and certain flowers and seeds), butoccasionally eat animal remains left by carnivorous predators; they can go without water for long periods. Ostrichesare fond of water, taking frequent baths when given the opportunity. Avocado leaves, parsley and salt are all poisonousto ostriches. Breeding males emit roars and hisses as they fight for a harem of three to five hens. The communal nestscraped in the ground may contain 15 to 60 shiny, whitish eggs. Eggs are laid over a three week period. The >stippled=effect on the eggs are pores, permitting the exchange of gases. The male sits by night; the females take turns by day.The chicks hatch in about 42 days, and when a month old, can keep up with running adults. To escape detection,chicks as well as adults may lie on the ground with neck outstretched, a habit that may have given rise to the myth thatthe ostrich buries its head in the sand when danger threatens.

Ostrich plumes adorned the helmets of medieval European knights, and in the 19th century the plumes were sold forwomen's finery. This demand led to the establishment of ostrich farms in South Africa, the southern United States,Australia, and elsewhere, but the trade collapsed after World War I. The hide provides a soft, fine-grained leather.Ostriches have been trained for saddle and sulky racing, but they tire easily and are not well suited for training. Theydo well in captivity and may live 50 years. Ostrich farming for meat purposes meets a niche market demand for low


cholesterol meats. Ostrich eggs have been considered to be items of rarity and beauty in times past, and still today.Europeans travelling the world in the 16th to 18th centuries brought ostrich eggs home as curiosities. The eggs wereincorporated into decorative objects like drinking cups. See the Information Sheet on Ostrich Egg Cups.

The ostrich is typical of a special group of flightless birds. The forms, differing slightly in skin colour, size, and eggfeatures, were considered in the past to be separate species, but are known to be different races of ostrich. Mostfamiliar is the North African ostrich, ranging, in much-reduced numbers, from Morocco to The Sudan. The Syrianostrich of Syria and Arabia became extinct in 1941. Fossil ostriches are known from Early Pliocene rock (about 5million years old) from southern Russia, India, and north-central China. All ostriches are part of a group of flightlessbirds called ratites that also include the emu, cassowary, rhea, and kiwi. Emus, rheas, kiwis, and cassowarys havethree toes, compared to the ostrich with two toes!!

Ostriches - Male on the Left

Revised: January 27, 2006 Page1of1


Gallery interpreters

Ostrich Egg

Questions & Answers

1. What kind of bird=s egg is this? Ostrich.

2. Why is it a unique bird, i.e. does it fly? No

3. Number of toes compared to other birds? Two versus four in other birds (emus,rheas, kiwis and cassowarys havethree).

4. How fast does this bird run? Up to 65 km/hour.

5. How many chicken eggs would it take to fill this egg? About 24 chicken eggs.

6. How many hummingbird eggs would equal the weight of this egg? 4,500 - see drawer.

7. Why is the shell so thick? Protection - can support weight up to300 lbs - weight of the parent!!

8. What is the purpose of the >stippling= (the orange skin effect)? These are pores for theexchange of gases.

9. What is the largest bird today? Ostrich.

10. What was the largest bird ever known to us? Extinct Elephant bird.

11. What would the ostrich eat? Plants - seed heads and seeds;occasionally, animal remains left byother predators; avocado leaves, parsleyand salt are all poisonous.

12. Does the ostrich really bury its head in the sand when danger threatens? No.

13. How might ostriches be of value today? Low cholesterol meat.

Revised: October 29, 2006 Page 1 of 5



Information Sheet

Various Bird Specimens

1. Kiwi

The kiwi is any of five species of flightless birds belonging to the genus Apteryx and found in New Zealand.The kiwi is the unofficial emblem of New Zealand, and they are a protected species. The name is a Maoriword referring to the shrill call of the male. Kiwis are grayish brown birds the size of a chicken. They arerelated to the extinct moas. Kiwis are unusual in many respects: the vestigial wings are hidden within theplumage; the nostrils are at the tip (rather than the base) of the long, flexible bill; the feathers, which haveno aftershafts, are soft and hairlike; the legs are stout and muscular; and each of the four toes has a largeclaw. The eyes are small and inefficient in full daylight, the ear openings are large and well developed, andvery long bristles (perhaps tactile) occur at the base of the bill. The kiwi has the best sense of smell of anybird.

