HINTS ABOUT MOuyTiyG 385 



as the doves, need to be skinned while perfectly fresh, and 

 with great care, or the plumage will come off from the skin in 

 patches. All large birds are difficult to skin, and many of 

 them need the constant use of the knife to separate the skin 

 from the flesh. All such birds should be suspended from some 

 siTpport by passing a hook (a bent wire nail forms a good one) 

 through the rump. The bird should be suspended as soon as 

 the tail is sev^ered, and then the skinning should be started 

 along the back (stages 4 and 5). 



Stuffing for large birds. — Excelsior is the best material for 

 all large bodies, although a little good tow spread over its sur- 

 face and thoroughly wound down makes it still better. 



Legs and wings. — All birds Avith the tibia exposed should 

 have the leg wire and tibia bone Avound together with the 

 proper amount of cotton (stage IG). The wings of large birds 

 are also better if cotton is Avound around the bones to take the 

 place of the flesh removed. 



Necks. — Most birds need to have the neck stuffed out. This 

 is done with the long wire set in a handle. Either chopped 

 tow or cotton is forced into the mouth and down the throat 

 (stage 21). 



Sizes of wire. — The size of wire needed dejiends more upon 

 the length of the legs and of the neck than upon the size of the 

 body ; thus a crane should have much heavier wire than a loon, 

 and the yellow-legs needs as large Avire as the blue-Avinged teal. 

 The sizes given in the following table are those of the '* stand- 

 ard Avire gauge." 



Bird No. of AVire Bird No. op Wirk 



Hummingbirds 28 



Kinglets and "Warblers 24 



Sparrows 22 



Thrushes 20 



Average Snipes ... 18 



Ducks and Long-legged Snipe ... 16 



Swans and Geese 14 



Smaller Herons 12 



Larger Herons 10 



Bird eyes. — Most bird eyes are practically black, and for 

 these, the black glass-headed pins are both good and cheap. 

 A feAv birds haA'e peculiarly colored eyes, yelloAv. blue, red, 

 apgar's birds. — 25 



