402 THE STRUCTURE AND LIFE OF BIRDS chap. 



ones because you have seen them alive and want to 

 make out all the details of their plumage, of the 

 rarer ones because you, perhaps, have not seen them. 

 But, of the two, the common ones are the more im- 

 portant ; great rarities may well be dispensed with. 

 Museums, therefore, need not be such exterminators 

 as private slaughterers who often prize a specimen for 

 its rarity and nothing else. 



An ornithologist should understand the art of bird- 

 skinning. Bird-stuffers, it is true, are many, and 

 there is nearly always one not very far off, but good 

 stuffers are rare, It is highly desirable, therefore, to 

 be able to make a good skin that can be mounted, if 

 you prefer it, afterwards. If he is travelling in an un- 

 civilised country, the ornithologist must, of necessity, 

 be a bird-skinner, if he wants to bring home any 

 specimens. You pick up a good deal in the process 

 of skinning besides learning patience. Patience is 

 highly necessary, since if you hurry too much or lose 

 your temper, there will soon be a rent that may be 

 difficult to conceal. You notice, as you go, the bare 

 patches or apteria which are so important in classifi- 

 cation. You discover the powderdowns of the Heron. 

 You get a look at the wing muscles and notice the 

 depth of the breast. You appreciate the paper-like 

 thinness of the skull. You discover and wonder at 

 the extent of the air-cavities under the skin of the 

 Gannet. The Starling's skin, you find, is as tough 

 as leather, the Blackbird's delicate and easily torn. 

 You make a point of opening the gizzard to see 

 what the bird has been feeding on. The very 

 useful art of skinning can be learnt by means of a 