Before 1995, only three species had been described. DNA analysis has now described five species. Thebrown kiwi was thought to be one species, but is now described as three - the brown, rowi, and tokoekakiwis.

Dwelling in bushy habitats like forests, kiwis sleep by day in burrows and forage for food - worms, insectsand their larvae, and berries - by night. They can run swiftly when required; when trapped they use theirclaws in defense.

Kiwis mate for life. One or two large white eggs - up to 450 g (1 pound) in weight, and about 5 inches inlength - are laid in a burrow and are incubated by the male for about 80 days. The egg is, relative to thesize of the bird, the largest of any living species. The male incubates the eggs for 80 days. The chickhatches fully feathered and with its eyes open; it does not eat for about a week. A newly-hatched chick hasa yolk sac, so that parents may not need to feed chicks.

Although no longer abundant, kiwis appear to be in no danger of extinction and may even be graduallyadapting to semipastoral land.

The genus Apteryx forms the family Apterygidae, order Apterygiformes. Five species of kiwis arerecognized: the brown kiwi, on North island; the rowi kiwi, on South Island; the tokoeka kiwi, on SouthIsland; the little spotted kiwi, on South Island; and the great spotted kiwi, on South Island.

2. Royal Albatross

An albatross is any of more than a dozen species of large seabirds that collectively make up the familyDiomedeidae (order Procellariiformes). Because of their tameness on land, many albatrosses are knownby the common names mollymawk (from the Dutch for Afoolish gull@) and gooney. Albatrosses are amongthe most spectacular gliders of all birds, able to stay aloft in windy weather for hours without ever flappingtheir extremely long, narrow wings. In calm air an albatross has trouble keeping its stout body airborne andprefers to rest on the water surface. Like other oceanic birds, albatrosses drink seawater. Although theynormally live on squid, they also are seen to accompany ships to feed on garbage.


Albatrosses come ashore only to breed. This activity occurs in colonies that are usually established onremote oceanic islands, where groups and pairs exhibit mating behaviour that includes wing-stretching andbill-fencing displays accompanied by loud groaning sounds. Mating once each year, the single large, whiteegg, laid on the bare ground or in a heaped-up nest, is incubated by the parents in turn. The growth of theyoung albatross is very slow, especially in the larger species; it attains flight plumage in 3 to 10 months,then spends the next 5 to 10 years at sea, passing through several pre-adult plumages before coming toland to mate. Albatrosses live long (about 45 years) and may be among the few birds to die of old age.

Seamen once held albatrosses in considerable awe; they held that killing an albatross would bring bad luck,a superstition reflected in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem AThe Rime of the Ancient Mariner.@ In spite ofthis superstition, the birds were often taken on baited hooks by sailors for meat. The foot web could befashioned into a tobacco pouch, and the long hollow bones were used as pipestems. At one timeprofessional plume hunters even raided breeding grounds. The North Pacific species were slaughtered inlarge numbers for their feathers, which were used in the millinery trade and as swansdown.

The royal albatross (D. epomophora), with a wingspread to about 11 feet or 3.75 m, is largely white withblack outer wing surfaces. It breeds on islands near New Zealand and near the southern tip of SouthAmerica. It soars dynamically on ocean winds at speeds up to 115 km/h. It roams all oceans, but mostlythose in the Southern hemisphere because of constant winds.

3. Great Gray Owl

The Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa), of northern Europe, Asia, and North America, is among the largestowls, often more than 70 cm (2.3 feet) long. Much of its apparent size results from its plumage. It is gray tobrownish, barred underneath, and heavily streaked.

Other common names:

Dark Wood-Owl; Lapland Owl; Striped Owl; Sooty Owl; Spectral Owl.

