47 



SEC. VII IIOIV TO MAKE A BIRDSKIN 



the feathers ; seize it with fingers or forceps, as convenient, and use 

 it for gentle traction. But by no means pull it out by holding- on 

 to the rear end of the skin — that would infallibly stretch the skin. 

 Holding the bill, make a cylinder of your left hand and coax the 

 skin backward with a sort of milking motion. It will come easily 

 enough, until the final stage of getting the head back into its skull- 

 cap ; this may require some little dexterity ; but you cannot fail to 

 get the head in, if you remember what you did to get it out. When 

 this is fairly accom})lished, you for the first time have the pleasure 

 of seeing something that looks like a birdskin. Your next care is 

 to apply arsenic. Lay the skin on its back, the opening toward 

 you and wide spread, so the interior is in view. Eun the scalpel- 

 handle into the neck to dilate that cylinder until you can see the 

 skull ; find your way to the orifices of the legs and wings ; expose 

 the 2)ope's-nose ; thus you have not only the general skin surface 

 but all the points where some traces of flesh were left, fairly in 

 view. Put in arsenic ; send some down the neck, making sure it 

 reaches and plentifully besprinkles the whole skull ; drop a little 

 in each wing-hole and leg-hole ; leave a small pile at the root of the 

 tail ; strew some more over the skin at large. The simple rule is 

 put in as much arsenic as will stick anywhere. Then close the 

 opening, and shake up the skin ; move the head about by the bill • 

 rustle the wings and move the legs ; this distributes the poison 

 thoroughly. If you have got in more than is necessary, as you may 

 judge by seeing it piled up dry, anywhere, hold the skin with the 

 opening downward over the poison-drawer, and give it a flip and let 

 the superfluous powder fall out. Now for the "make-uj)," upon 

 which the beauty of the preparation depends. First get the emj^ty 

 skin into good shape. Let it lie on its back ; draw it straight out 

 to its natural length. See that the skin of the head fits snugly \ 

 that the eyes, ears, and jaws are in place. Expand the wings to 

 make sure that the bone is in place, and fold them so that the 

 quills override each other naturally ; set the tail-feathers shino-le- 

 wise also ; draw down the legs and leave them straddling wide 

 apart. Give the plumage a preliminary dressing ; if the skin is free 

 from kinks and creases, the feathers come naturally into place ; 

 particular ones that may be awry should be set right, as may be 

 generally done by stroking, or by lifting them free repeatedl}-, and 

 letting them fall \ if any (through carelessness) remain turned into 

 the ojjening, they should be carefully picked out. Remove all traces 

 of gypsum or arsenic with the feather-duster. The stuffing is to be 

 put in through the opening in the belly ; the art is to get in just 

 enough, in the right places. It would never do to push in pellets 

 of cotton, as you would stuff a pillow-case, till the skin is filled up ; 

 no subsequent skill in setting could remove the distortion that 



