1.
GV. Melbourne National Museum.


2.
CU. Snake in bottle.


3.
SV. Man holding bottle.


4.
SCU. Man with bottle.


5.
SV. Man at table, takes snake out of bottle.


6.
CU. Man laying out snake on table.


7.
CU. Man covering snake with Plaster of Paris.


8.
CU. Man.


9.
CU. Man covering snake with Plaster of Paris.


10.
CU. Man.


11.
CU. Scrapping Plaster.


12.
SV. Turning over Plaster.


13.
CU. Marking outline of snake on cast.


14.
SV. Pulling snake out of Plaster.


15.
CU. Man.


16.
SV. Pulling snake out of Plaster.


17.
CU. Brush out of jar.


18.
SV. Painting cast with shellac.


19.
CU. Painting cast.


20.
CU. Man.


21.
SV. Man covering snake with solution.


22.
CU. Man.


23.
CU. Painting snake with solution.


24.
CU. Man.


25.
SV. Taking out cast of snake.


26.
CU. Ditto.


27.
SV. Ditto.


28.
SV. Man with model of snake.


29.
CU. Man ---------


30.
SV. Painting Rubber Snake.


31.
CU. Man.


32.
SV. Man painting Rubber Snake copying from Live snake in bottle.


33.
CU. Painting Rubber Snake.




Initials



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: In Melbourne's National Museum, snakes are every-day visitors. They come from far and wide to lend themselves in the interests of natural history. But their part is, literally, an unconscious one, wrapped in a dream of ether.

In the capable hands of Mr. P. C. Boswell they are used to cast their own replicas, first in plaster and then in latex rubber.

This specimen is a Tiger snake, and he seems a little restless, even under the influence of ether. The reason for the operation is that snakes do not keep too well when dead and taxidermy is seldom a great success with reptiles.

Instead, the Museum prefers to have exact replicas - and here is how it is achieved.

Released from his quick-drying plaster cast, the snake quickly recovers. In the meantime, Mr. Boswell paints the inside of the mould with specially prepared latex liquid which quickly sets. When it is removed, the exact shape and markings of the snake are reproduced. And when the finishing touches are added with a paint brush, the model is almost indistinguishable from the real thing.