PART IV 



PREPARATION OF BIRD SPECIMENS FOR DIS- 

 PLAY OR STUDY 



Whether it is better to have skins or mounted birds depends 

 entirely upon the use they are to serve, the number there are 

 to be, and the room at disposal for their preservation. 



For beginners in ornithology, mounted birds show far more 

 than skins. A bird properly stuffed, with the mouth slightly 

 open, the wings placed free from the body feathers, and the 

 toes well spread on the perch, can be studied by thousands of 

 beginners and still remain intact. The specimen itself need 

 not be handled, as all the necessary parts of head, bill, wings, 

 and legs can be studied by holding the bird stand in different 

 directions. A bird skin is soon torn to pieces by beginners. 

 They pull the toes apart to see the amount of webbing, move 

 the legs in all directions to examine the tarsus and tibia, raise 

 the wings, and open the mouth. They have no respect for the 

 skin ; but the mounted bird they consider a thing of beauty. 



The author has hundreds of specimens of mounted birds, 

 which have been studied by thousands of his students in the 

 last twenty years, and they are still in good condition for 

 another twenty years of study, while his bird skins have lasted 

 but a few years. The students much prefer the mounted speci- 

 mens ; indeed, all one need do to insure the birds against care- 

 less usage is to warn the students, that, if the mounted birds 

 are harmed by handling, skins Avill be used instead. 



Any moderately ingenious boy or girl can learn to mount 

 birds well by following printed and illustrated instructions. 

 There is an advantage in seeing one specimen crenared by a 



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