9 
It is advisable to unwrap all the skins the next day, to see that 
the feathers are smooth and the wings in position, before they are 
finally laid in their tin case for transmission to the Museum. To 
each specimen should be attached a small label with the locality, 
date, altitude, and sex clearly marked on one side, and, on the other, 
the colour of the bill, feet, and iris. The plan adopted by some 
collectors of attaching a number to the specimen and keeping a 
corresponding entry in a book is not to be recommended, as, if the 
number or the book gets lost, the history of the specimen is lost also. 
PREPARATION OF THE SKINS OF LARGE BrrRps. 
Large birds should be treated in exactly the same manner as 
described above, but greater care is necessary to remove all flesh 
and fat from the bones and skin, which should be carefully and 
thoroughly dressed with arsenical soap. As already stated, an incision 
should be made along the wing-coverts on the under side of the 
wings, and after the bones of the fore-arm (radius and ulna) have 
been cleaned and dressed, arsenical soap or powdered alum may, with 
advantage, be inserted along the incision. An incision should also 
be made down the tarsi and along the under surface of each toe, the 
sinews removed, and the bones thoroughly treated with the preserva- 
tive arsenical soap. 
In preparing very large birds, such as Ostriches, if not required 
for mounting, it is an excellent plan to inject a 5 per cent. solution 
of formalin by means of a syringe into the tarsi and feet. This 
rapidly dries them up and leaves them perfectly preserved. The 
labour of removing the sinews is then avoided and much time is saved. 
In making up skins of birds with long necks, such as Bustards, 
Flamingoes, Herons, and Geese, etc., the neck should be strengthened 
by inserting a fairly stout wire, and bent back along the breast 
towards the tail. Skins made in this way are much more easily 
packed, and the risk of breaking their necks is avoided. 
SPECIAL TREATMENT REQUIRED FOR CERTAIN BIRDS WITH 
LARGE HEADS. 
The heads of some birds (for instance, Ducks and Woodpeckers) 
are too large to allow the skin of the neck to be drawn over them. 
In such cases the neck should be severed from the body as soon as 
it becomes clear that no further progress can be made without running 
the risk of bursting the skin. The cleaning of the head must then 
be left till the skin is turned back, when an incision should be made 
along the middle of the crown, running backwards to the nape. 
Through this the head may be turned out and cleaned in the usual 
way. As soon as it is replaced, the cut edges of the incision should 
be drawn together with a needle and thread, an operation which 
leaves no obvious trace if performed with care. 
