88 



THE OOLOGIST 



paying particular attention to the 

 feathers along the opening cut, and af- 

 terwards dry out the benzine by using 

 plenty of plaster paris. Beat out all 

 the plaster by slapping the skin smart- 

 ly between the palms of the hands pre- 

 ferably out of doors where the plaster 

 can blow off to one side. Next brush 

 the feathers carefully with a rabbit's 

 foot or a piece of cotton batting and 

 proceed as usual in making up the 

 skin. 



If desirable to have the skins shap- 

 ed, when finished, don't neglect to 

 tie the wing bones together inside 

 the skin, before putting in your filling 

 material. Wrap a little cotton around 

 the bone of each leg so that the skin 

 will not shrink up to the bone itself 

 and dry all wrinkled there. Be sure 

 to put a small stick, or wire, covered 

 with cotton , inside the neck with one 

 end pushed firmly into the skull and 

 the other end extending well back in 

 the filling material in the body of 

 the bird. This will brace the neck and 

 head so that they will not shake loose 

 or break. 



After a skin has been well sponged 

 inside and out with benzine there is 

 no fat left in it to run out on the feaUa- 

 ers, and the skin itself dries out more 

 quickly than it would under other con- 

 ditions. We frequently see skins with 

 the feathers missing around the throat 

 and abdomen. This is usually caused 

 by keeping the birds too long before 

 skinning them, especially if the weath- 

 er is hot, as is generally the case in 

 shore bird season. The skin begins 

 to spoil on the abdomen first, and on 

 the throat soon afterward, and the 

 feathers slip off during the process of 

 skinning. To avoid this, don't kill 

 forty or fifty birds with the expecta- 

 tion of making up most of them into 

 nice skins, for, take my word for it, 

 you will surely get tired before you 

 have taken care of the first dozen of 



them. It is far better to shoot half a 

 dozen of the best specimens you can 

 find, and then go home and put away 

 the gun and make up the skins while 

 the birds are fresh. You may not be 

 able to brag about the big bags of 

 game you have made during the sea- 

 son, but you will have a series of 

 skins which in the end will give you 

 more satisfaction; and which will 

 probably give you a reputation as a 

 hunter which the mere game slaugh- 

 terer can never give, no matter how 

 hard you try. 



I do not claim this to be an original 

 n:ethod of treating bird skins, for 

 many of our collectors have made up 

 their skins in this manner for years 

 past. That is the reason why the 

 skins you receive from some collectors 

 make such a favorable showing in the 

 cabinet when compared with some 

 others which are carelessly prepared. 

 Let us have more shore birds Before 

 they become so rare that we cannot 

 procure the birds. 



Horace O. Green, Taxidermist. 

 Strneham, Mass. 



The assistant, who has edited the 

 magazine for the past three months, 

 desires to take this means of thanking 

 our readers for their patience, and the 

 many good words that have been con- 

 veyed to her for her effort to keep the 

 little magazine up to standard during 

 Mr. Barnes' absence. It has been in- 

 teresting work, and an incentive to 

 take more interest in our little feath- 

 ered friends in the future. 



The Oologist is indeed n^aking ra')id 

 strides toward becoming one of the 

 best of bird publications and it will 

 remain, as it has always been, our 

 n^cst beloved. 



Paul G. Howes. 



Your magazine is worth more than 

 we are now giving. 



D. J. Nicholson. 



