26 INSTRUCTIONS FOE, THE PRESERVATION OF BIRDS. 



and thighs, the latter come prominently into view, and they should be 

 severed at the knee-joint (see fig. 1). The tibial bone itself, when not 

 broken b^^ a shot, should always be kept in the skin, as it becomes a 

 support for the legs when the skin is made up. By the severance of 

 first one thigh and then the other, nothing is left to cut but the tail ; 

 and when the skin has been pulled down sufficiently to expose the oil- 

 gland, it may be detached by a sharp cut above the latter. It should 

 be noted that a good deal of flesh can be left on the root of the tail 

 without damage to the skin, provided that it be thoroughly ivell dressed 

 with arsenical soap. It is a maxim in the preservation of animals and 

 birds that all fat should be removed from the skin as far as possible ; 

 but at the same time this requires great care, and the arsenical soap 

 will account for many small layers of fat and destroy them. 



It now remains to remove the flesh from the legs and wings, and 

 turn the head and neck inside-out. By pushing the leg up from 

 the outside, the flesh is soon exposed and is easily removed along 

 with the tendons. A wisp of cotton or tow is wrapped round the 

 bone, as a substitute for the flesh, and the legs are then drawn back 

 to their natural position. The wings are then dealt with : the flesh 

 is removed from the humerus, and by a certain amount of pressure 

 the skin which conceals the flesh of the other wing-bones can be 

 pushed back, and the flesh which lies between them must be cut out 

 as far as possible. In the case of large birds it will be found best 

 to make an incision along the wing-coverts from the imder side of the 

 iviyig. The flesh can thus easily be removed, and the cut is not 

 noticed when the skin is made up and the wings folded close to the 

 body. The wing-bones and the skin of the wing should be thoroughly 

 dressed with arsenical soap, as any flesh remaining is apt to decay, 

 and then the wing-coverts and the quills fall out. In small birds 

 there is not so much risk of this misfortune, but large birds are 

 often spoilt through inattention to these details. 



The preparation of the head is usually considered by beginners to 

 be very difficult, but in reality it is quite easy. The first care is 

 not to stretch the neck, as a skin with an elongated neck is always 

 ugly ; and the neck, when once unduly stretched, can never be got 

 back to its proper length. By gently forcing the head back from 

 the outside, the skull is gradually exposed, and, except in the case 



