6 BIRD-PRESERVING. 



bide, \)y laying hold of one leg and bending it forward, 

 you will be able to bring the bare knee through the 

 opening you have iwade ; with your scissors cut it 

 through at the joint ; pull the shank still adhering to 

 the leg till the skin is turned back as far as it will go ; 

 denude the bone of flesh and sinew, wrap a piece of 

 hemp round it, steeped in a strong solution of the 

 pounded alum, and then pull the leg by the claw, by 

 which means the skin will be brought again to its 

 place. 



After having served both legs alike, skin carefully 

 round the back, cutting off and leaving in the tail with 

 that into which the feathers grow, that is, the " Pope's 

 nose." Serve the wing bones the same as the leg, 

 cutting them off close to the body, and turn the skin 

 inside out down to the head. The back of the skull 

 will then appear, and you will now find it of advantage, 

 as soon as you have got the legs and tail free, to tie a 

 piece of string round the body, and hang it up as a 

 butcher skins a sheep. Make in the back of the skull 



a cut of the annexed form, with your knife, which you 

 can turn back like a trap-door, and with^the marrow- 

 spoon entirely clear out the brains ; A representing the 

 neck, and B the skin turned back. Having done this, 

 wash the interior of the skull thoroughly with the 

 alum 2 and fill it with cotton wadding. The next ope- 



