[NHCOLL-L:5983] How to, and would you, repair a bird specimen?

[Kirsten Nicholson]

Our museum has a long history of "repairing" specimens that get damaged (in
the myriad ways that damage happens).  Because more of our specimens are
used for teaching and exhibiting than for research, perhaps this makes
sense.  However (and not having been formally trained in this), the methods
used concern me and I'm asking you all the question of whether specimens
should be repaired, and if so how?  Specifically, in this case, I'm asking
 about a bird specimen who's tail has fallen off (and it happens that this
is one of two specimens that we have of this MI endemic and endangered
species in our collection).  It had been on display for years, but that
display has now been removed and apparently the tail was damaged in the
process.

I'm curious as to what you guys all do, recognizing that if often all
depends on the details and circumstances.

What bothers me the most is the the historical "treatment" for most repairs
was hot glue.  I guess if the specimen was in a teaching collecting and
dedicated only for that, and had little if any provenance, then maybe it
doesn't matter so much.  But what would you do in this case?  My gut
feeling is to say leave it alone, it goes back into the research collection
and keep the tail with the body.

Thanks for any help you can offer,

Kirsten

-- 
Kirsten E. Nicholson, Ph.D

*Assoc. Prof. Biology          and       Curator of Natural History
Dept. of Biology                             Museum of Cultural and Natural
History
217 Brooks Hall                            103 Rowe Hall
Central Michigan Univ.                 Central Michigan University
Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859                 Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859
989-774-3758                                989-774-3829**


*
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