Subspecies:

There is only one race of Great Gray Owl in North America although there is a widespread northernEurasian race. S. n. nebulosa is the North American race of Great Gray Owl. Winters in the breedingrange but will also wander south.

Measurements & Weights

Wingspan: 54 - 60 in.Length: 24 -33 in.Tail: 11 3/4 - 13 3/4 in.Average Weights:

Male: 34 oz.Female: 46 oz.

Description:

This is the largest owl in North America although it is not the most massive. Males and females areidentical in plumage except that the females may appear slightly darker. Distinctively large facial diskof light gray with darker gray or brown concentric rings. Facial disk has a thin dark brown border thatbecomes white along the bottom edge. Has a black chin with white along the sides that run into thebottom white border of the facial disk (sometimes referred to as a "white mustache and black bow tie").Conspicuous white eyebrows and lores. The Great Gray has a large round head and lacks ear tufts.The general colors of the upper parts are grayish-brown to sooty brown broken by transverse mottlingof grayish-white and dark with scattered short dark streaks. The owl becomes more brown with age.The bottom portion of the wings (primaries and secondaries) and the tail are barred with dark and light


gray. The under parts are a grayish-white with dark grayish-brown streaks. The iris of the eyes arelemon yellow and the bill is bright yellow to pale olive green.

Young:

Initially the young have a grayish down above and white down below. The juveniles are olive-brownwith dark bars and white spots above. Light gray- white below with dark bars; bold black facial marks.Adult plumage develops over the first 5 months but first year birds have white tipped flight feathers.

Habitat:

The Great Gray Owl inhabits many types of forests in North America. It favors dense coniferousforests with close proximity to muskegs, meadows or open fields. This combination allows conifernesting and roosting along with the abundance of small rodents that occur in forest openings. In theSierra Nevadas of California the Great Gray is a summer resident from 4000 - 7000 ft. in elevation andwinter resident from 3000 - 5000 ft. Nesting and summer records seem to concentrate in the 6000 -7000 ft. meadows although there are nesting records as low as 2800 ft. and as high as 11,000 ft. Theybreed in mixed-conifer forests from 3000 - 6000 ft. and red fir from 6000 - 9000 ft. in elevation. Theowls are prone to moving into the higher lodgepole pines in the late summer. In the winter the recordsseem to concentrate around the 4000 ft. level. Other records including the Palearctic habitat rangesare from sea level to 3200 ft. Other breeding habitats include tamarack forests (Manitoba),tamarack-black spruce, forested wetlands (Saskatchewan), black ash / basswood (Minnesota), andbalsam poplars / white spruce (Alaska).

Food and Feeding:

The Great Gray Owl's diet consists of almost entirely small rodents. About 90% of their diet consists ofpocket gophers and voles. Other small mammals taken by the owl include mice, squirrels, youngrabbits, hares, rats, moles, and weasels. Also taken are birds, usually small, although there arerecords of Sharp-shinned Hawks, ducks, and grouse. Small mammals are usually swallowed wholewhile larger prey is torn into pieces. The Great Gray can also detect prey under the snow by soundalone and will dive into the snow for hidden prey. Generally they hunt from a perch by listening andwatching. Primarily a nocturnal and crepuscular owl but may occasionally hunt by day on darkovercast days during the winter months, and while feeding young.

Breeding:

The Great Gray does not build its own nest or modify it in any way other than to potentially deepen thecup. Most nesting is done in abandoned raptor or crow nests or broken off treetops. Typically clutchsize is 3 - 5 eggs but 1 - 9 is possible. In the case of the loss of the eggs, re-nesting may occur twoadditional times but only one clutch is raised yearly. Nest sites may also be used for multiple years.The female usually lays 1 egg per day and the incubation period is generally 28 - 36 days. The maledoes all the hunting during this period. Although the owlets leave the nest at 20 - 29 days they areincapable of flight (but can climb trees well) for another 7 - 14 days. Fledging occurs before they are55 days old but they remain cared for by the female until 4 - 5 months of age when they begin todisperse. Great Horned Owls are serious predators of the young although humans are responsible forthe greatest losses of the eggs and chicks.

Movements and Life Span:

The Great Gray is sedentary with only minor or no movements between summer and winter inmany areas. Each year a limited number of owls will move through dispersals and food scarcityinto the Southern Canadian Provinces and the Northern U.S. It is also regular (each 3 - 5 years) forirruptions to occur where large movements into the Northern U.S. and East Coast occur related toharsh winter conditions and prey availability. The Great Gray is a long-lived owl. Banded birdshave been recovered at 13 years of age and captive birds have lived to 27 years of age.


Conservation:

The Great Gray Owl is not globally threatened although its population density is generally very low.There are tremendous variations in its population over extended periods of time related to preyavailability. Deforestation, automobile collisions, development, pocket gopher poisoning, and cattlegrazing are potential dangers.

4. Snowy Owl

The Snowy Owl, Nyctea scandiaca, is a mostly white or horizontally-barred, black-and-white orbrown-and-white bird of prey. Females and juveniles are more heavily barred than males.

It inhabits the Arctic tundra wanders southward in Europe, Asia, and North America (southern Canada andthe norther United States) in winter, but only about every 4 years or so.

Snowy owls are 51-682 cm (20-27") long and have a broad wingspan of 137-164 cm (54-65"), with typicalweights of 1134-2000 g (40-70 oz), yellow eyes, a round head without ear tufts, and a black beak. It is well-feathered on the face and legs right to the tips of its claws. The voice is a deep croak, somewhat like theraven=s. It also utters a piercing whistle.

The life cycle of the lemming, its principal food, determines its occasional movement to the south. In normalyears, it is sustained in the Arctic, but in those years when the lemming population declines abruptly, itwonders south in search of food. It is easily observed as it has the habit of perching in exposed places.Snowy Owls eat other small mammals such as hares, fish, and birds. Most hunting is done in the "sit andwait" style, swivelling the head as much as 270 degrees scanning for prey.

They nest on the ground in the open. In Canada, they breed north of the tree-line, and throughout theArctic Islands. Courtship behaviour can begin in midwinter through to March and April, well away frombreeding areas. Nest sites must be near good hunting areas, be snow-free, and command a view ofsurroundings. Breeding occurs in May. Clutch and brood sizes are heavily dependent on food supply.Snowy Owls may not nest at all during years of low lemming numbers. Clutch sizes normally range from 5to 8 white eggs but may be as many as 14 eggs during high lemming years. They are laid at approximately2 day intervals. The female incubates while the male brings her food and guards the nest. Eggs hatch in32-34 days at two day intervals, leading to large age differences in nests with large clutch sizes. Young arecovered in white down. Young begin to leave the nest after about 25 days, well before they can fly. Theyare fledged at 50 to 60 days. Both parents feed and tend the young, and are fiercely protective and mayattack intruders up to 1 kilometre (0.6 miles) from the nest!! Nestling owls require about 2 lemmings/dayand a family of Snowy Owls may eat as many as 1,500 lemmings before the young disperse. Snowy Owlsare single brooded and likely do not lay replacement clutches if their first clutch is lost.

It is a diurnal (day-time) owl. When it flies, the flight is rather jerky for the upward wing-beat is slower thanthe down-beat. It also glides for short distances. They make short flights, close to the ground, from perchto perch, and usually perch on the ground or a low post.

The Snowy Owl is also known by other names, including Snow Owl, Arctic Owl, Great White Owl, GhostOwl, Ermine Owl, Tundra Ghost, Ookpik, Scandinavian Nightbird, White Terror of the North, and HighlandTundra Owl. It is the official bird of Quebec.


Kiwis Great Gray Owl

Royal Albatross Snowy Owl




Hall of Flight Bird Gallery

Gallery Features and General Description1. Features and General Description

The Gallery=s chief purpose is to illustrate the incredible diversity of birds and the need toconserve and preserve birds for future generations.

a. Diversity

Birds are diverse - each one superbly suited to its habitat, shaped by the climate and thegeography. There are about 9,000 species of birds worldwide, organized into 25 groupscalled Orders.

