I/O IV ro MAKE A BIRDS KIN 



45 



which they are now suspended ; the whole mass must be supported. 

 For small birds, gather it in the hollow of your left hand, letting the 

 body swing over the back of your hand out of the way ; for large 

 ones, rest the affair on the table or your lap. To skin the head, 

 secure the body in the position just indicated, by confining the neck 

 between 3'our left thumb and forefinger ; bring the riglit finaers 

 and thumb to a cone over the head, and draw it out with gentle 

 force ; or, holding the head itself between the left thumb and 

 forefinger, insert the handle of the scalpel between the skin and 

 skull, and pry a little, to enlarge the neck-cylinder of skin enough 

 to let the head pass. It will generally ^ slip out of its hood very 

 readily, as far as its greatest diameter ; - there it sticks, Ijeing in 

 fact pinned by the ears. Still holding tlie bird as before, with the 

 point of the scalpel handled like a nut-picker, or with your thumb- 

 nail, detach the delicate membrane that lines the ear-opening ; do 

 the same for the other ear. The skull is then shelled out to the 

 eyes, and will skin no farther of its own accord, being again 

 attached by a membrane, around the border of the eye-socket. 

 Holding the scalpel as before, run its edge around an arc (a semi- 

 circle is enough to let you into the orbit) of the circumference, 

 dissevering the membrane from the bone. Reverse the scalj^el, and 

 scoop out the eyeball with the end of the handle ; you bring out 

 the eye betwixt the ball of your thumb and the handle of the 

 instrument, tearing apart the optic nerve and the conjunctival 

 tissue, but taking care not to open the eyeball ^ or lacerate the 

 eyelids. Do the same with the other eye. The head is then 

 skinned far enough ; there is no use of getting quite to the base of 

 the bill. You have now to get rid of the brain and flesh of the 

 nape and jaws,'^ and leave most of the skull in ; the cranial dome 

 makes the only perfect " stufiing " for the skin of the head. This 

 is all done at once by only four particular cuts. Hold the head 



prevent lengthwise stretching. Crosswise distension is of no consequence ; in fact 

 mors or less of it is usually required to skin the head, and it tends to counteract the 

 ill effect of undue elongation. 



^ The special case of head too large for the calibre of the neck is treated 

 beyond. 



- And you will at once find a great ajii^arent increase of amount of free skin in 

 your hand, owing to release and extension of all that was before shortened in length 

 by circular distension, in enlargement of the neck-cylinder. 



^ An eyeball is much larger than it looks from the outside ; if you stick the 

 instrument straight into the socket, you may punch a hole in the ball and let out 

 the water — a very disagreeable complication. Insinuate the knife-handle close to the 

 rim of the socket, and hug the wall of the cavity throughout. 



•* You may of course at this stage cut oil" the neck at the najDe, pimch a hole in 

 the base of the skull, dig out the brains, and scrape away at the jaw-muscles till you 

 are satisfied or tired ; an unnecessary job, during which the skin may have become 

 dry and shrivelled and hard to turn right side out. The operation described in the 

 text may require five seconds, perhaps. 



