56 MATERIALS FOR PREPARING SKINS. 



their applicability, are: — calcined magnesia (very good, but 

 too light — it floats in the air, and makes you cough) ; bicar- 

 bonate of magnesia; powdered chalk ("prepared chalk," creta. 

 prceparata of the drug shops is the best kind) ; fine wood- 

 ashes ; clean dry loam. No article, however powdery when 

 dry, that contains a glutinous principle, as for instance gum 

 arable or flour, is admissible, d. For wrapping, j^ou want a 

 thin, pliable, strong paper ; water-closet paper is the very best ; 

 newspaper is pretty good. I'or making the cones or cylinders 

 in which birdskins may be set to dry, a stitfer article is re- 

 quired ; writing paper answers perfectly. 



§33. Independent paragraph. Naturalists habituall}^ cari^ 

 a pocket lens, much as other people do a watch. You will find 

 a magnifying glass very convenient in your search for the sex- 

 ual organs of small birds when obscure, as they frequently are, 

 out of the breeding season ; in picking lice from plumage, to 

 send to your entomological friend, who will very likely pro- 

 nounce them to be of a "new species ;" and for other purposes. 



§34. Fixtures. When travelling, your fixtures must ordi- 

 narily be limited to a collecting-chest ; you will have to skin 

 birds on the top of this, on the tail-board of a wagon, or on 

 your lap, as the case may be. The chest should be very sub- 

 stantial — iron-bound is best ; strong as to hinges and lock — 

 and have handles. A good size is 30X18X18 inches. Let it 

 be fitted with a set of trays ; the bottom one say four inches 

 deep ; the rest shallower ; the top one very shallow, and divi- 

 ded into compartments for your tools and materials, unless 

 you fix these on the under side of the lid. Start out with 

 all the trays full of cotton or tow. At home, have a room to 

 yourself, if possible ; taxidermy makes a mess to which j^our 

 wife may object, and arsenic must not come in the way of chil. 

 dren. At any rate have your own table. I prefer plain deal 

 that may be scrubbed when required ; great cleanliness is indis- 

 pensable, especially when doing much work in hot weather, for 

 the place soon smells sour if neglected. I use no special re- 



