POISONING AND CLEANING. 55 



more than yourself ; the receptacle should be conspicuously la- 

 belled "POISON !" Arsenic is a good friend of ours ; besides 

 preserving our birds, it keeps busybodies and meddlesome 

 folks away from the scene of operations, by raising a whole- 

 some suspicion of the taxidermist's surroundings. It may be 

 kept in the tin pots in which it is usually sold ; but some shal- 

 lower, broader receptacle is more convenient. A little drawer, 

 say 6X6 inches, and an inch deep, to slip under the edge of 

 the table, or a similar compartment in a large drawer, will 

 be found handy. A salt-spoon, or little wooden shovel whit- 

 tled like one, is nice to use it with, though, in effect, I always 

 shovel it up with the handle of a scalpel. As stated, there is 

 no substitute for arsenic ; but at a pinch you can make tempo- 

 rary shift with the following, among other articles : table salt, 

 or saltpetre, or charcoal strewn plentifully ; strong solution of 

 corrosive sublimate, brushed over the skin inside ; creosote ; 

 impure carbolic acid ; these last two are quite efficacious, but 

 they smell horribly for an indefinite period. A bird threatening 

 to decompose before you can get at it to skin, may be saved 

 for a while by squirting weak carbolic acid or creosote down 

 the throat and up the fundament ; or by disembowelling, and 

 filling the cavity with powdered charcoal, c. For cleansing : 

 Gypsum* is an almost indispensable material for cleansing ' 

 soiled plumage. The mode of using it is indicated beyond. 

 It is most conveniently kept in a shallow tray, say a foot 

 square, and an inch or two deep, which had better, further- 

 more, slide under the table as a drawer ; or form a compart- 

 ment of a larger drawer. Keep gypsum and arsenic in different 

 looking receptacles, not so much to keep from poisoning } r our- 

 self, as to keep from not poisoning a birdskin. They look 

 much alike, and skinning becomes such a mechanical process 

 that J T OU may get hold of the wrong article when your thoughts 

 are wandering in the woods. Gypsum, like arsenic, has no 

 worthy rival in its own field ; some substitutes, in the order of 



* "Gypsum" is properly native hydrated sulphate of lime ; the article referred to 

 is " plaster of Paris" or gypsum heated up to 260 F. (by which the water of crys- 

 tallization is driven off) and then finely pulverized. When mixed with water it 

 soon solidifies, the original hydrate being again formed. 



