NYC Frog Project On the Road

Dead Frog Circus
Wistariahurst Museum, Holyoke, MA

I think the title really says it all here.  It's a circus.  Made out of dead frogs.  And. It. Is. Awesome!

I've stolen the picture from the Roadside America web site, as the museum prohibits photography.  According to the tour guide, the taxidermist, Burlingham Schurr, was dedicated to creating naturalistic scenes --but then he inexplicably created the circus.   Thank you, Mr. Schurr!


You can read more about it in this article from Yankee Magazine.

The circus's only rival is the Musee de Grenouilles in Switzerland, which boasts 108 taxidermied frogs in "satirical scenes from everyday life" in the nineteenth century.

NYC Frog Project On the Road

Southern Vermont Natural History Museum
Hogback Mountain, Marlboro, VT

Most of the collection at this great little museum consists of taxidermied birds collected in the 1920s and 1930s.  While our collecting ethic has changed, it was a treat to see so many of the birds close up, and there are several unreleasable owls and hawks that the museum staff cares for.  It's definitely worth a stop if you're passing through.


This diorama depicts an unfortunate situation for the frog, as a Green Heron is about to feast upon him.

And some examples of the birds, a Rose-breasted Grosbeak and European Starling: