The Audubon Societies 391 



have a considerable excess which may be cut oflf when the bird is in position. 

 I used No. 22 tinned iron wire, and that is heavy enough for birds as large as 

 Jays, the largest bird I experimented with. I made the body of the bird with 

 cotton, for it does not need to be hard, being held firmly in place by the 

 mount. When the body has been put into the skin, the latter shaped and 

 sewed, it is placed on its back on a board, the wings spread and pinned in 

 place as flat as possible, using strips of cardboard over them if necessary. 

 The wings ought, I think, to be spread far enough to show any markings. I 

 was not very successful with that in my work. 



For the mount a light frame of wood the proper size is prepared, two strips 

 of celluloid are cut the outside length of the frame, and as wide as the distance 

 between the bird's body and the outer edge of the wing, plus the thickness of 

 the side of the frame. These are laid on each side of the frame, and held in place 

 by tacking over them thin strips of wood (I used y& inch thick), and similar 

 strips are also tacked across the ends. A hole is bored in the center of each end 

 of the frame, large enough for the wire to pass through and %. inch or so above 

 the edge to which the strips are fastened. Then the bird is laid in the frame, 

 wings resting on the strips, back up, the wires run through the holes, turned 

 and passed back through another hole bored a little to one side, and pulled 

 tight, the bird being properly adjusted between the ends of the frame. A 

 piece of celluloid of the proper size is laid over the bird's back and fastened in 

 place by tacking more light strips around. Then the frame is turned over and 

 another piece of celluloid fastened on that side by more strips. Of course 

 during all this manipulation the plumage should be kept as smooth as possible. 

 The photographs will probably show how it is done l^etter than what 

 I have written. 



I have not prepared many mounts in this manner as yet, merely enough to 

 try out the plan and get some ideas as to the method of working it. One thing 

 which is apparent is that certain standard sizes of frames should be decided 

 upon, and, if possible, they should be multiples of one another, so as to pack 

 with the least possible waste of space. How far this is practicable I do 

 not know. 



In making the frames I used material I had about. It was in strips either 

 J/i or i}4> inches wide, and supposed to be % inch thick, but varied somewhat. 

 The strips used for fastening down the celluloid were all yi inch thick, and 

 that seemed to give enough space for even the Jay's wings between the cellu- 

 loid strip and the back. 



Of the birds experimented with, a Warbler, Chickadees, Pine Siskin, and 

 Pygmy Nuthatch were all in the Js-inch-wide stuff, but it could well have 

 been narrower for these birds, ^ s inch. The frames for the three first-named 

 birds were ^}4. inches long inside. The Nuthatch was in a frame 3^:^ by 2^ 

 inches inside. Juncos and a White-crowned Sparrow were in the J/i, and with 

 these ^ or s.-^-inch would be deep enough. Their frames were 6^ inches long 



