Akeley took a few painting lessons from a lady in a village near his father's farm; 阿克利在父亲农场附近的村庄上了几堂绘画课，老师是一名女士；

　　for he wanted to paint lifelike backgrounds for his mounted birds and animals. 他希望为自己的鸟类和动物标本画出栩栩如生的背景图。

　　So far as known, Akeley's early attempts of this sort were the first experiments with painted backgrounds for mounted groups. 据知，阿克利最早画背景图是为群动物标本画图。

　　Upon the advice of a newly-made English friend who was greatly interested in taxidermy, 他新认识的英国朋友也对标本剥制术感兴趣，在他的建议下，

　　Akeley, at the age of nineteen, decided to go to Rochester, New York, 19岁的阿克利决定前往纽约罗切斯特，

　　and apply for work at Ward's Natural Science Establishment. 并在沃德自然科学机构申请了工作。

　　At that time Ward's was famous for preparing museum specimens; 那时的沃德因制作博物馆标本而著名；

　　moreover, it was the headquarters of taxidermy in America. 此外，这里还是美国动物标本剥制术总部。

　　Akeley hardly slept a wink the night after he had decided to take his friend's advice and go to Ward's. 在听完朋友的意见要去沃德时，那一晚阿克利没有合眼。

　　Rising early the next morning he walked three miles to the railway station to catch the train for Rochester. 第二天他早早起来，他走了三英里前往火车站，赶火车前往罗切斯特。

　　He walked through most of the streets of Rochester, his courage sinking lower and lower, 他穿过了罗切斯特的大部分街道，他的勇气正在一点点消融，

　　before he finally found the great arch, made of the jaws of a whale, 就在这时他看到了用鲸鱼下颚制作的拱门，

　　which marked the entrance to the establishment. 并标有沃德的入口标志。

　　Here he suddenly became so timid that he had to walk a mile or so back and forth 他突然感到怯懦了，他走了大约一英里，反复踱步，

　　to screw up courage to ring the professor's bell. 直到鼓足勇气拉响教授的门铃。

　　As a result of this visit Akeley was offered a position at the small salary of three dollars and fifty cents a week. 因为这第一次光临，阿克利被安排了一份职位，每周只挣3.50美元。

　　He found a boarding house where he could get a room and meals for four dollars a week. 他找到了一间寄宿公寓，每周食宿为4美元。

　　Thus he began to learn taxidermy. At that time little was known about the work which Akeley had chosen for himself. 他开始学习动物标本剥制术，他对自己选择的工作一窍不通。

　　To mount a deer skin, for example, was simple. 比如制作鹿皮标本很简单。

　　It was first soaked in a pickle-bath containing salt and alum to preserve it, 首先将鹿皮放在含有盐和铝的水中保存起来，

　　and then washed with a poison soap to keep insects from eating it. 之后用毒药皂清洗，防止昆虫食用。

　　After the skin was dried, the bones were replaced in the legs, and the body stuffed with straw. 鹿皮晾干后，鹿腿上的骨头需要进行替换，鹿身塞满稻草。

　　Then, to make the body thinner at any point, it was sewed through with a long needle and drawn in. 之后，为了让鹿身变得纤细，要用长针进行缝合并使其卷曲。

　　These results did not satisfy Akeley's dreams, even those of his boyhood. 这样的结果不是阿克利的梦想，甚至不是他童年时的想法。