At the entrance on the left, an immense ostrich and an emu stand in the foreground.Suddenly, up in the air, there=s a flock of some 300 different birds, from all around theworld, soaring, swooping, and diving, while recorded bird calls fill the air. This Gallerycontains more than 350 mounted birds.

The flock of birds demonstrates the incredible diversity of avian or bird life. Birds of allsizes are represented - from the Royal Albatross, with its 10 foot wingspan (one theworld=s largest), to the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, only 3 inches in length.

Organized in evolutionary sequence, beginning with the most ancient (ostrich, emu, kiwi)to the most recently-evolved songbirds (finches, warblers, vireos, and crows), the flockincludes each of the world=s 25 Orders of living birds such as waterfowl, hawks andperching birds. Rectangular and triangular glass cases have been constructed so thatvisitors can walk underneath, alongside, and through the flock.

Underneath the flock is a series of Discovery Drawers. Visitors who open any of the 20drawers can take a closer look at the details of bird life: models and specimens of nests,eggs, feathers, skulls and bones, bills and bird feed.

Feathers:

i. are considered to be amongst nature=s most beautiful creations - how manyfeathers have adorned ladies= hats over the course of time?

ii. are unique to birds - only birds have feathers.

iii. are superbly adapted for flight, display, concealment, and insulation.

iv. are strong, flexible, and durable.


v. are made from keratin - like your fingernails and hair!!

vi. evolved from reptilian scales (birds evolved from dinosaurs).

vii. are ideal for covering the body - light, durable, warm.

viii. are usually replaced once a year during a moult to replace ones that are faded,soiled or worn out. A partial moult occurs before breeding. The main moult is inthe Fall. A few feathers at a time are moulted so the bird can still fly. However,ducks and geese moult completely - losing their ability to fly temporarily.

b. Classification

Birds are classified into Orders. An illustration is the Shoebill. First thought to be a stork.Later thought to more similar to a Pelican. Most recently, DNA studies link it closely to aPelican.

c. Flight

There are several cases that illustrate flight. Birds have evolutionary adaptations thatcontribute to the success of birds as flyers:

Bones Hollow with internal struts making them lightweight and strong

Lungs Highly efficient

Heart Can pump as fast as 1,000 beats/minute

Feathers

Type of Flight Flapping, bounding flight, soaring on updrafts, soaring flight on oceanwinds, underwater flight, stooping, explosive flight, hovering into wind,and hovering

d. Parental Patterns

Most common is monogamy, such as the Robin as an example.

Cooperative breeding, such as the American Crow as an example.

Male polygamy, such as the Eastern Meadowlark as an example.

There are other patterns.

e. North-South Migration

Many species of birds migrate each year.

f. Birds in Danger

Humans are responsible for the extinction of many species of birds.

The Passenger Pigeon is an illustration of human-caused extinction. In the early 1800's,


there were about 3-5 billion of these birds. They were found to be very tasty. By 1880, itwas too late to save the species - the last one was shot in 1900.

g. Extinctions

Since 1600, 75-80 species of birds have disappeared. As an example, the Elephant Birddisappeared in 1649. It may have weighed about a half ton. The egg shells held 2gallons (9 litres), and are the largest bird eggs ever known. It may have been the mythicalRoc bird described by Marco Polo.

h. Conclusion

The Gallery tries to communicate that:

Birds are in danger of extinction all over the world.

In the past, species have been wiped out by overhunting or by the introduction ofnew predators into their environment.

Today, habitats are still being destroyed by draining swamps, cutting trees,converting grasslands to agricultural use, and pollution of water and air.

To save the birds, we must save the habitat. If we save the habitat, we save theplanet.

Revised: February 12, 2006 Page 1 of 2


Museum Guides

Bird Gallery - Feather Drawer Data Sheet

February, 2006

Overview

Only birds have feathers. These strong, light structures are marvellously adapted for flight, display,concealment and insulation. Like hair, claws and horns, feathers are made from a protein called keratin.

