272, Taxidermia. 
only in a very few cases, such as the preservation of insect¢, 
To prepare the smaller species of birds and beasts in this way, 
(for none but small ones could be attempted, ) the entrails being 
removed, and the brains drawn out through an aperture in 
the roof of the bill, the vacancies were then filled with somé 
antiseptic drug: Wires being then introduced into the limbs, 
to give the degree of stiffness necessary to fix them in the 
intended attitude; they were lastly exposed to a gentle but. 
gradually increasing heat, until they became thorougbly dried. 
ut such specimens could not last long, for they were 
unluckily, a complete harbor for every species of insect de- 
tructive to collections of this kind. Notwithstanding, 
very powerful agents were made use of, which under different 
circumstatices, might have proved successful, yet, the great 
mass of animal matter remaining ii them, which could wot 
be thoroughly saturated with the preservative appplication, 
afforded an unstinted feast to these depredators. n im- 
provement upon this mede, was the removing, in addition to 
the entrails and brains as above stated, of all the larger mus- 
cles, such as the fleshy parts of the breast, wings and thighs, 
leaving the bones, and filling the vacancy with tow, dipped 
in some powerful solution. 
The next project was stuffing ; that is, the skin was taken 
off and the flesh being cut away, and the bones scraped clean, 
it was filled with various suitable materials, impregnated with 
antiseptic and corrosive agents. Thus prepared, the skins 
certainly kept better, but were nevertheless deficient in other 
qualities equally essential to every perfect specimen, such as 
a Just proportion of the limbs and other parts of the , a 
natural attitude, and the like. These defects arose partly 
upon the notion of cutting a model of the body of the animal 
out of wood, and stretching the skin over it. The bodies of 
