RECEEATIVE SCIENCE. 



117 



7. Another, but imperfect, mould of a ven- 

 triculite, from the London gravel, showing the" 

 hollow interior, and on its edge a spine of 

 an echinus {Cidaris clavigera) is impressed. 

 Here then we have, as in all the other speci- 

 mens, palpable proofs that the moulding or 

 enveloping flint was originally liquid, and 

 slowly and faithfully grew round or in the 

 organic nucleus. 



Any pedestrian who keeps his eye upon 

 the flints and gravel laid down upon the roads 

 around London, as near Hyde Park, Ee- 

 gent's Park, Hackney, etc., or even by search- 

 ing the gravel path of his own garden, may 

 find several such specimens, and reason upon 

 them as we have reasoned in these explana- 

 tory remarks. 



J. E. Leifchild. 



BIRD-PRESERVING. 



Almost the first thing a young naturalist 

 takes interest in is what is commonly called 

 " bird-stuffing," and with him, when he at- 

 tempts it, the term is very applicable. Oh ! 

 the wretched, distorted things which rise 

 from their collapsed state, where it had been 

 better had they remained, " they mimicked 

 Nature so abominably." But we must not 

 suppress and dull the aspirations of genius, 

 remembering that the most accomplished in 

 any art had their beginning too. Many 

 things are required to make anything of this 

 art — such as delicacy of hand, great practice, 

 but, above all, patience, the most inestimable 

 of all common virtues. But I shall proceed 

 to give a few plain directions, that the aspi- 

 rant after taxidermal excellency may judge 

 and try for himself, and not be disheartened. 

 A fair specimen being obtained, take com- 

 mon cotton wadding, and with an ordinary 

 paint-brush stick plug the throat, nostrils, 

 and, in large birds, the ears, with it, so that 

 when the skin is turned no juices may flow 

 and spoil the feathers ; you must then pro- 

 vide yourself with the following articles : — 

 A knife of this kind, a, which is very com- 

 mon ; a pair of cutting plyers, b ; a pair of 

 sti'ong scissors, c, of a moderate size; a 

 button-hook, d ; a marrow-spoon, E ; and a 

 hand-vice, F. With these, a needle and 

 thread, and a sharpener of some kind, to give 

 your knife an occcasional touch, you are pre- 



pared, so fiir as implements go. Then pro- 

 vide yourself with annealed iron wire of 

 various sizes ; some you may buy ready for 

 use, some not ; but you can anneal it your- 

 self by making it red-hot in the fire, and 

 letting it cool in the air. Common hemp is 

 the next article, cotton wadding, pounded 



whitening, and pounded alum, or chloride of 

 lime ; as to the poisons which are used, thej' 

 wiU be spoken of by and by. You should 

 also have a common brad-awl or two, and 

 some pieces of quarter-inch deal, whereon to 

 stand the specimens when presei'ved, if to bo 

 placed as walking on a plane ; if not, some 



