COLLECTIXG SKIXS OF LARGE BIRDS. 59 



The wing- of a large bird contains, between the elbow and the 

 so-called " shoulder-joint " (carpus), quite a quantity of flesh 

 lying 1 underneath and between the radius and ulna. Whatever 

 you do with the wing, iiever cut the ends of the secondaries loose 

 from the ulna. In spacing and adjusting those secondaries 

 nature has done something which, to save your life, you cannot 

 do as well, and if you meddle with her work some one will be 

 sorry. Slit open the skin all along the under side of this long 

 joint of the wing, cut out all the flesh from around the radius 

 and ulna, and poison the interior thoroughly. Put in a little 

 filling of tow or cotton, and ssw up the opening. Even in small 

 birds, except the smallest ones, it is an excellent plan to slit 

 open the wing on the under side and put some dry poison on 

 the flesh, without stopping to sew up the cut. Clean out the 

 flesh and the oil sac from the root of the tail, and poison that 

 part so thoroughly that any insect who ever dares to think 

 once of harboring there will instantly drop dead. 



A bird like a large heron, with long legs, or an eagle with 

 very thick legs, should always have the tendons removed from 

 the legs in order to facilitate curing, and for the mutual benefit of 

 both specimen and taxidermist Avhen, a little later, the two meet 

 in the laboratory and engage in a hand-to-hand struggle for 

 supremacy. To accomplish this, cut a slit lengthwise in the ball 

 of the foot where its rests upon the ground. Cut off the tendons 

 where they branch and attach to the toes, seize the end of each 

 large tendon with your pliers and pull it forcibly out of the leg. 

 You can do this with a fresh bird in about five minutes, wherca:; 

 in a dry skin that has been relaxed it will take you much longer. 

 This removes a fine subject for decomposition, and also leaves the 

 space neeess;tvv for the leg wire when the specimen is mounted. 

 After having removed the tendon I always give the legs a coat 

 of rather thin arsenical soap, both to cure them and protect 

 them from insects. Another excellent plan is to lay all such 

 long legs in a pan of salt-and alum bath solution for a few 

 hours to thoroughly cure them. 



If there is a layer of fat adhering to the skin, it must be 

 scraped off and absorbed with corn meal, and scraped again un- 

 til it is all off. A layer of fat spoils a skin more quickly and 

 more effectually than any novice can be expected to believe 



