118 TAXIDEEMY AND ZOOLOGICAL COLLECTING. 



In all thin-haired animals the tendon of the heel must be 

 made by drilling 1 a hole through the end of the heel-bone, pass- 

 ing- a small wire through for half its length, then twisting the 

 wire together half-way up to the knee. Wind a little fine tow 

 around this wire, gradually increasing the quantity from the 

 heel upward until the false tendon is complete, and the upper 

 end is wound in with the tow which forms the lower part of the 

 thigh. In small mammals which have long, thick hair, as our 

 squirrel for example, it is not necessary to make the tendon, as 

 it does not show. Remember there is no flesh on the upper 

 part of the foot-bones, but considerable underneath. 



It is not best to make the legs extremely hard, or they will be 

 difficult to bend, but at the same time the tow must not be put 

 on in a loose, slovenly manner. Avoid making the legs too 

 large ; the opposite extreme is the lesser evil of the two. 



When the leg is finished, anoint the skin of that leg with ar- 

 ssnical soap, rub either a little wet clay or thick soap over the 

 tow leg so that it will slip into the skin easily, then turn the 

 skin up over it and adjust it from the foot up. If the leg does 

 not fit, turn the skin back and alter its shape until it does fit 

 perfectly. This done satisfactorily, insert a little clay or finely 

 chopped tow in the bottom of the foot, bend the wire so that it 

 leaves the foot at a right angle, sew up the cut, and you are 

 ready to proceed in like manner with the three remaining legs. 

 Be sure to make both legs of each pair precisely alike if you 

 wish to have a healthy-looking animal when finished. 



Having made all the legs, the next thing is the tail. Take 

 some of your finest tow in your right hand, the tail wire in your 

 left, begin at the pointed end, and by turning the wire con- 

 stantly from left to right, let it wind up the tow which runs be- 

 tween your right thumb and finger. Make the tail of a regular 

 taper, perfectly smooth, and not too large. Try it in the skin 

 occasionally to insure accuracy. If the first one is a failure, dis- 

 card it and make another. When at last you have what is re- 

 quired, anoint the inside of the tail skin with arsenical soap, slip 

 the false tail into its place, and if the tail has been slit open, 

 sew it up neatly all the way along, commencing at the tip. 



Now punch a small hole in the back of the skull a little above 

 the occipital opening, pass the end of the body wire through it, 



