Taxidermia. 279 : 
menstruum, we next place the naked carcase of the animal be- 
ore us, an el (shape) out of tow in one piece, an artifi- 
cial head ae neck, copying the form, length and thickness, 
of the original, as nearly as possible, by winding it round 
with thread or twine, and thrust it into the cavity of the 
skull bone remaining attached to the skin, where for conven- 
jence it may be secured, by passing a bent wire through the 
_ skull and the artificial head. The eye sockets then being 
filled up with fine cut tow, and the muscles that have been re- 
moved from the bone of the head replaced by tow, draw back 
and fill and smooth the skin over the head and neck, as it 
was before. 
Wind tow around the bones of the leg, to give it the shape 
and size of the muscles that covered them before, and towards 
the end let the flax be left long : wind it rather peer so that 
by the pressure of the fingers, it may afterwards receive the 
flat shape of the shoulder blade. Both legs being 7 inailart 
shaped, draw the skin over them, and by smoothing and 
Bie make it fit on 
e proceed in thes same way with the hind legs, only, as 
must be evident, the thighs should be more prominent than 
the shoulder blades of the fore parts. If part of the bone 
has been retained, the artificial thigh will be more easily com- 
pleted. But that we may not exceed or fall short in the di- 
mensions, we are to attend closely to the wue body, and di- 
rect ourselves thereby. 
'The bones of the tail are supplied by the insertion of a 
wire, which must be pointed at the end, and stuck into the 
artificial beady The size of the wire must depend upon the 
bigness of the animal, and being wound round, of a proper 
thickness, with tow, is thrust into the skin of the tail, and 
the skin completely drawn back over it. In smaller ar 
for instance the glires, this is a troublesome and hazardous 
business, which may fail by very slight ac ae 
Next comes the formation of the body itself, wbsb is form- 
ed of tow, wound very tight wi with or twine, so” 
that it may resemble, in size and sha ape, the real canted lying 
before us. .’ This is then laid into the skin, forward, betw 
the artificial shoulder blades, and behind, between the thighs. 
These are properly pressed and filled, in their natural posi- 
tion ; the end of the wire inserted in the tail, is run into 
body, and then the isi neatly stitched up. 
* Ja mures, the bone of the tail may be suffered to remain, . 
