APPENDIX. 597 



sublimate, and nothing more is required. See the " Wander- 

 ings." 



Birds must be steeped in the solution before they are skinned ; 

 quadrupeds, after they are skinned. In steeping waterfowl, more 

 attention is required in steeping land birds, because the feathers of 

 the first are more impenetrable. 



Let us steep a duck. I put it on its back in any convenient 

 vessel, and then shake it well, first by holding it by the beak, then 

 by the feet, then by one wing, and so on, till every part of the 

 plumage is completely saturated. This done, the outside of the bird 

 is poisoned for ever. I then hold it up by the beak and press every 

 part of the plumage down with a little stick, in order to drain off the 

 liquid. This done, I go to the kitchen fire, if there be none else- 

 where, and hold the bird to it, first one side, then the other ; and I 

 often shake it in the air till I get the whole of the plumage com- 

 pletely dried. I then dissect it, and I wash the inside well with 

 the solution (see the " Wanderings ") ; and all is done for ever, as 

 far as preserving your specimen from the depredations of the moth is 

 concerned. 



The quadruped must be skinned first. This done, put it into the 

 solution ; then, with a brush, such as you use for hair, brush it well, 

 first downwards with the natural range of the fur, and then upwards, 

 until you have completely cleansed it of all its impurities. This 

 done, stuff it whilst it is wet ; or if you only want the skin, then 

 place it on a board, and dry it, taking care to brush it from head to 

 tail, and you will have a skin as clean and beautiful as can possibly be 

 imagined ; and no matter where you stow it away (after the skin is 

 quite dried), it will be perfectly safe from the moth and damp. 



If these instructions be not sufficiently clear, you must point out 

 the obscurity, and I will try and throw light on it. Should you pass 

 the winter in Rome, you will find, in superabundance, the finest 

 specimens of nearly all the European birds, lying for sale on the 

 stalls of the Pantheon. Wags used to call this quarter of Rome my 

 studio. I would sometimes visit it four times a day, and I always 

 found something new. 



I forgot to mention that insects must be steeped after they have 

 been dissected. So must serpents. 



