RELAXING DRY SKINS OF BIRDS. 181 



plaster lining- has soaked full, when the rest of the water is 

 emptied out. If a layer of wet sand is spread over the bottom, 

 the saturation of the air inside the box, when closed, will be still 

 more complete. 



A HEROIC METHOD OF RELAXATION. Mr. William Brewster 

 thus describes " A New Wrinkle in Taxidermy," in Messrs. 

 Southwick & Jencks' " Random Notes," vol. ii., No. 1 : 



"Wishing 1 to turn a mounted bird into a skin, and having 

 but a limited time to devote to the task, I tried an experiment. 

 Taking- a funnel, and inserting- the pointed end in the stuffing 

 between the edges of the skin on the abdomen, I poured in a 

 quantity of hot water (nearly boiling- hot) taking- care to regu- 

 late the injection so that it should be rather slowly absorbed by 

 the stuffing, and holding- the bird at various angles, that every 

 portion of the anterior might become soaked. The effect was 

 magical ; the skin quickly relaxed, and within fifteen minutes I 

 could bend the neck and make other required changes without 

 any risk of a break. 



" My first experiment was with a gull ; afterward I tried other 

 birds, both large and small, with equal success. I found also 

 that the plan worked equally well with skins which had been 

 overstuffed, or otherwise badly made. In a very few minutes 

 they would become nearly as tractable as when freshly taken 

 from the birds, and much more so than I have ever succeeded in 

 making them by the use of a damping-box. The only difficulty 

 experienced was that the water, especially if turned in too fast. 

 would escape through shot-holes and other rents in the skin, 

 thus wetting the plumage in places. Of course, after the re- 

 quired improvements or changes have been made, the stuffing is 

 so thoroughly saturated that the skin must be placed in a very 

 warm place to dry. I dried mine most successfully by placing 

 them on a furnace register, and leaving them exposed to the full 

 blast of heat for several days." 



SCRAPING AND CLEANING RELAXED SKINS. After a dry bird 

 skin has been softened, it then remains to scrape it clean and 

 manipulate it all over to get it into thoroughly elastic working 

 order, as soft and pliable (if possible) as when first taken off. 

 Small skins should be scraped with the round end of a small 

 bone-scraper, which has a sharp chisel edge, but the large on< ^ 



