it off the fire and add the chloride of lime, keeping 
the head away to avoid the obnoxious fumes which 
are given off. When cold, stir in the tincture of 
musk. This is a good preservative soap, is very 
cheap, and if stored in well-stopped jars, will keep 
for an indefinite period. 
The other is in the form of a powder. Take 
Burnt alum, 8ozs. 
Tannin, ‘vor. 
Red pepper, roz. 
Naphthaline, 1oz. 
Thoroughly mix the above ingredients, and keep in 
a well-stoppered jar. This mixture, which should be 
rubbed into the skin on the inside, answers well for 
birds and small mammals, and is useful for sprink- 
ling on the skin after applying a preservative soap. 
As regards eyes, the most useful sizes are: No. 
3, Finches; No. 5, Thrushes; No. 7, Jackdaws; No. 
9, Crows; No. 11, Gulls; No. 13, Herons; No. 15, 
Owls. A gross of assorted colours and sizes may 
be had from any of the London dealers for a few 
shillings. Small birds, such as Tits, Warblers and 
Finches, are quite suited with black eyes; but with 
larger birds, the colour of the iris must be 
matched. Some workers procure uncoloured eves, 
or “‘flints,’’ and colour them as required. 
The following are approximately the sizes of 
wire required for the legs: No. 23, Warblers; No. 
21, Finches; No. 19, Thrushes; No. 16, Jackdaws; 
No. 13, Crows; No. 10, Herons; No. 8, Geese. As 
explained in Chapter VI. the leg wires are always a 
trifle thicker than the body wire. 
20 
