Get stuffed

I am intrigued by the combination of science and decorative arts that goes into the craft of taxidermy. The birds that surround the northern edge of the court in the Museum are examples of this. One of the most spectacular is a group of sand grouse, one of them apparently in flight, its wings fully extended to their elegant pointed tips. Another is a family of crows on their nest, nestlings begging to a parent that offers a dangling rodent as food. The scarlet ibis, in splendid isolation, is caught in mid-stalk, focused and oblivious to its surroundings. The shoebill looks as comical as it would in life.

Elee Kirk, a PhD student in Museum Studies at Leicester, is spending time in the Museum as part of her research on pre-school children and museums. She has recently started her own blog, StuffedStuff, where she posts about natural history museums and taxidermy. Do look at her post about lollipop rats!