182 TAXIDERMY AND ZOOLOGICAL COLLECTING. 



must be scraped with a small -toothed skin scraper such as is 

 used on small mammals. 



Of the many thousand species of recent birds, only the 

 ostriches, penguins, and a few others have the feathers distrib- 

 uted evenly over the whole body. In all the EuornifTies they are 

 arranged in regular patches or groups, called pterylos, between 

 which lie the naked or downy spaces, called apteria. In thin- 

 skinned birds it is the pterylce that need to be attacked with the 

 scraper, and so scraped and stretched and pulled apart that the 

 skin widens, and each feather is free, as in life, to move on its 

 own root independently, and take whatever position it should 

 have on the mounted bird. Turn the skin completely wrong 

 side out, scrape it all over, and get every part fully relaxed, and 

 into thorough working order. Large birds, or birds with thick, 

 fat skins, require plenty of work to get out all the grease, and 

 get the wings, legs, and head into a thorough state of collapse. 

 In large, long-legged birds, the tendons must be removed from 

 the leg, the same as if the specimen were a fresh one, for other- 

 wise the wire may split the skin of the tarsus wide open, and 

 make a very bad and unsightly turn at the heel besides. It is a 

 difficult task to remove the tendon from the leg of an old, dry 

 heron or crane, but it must be done. 



DAMAGED SKINS. It not infrequently happens that in clean- 

 ing and scraping a rare and valuable old skin it proves to be 

 " burnt " with grease, and goes to pieces like so much brown 

 paper. 



"Now is the winter of our discontent." 



If the skin is not torn too badly it may be lined with thin cot- 

 ton or linen cloth, which must be cut and fitted within, and 

 sewed fast to the skin all over. This plan, though rather tedious 

 to work out, develops admirably when determinedly and care- 

 fully pursued. 



If the skin goes all to pieces, a manikin must be made, and 

 the pieces glued upon it, one by one, beginning at the tail, a 

 process which is so simple it is unnecessary to describe it in 

 detail. In Fig. 50 is seen a manikin all ready to receive its 

 feathers, wings, and head. 



