THE OOLOGIST. 



105 



tive and especially so much more beau- 

 tiful. 



All books on taxidermy whieh I have 

 seen give a few fixed rules to be ajiplied 

 to all kinds of biids, to that I take ex- 

 ception as well as many other points 

 which I shall consider later. A person 

 may skin a bird while it lies on a table, 

 or suspended as best suits the operator, 

 but don't cut away the leg bones below 

 the knees, nor the wing bones or loosen 

 the wing quills on anj' bird great or 

 small, 



Where it is necessary to remove Hesh 

 from wings, a gash may be made from 

 outside and under the wing from where 

 flesh may be easily removed. Leave 

 all the skull possible. If you read books 

 written by so-called high authorities (v)- 

 advising you to cut or break off half 

 the leg bones, skin the wings to the out- 

 er joints and remove all bone at next 

 joint, and cut the skull just back of the 

 eyes, I would say don't do it. You 

 might gain time, but what you saved in 

 time would be deducted from the value 

 of your specimens and large interest to 

 boot. If you are ever tem])ted in 

 that waj',I would imploringly say don't. 

 Next, How do you stuff skins? Why, 

 till them willi cotton, be sure and stuff 

 well the breast and throat so as to form 

 a beautiful curve from bill to breast, then 

 the skin is placed in a paper cone or on 

 cotton with its bill straight out point- 

 ing in a perfectly opj)osite direction to 

 its tail. Shoi't-necked birds get their 

 necks lengthened and long-necked 

 species get theirs shortened. Birds 

 having long wings have them pushed 

 up among the feathers each side of their 

 neck. All is lovely and harmony reigns 

 why intelligent people will attemi)t to 

 improve ui)on the living forms of l)irds 

 I cannot understand. It can oidy end 

 in attempt for we are not wiser tlian 

 our Creator. 



Specimens having their luMds doul)- 

 led back and throats distended with 

 cotton always make me feel j)aiiiful 



and distressed and lemind me of a 

 scared toad or a bloated sheep I once 

 saw whicli was lying dead with its back 

 in a plow furrow. I Avill advance the 

 claim for t lie art of taxidermj- that its 

 greatest triumi)h, is to perfectly imitate 

 nature and acting upon this belief I 

 have devised several methods and 

 plans which po.ssibly are not practiced 

 by other collectors and whereby I am 

 enabled to make inTtect skins of owls 

 and other species which are difficult to 

 prepare. 



Small birds I lind most easily and 

 nicel}^ stuffed by taking a little excelsior, 

 tow or jute and make a small roll of it 

 between my hands, doulde one end over 

 where it is small and cut it so as to 

 leave in length; a roll uearlj^ as long as 

 neck and body of bird to be stuffed, 

 take doubled end between forceps and 

 insert up birds neck and place doubled 

 end of tow in tie biids mouth, but not 

 far enough to i)ievent mandibles from" 

 closing naturallj', now with needle and 

 thread, pass thread through nostrils 

 and tie bill closed, thus the roll is held 

 lirmly in the birds mouth and the 

 length of neck can be easily adjusted. 

 StutVthe skin out to natural size, ar- 

 range wings and other feathers jiroper- 

 ly, and ]>lace in i)aper cone or any 

 other convenient drying form where 

 the skin will be kept in proper form un- 

 til dry. If the bird is a crested species, 

 turn the head to one side and ertct the 

 crest as in life. For long-necked birds 

 such as ducks, waders, etc. I make an 

 artilicial body upon a wire, strong 

 enougli to make the neck stiff and pre- 

 vent breakage; in shipment. The body 

 should be nearly as long as the natural, 

 and as thick as the bird's back is wide. 

 The artiticial neck is next made, lirst 

 fasten the end of a suuill ,vire in the 

 body and wind it in about half inch 

 coils around the neck wire until it 

 is brought out as far as it is necessary 

 to make the neck in length, and then 

 wind back again to the body and cut off 