Legend and instructions for reviewing the attached photograph:

Large brown and white feather on top is…

Great Argus (Pheasant) - Argusianus argus - wing and tail - often considered the most strikinglybeautiful feather in the bird world.

From left to right…

Black Duck (Anas rubripes) - wing speculum of a Black Duck. Mallard ducks would have a whiteborder along the blue.

Roseate Spoonbill (Ajaia ajaja) - colour maintained through the carotenoids in their food.

Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) - reintroduced species into Ontario. Doing very well.

King of Saxony - Bird of Paradise (Pteridophora alberti) - good feather to show the evolution ofscales to feathers.

Reeve's Pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii) - pheasant feathers often used in fly-tying (fishing).

Please NOTE that the feathers displayed in the drawer are NOT represented by any specimens in theGallery.

Per Mark PeckOrnithology, Department of Natural HistoryIssued by - Marguerite LowSection Head, Natural HistoryFebruary 12, 2006

Revised: February 12, 2006 Page 2 of 2




Information Sheet

Taxidermy at the ROM

1. Old World Mammals and some New World Mammals (Woodland Caribou, Cougar, Bears, Wolf)

Some of these mounts are 50 years old - more current materials and methods had not beeninvented. The animal was skinned and some of the muscles removed. The remainder of thebody, with tendons, ligaments, and the remaining muscles still attached, were supported with rodsand wires. More muscles were added with clay and sculpted to shape the body. A plaster mouldof the body was made in sections. The number of pieces varied depending on the stance of theanimal.

If antlers or horns were added, a block of wood was placed inside the hollow head, or the entireskull with horns or antlers still attached was retained.

The inside pieces of the mould were coated with wax. The inside pieces of the mould werelaminated with burlap or paper soaked in glue or plaster - these were attached together to formthe cast. Metal supports were placed inside the cast. The tanned skin was thinned, and attachedto the cast of the body with a slow drying glue.

Most of the Old World animals died in the Riverdale Zoo. Old Sultan, the large male lion, died inthe New York Zoo. The other two lions died at the Riverdale Zoo. The panda skin, along with twoothers, was given or sold to the ROM by a missionary in China. Two other panda skins arerefrigerated in Curatorial. The leopard was killed in Africa by an American, who had it mounted inCanada. The hunter could not get it into the US, because of import regulations - it was left at theROM.

2. New World Mammals

Newer techniques were used. The body was prepared and sculpted as described above. Themould was made with fibreglass, in many pieces depending upon the stance required. After thepieces were assembled, metal supports were placed inside, and antlers or horns were placed asdescribed above. Urofoam is blown in to fill the interior.

The skin was glued on as described above. After the skin was applied, the >naked= areas of thehead (eyes, lips) were shaped in clay, sculpting in the dimples, creases, and expression.

The muskoxen skins were donated by the Canadian Wildlife Service. The fox mannequin waspurchased and altered slightly. Some of the skins were bought at an outlet in North Bay, ON.


3. Birds

The carcass was laid on paper and a profile was drawn of the top and side. The skin and somemuscle and bone were removed. Wing and leg bones and the skull were left in. Wet >excelsior=(a sculpting material) and string were added to replicate the original size and shape. The skinwas attached as with the mammals. Duck bills are quite soft and tend to shrink, so cast plasticduck bills were used.

4. Eyes

Eyes were bought either ready-made (available in any size from hummingbird to ostrich) or werecustom-made by buying plain >flint= (really crystal) eyes and painting them. 60-70 of the birds ondisplay are prepared with custom-made eyes.

5. What is a Taxidermist?

Curiously, many Canadian visitors (adults and children) do not know what a taxidermist does for aliving - mounts animals for display!! Oddly, MANY American visitors (including children) knowexactly what a taxidermist does. One of the many possible cultural differences today. It wouldseem that stuffed, mounted animals are not a Canadian thing at this point!!

Documents

Royal Ontario Museum Department of Museum Volunteers Gallery … Birds Ostrich Egg... · 2011-08-31 · effect on the eggs are pores, permitting the exchange of gases. ... Ostrich