better left until the specimen is skinned, otherwise a 
second treatment may be necessitated by the 
feathers coming in contact with juices during the 
skinning, though this can generally be obviated by 
applying pieces of paper to the inside of the skin as 
the operation proceeds. 
Before actually commencing to skin, the usual 
measurements, viz., the entire length of the speci- 
men (from tip of bill to end of tail), and length of 
wing (from carpal joint to end of first primary) in 
inches and tenths, should be taken and recorded. 
In the case of Waders it is advisable to note also the 
length of bill (from base to tip of upper mandible) 
as some interesting variations, dependent largely on 
age and sex, are met with, in this connection, from 
time to time. 
Assuming that everything is now ready for a 
start, lay your bird on a sheet of newspaper, and 
replug the mouth with fresh cotton wool. Next tie 
the mandibles firmly together with a piece of thin 
string(which should be passed through the nostrils, 
leaving a length of eight or ten inches attached, the 
use of which will presently appear. Now with the 
round-nosed pliers break each humerus close to the 
body, so as to cause the wings to lie open and so be 
out of the way. (In the case of large birds the wing 
bones are best broken with a ruler or blunt stick 
against the table’s edge). Having done this, lay the | 
bird on its back, and part the feathers from the 
breast-bone to the vent; then with the scalpel make 
‘a small incision in the skin at the end of the breast- 
bone, and continue the cut down to the vent with the 
22 
