188 TAXIDERMY AND ZOOLOGICAL COLLECTING. 



you have finished, for when the wing 1 is pinned in place it will 

 be entirely hidden. 



The wings must be fastened to the body before the feathers 

 can be fully adjusted. Cut six small wires, each two inches 

 long 1 , and sharpen at one end. Let us wire the left wing- first. 

 Hold it between the left thumb and forefinger, and with the 

 right hand push the point of one of the small wires through 

 the angle of the wing, commonly called the shoulder. When, 

 the point is well through, hold the wing in place against 

 the body, adjust it with great care, and when you see that the 

 feathers of the shoulder fall properly over the angle of the 

 wing, push the wire through into the excelsior body until it 

 holds firmly. Push another wire through at the base of the 

 large quills (primaries), and another through the upper part of 

 the wing, just below where it leaves the body. These wires are 

 well shown in Fig. 52. The wing now fits closely against the 

 body, and the feathers fall over it smoothly, so as to completely 

 cover the upper part of it. 



Wire the other wing in the same way, taking great care that 

 one is not placed farther ahead than the other, nor farther up 

 or down on the body. The tips of the wings should touch each 

 other exactly at the point. Look at your bird from all sides 

 before finally securing the second wing. 



With the wings firmly wired and the feathers nicely adjusted, 

 we next proceed to stuff the head. With the scissors cut up 

 some fine tow or cotton, and by inserting it through the mouth 

 with the forceps, a pinch at a time, fill out around the back and 

 sides of the head, the upper part of the neck and the throat. 

 Do not fill the skin too full, and take care that both sides of the 

 head are precisely the same shape and size. Take plentj 7 of 

 time and do your work nicely. 



When the head has been properly filled out, fill in each eye- 

 socket with a little soft clay or putty, insert the glass eyes, and 

 embed them in it . Study the eyes of your dead bird, and imi- 

 tate their appearance and position with those of your mounted 

 specimen. It is a good plan to put a drop of mucilage around 

 the inside of each eyelid and thus gum it down upon the glass 

 eye. Be sure that the eyes are exactly opposite one another, 

 and that one is not higher nor farther back than the other. 



