NATURAL UISTORY. 243 



The bird is now to be restored to something like its natural shape 

 by means of a filling of cotton or tow. Begin by opening tlie mouth 

 and putting cotton into the orbits and u])per part of the throat, until 

 these parts have tlieir natural sha[)e. Next take tow or cotton, and, 

 after making a roll rather less in thickness than the original neck, 

 put it into the skin, and push firmly into the base cf the skull. By 

 means of this you can reduce or contract the neck if too much stretched. 

 Fill the body with cotton, not quite to its original dimensions, and 

 sew up the incision in the skin, commencing at the upi)er end, and 

 passing the needle from the inside outwards; tie the legs and mandi- 

 bles together, adjust the feathers, and, after preparing a cylinder of 

 paper the size of the bird, push the skin into it so as to bind the wings 

 closely to the sides. The cotton may be put in loosely, or a body the 

 size of the original made by wrapping with threads. If the bird have 

 long legs and neck, these had better be iblded down over the body, 

 and allowed to dry in that position. Economy of space is a great 

 object in keeping skins, and such birds as herons, geese, swans, &c., 

 occupy too much room M'hen outstretched. 



In some instances, as among ducks, Avoodpeckers, &c., the head i's^ 

 so large that the skin of the neck cannot be drawn over it. In such, 

 cases, skin the neck down to the base of the skull, and cut it off there. 

 Then draw the head out again, and, making an incision on the cut-- 

 side, down the back of the skull, skin the head. Be careful not to. 

 make too long a cut, and to sew up the incision again. 



The sex of the specimen may be ascertained after skinning, by 

 making an incision in the side near the vertebrae, and exposing the 

 inside surface of the ''small of the back." The generative organs., 

 will be found tightly bound to this region, (nearly opposite to the last, 

 ribs,) and separating it from the intestines. The testicles of the male • 

 will be observed as two spheroidal or ellipsoidal whitish bodies^ vary- 

 ing with the season and species, from the size of a pin's head to that . 

 of a hazel-nut. The ovaries of the female, consisting of a flattened 

 mass of s[)heres, variable in size with the season, will be found in the ■ 

 same region. 



For transportation, each skin of mammals, as well .as of birds.^ 

 should, when possible, be wrapped in paper. 



2. MAMMALi?. 



The mode of preparing mammals is precisely the same as for birds, 

 in all its general features. Care should be taken not to make too 

 large an incision along the abdomen. The priucipal difficulty will be 

 experienced in skinning the tail. To effect this, pass the slipknot of 

 a piece of strong twine over the severed end of the tail, and, fasten- 

 ing the vertebrfe firmly to some support, pull the twine towards the 

 tip until the skin is forced off. Should tlie animal be large, and an 

 abundance of preservative not at hand, the skin had better remain 

 inverted. In all cases it should be thoroughly and rapidly dried. 



The tails of some mammalia cannot be skinned as directed above. 

 This is particularly the case with beavers, opossums, and those species 

 which use their tail for prehension or locomotion. Here the tail is 



