62 HOW-TO MAKE A BIRDSKIN. 



again attached by a membrane, around the border of the eye- 

 socket. Holding the scalpel as before, run its edge around an 

 arc (a semicircle is enough to let you into the orbit) of the 

 circumference, dissevering the membrane from the bone. Re- 

 verse the scalpel, and scoop out the eyeball with the end of 

 the handle ; you bring out the eye betwixt the ball of your 

 thumb and the handle of the instrument, tearing apart the 

 optic nerve and conjunctival tissue, but taking care not to open 

 the eyeball* nor lacerate the eyelids. Do the same with the 

 other eye. The head is then skinned far enough ; there is no 

 use of getting quite to the base of the bill. You have now to 

 get rid of the brain and flesh of the nape and jaws,t and leave 

 most of the skull in ; the cranial dome makes the only perfect 

 " stuffing" for the skin of the head. This is all done at once 

 by only four particular cuts. Hold the head between your left 

 thumb and fingers, the bill pointing towards you, the bird's 

 palate facing you ; you observe a space bounded behind by the 

 base of the skull where the neck joins, in front by the floor of 

 the mouth, on either side by the prongs of the under jaw 

 these last especially prominent. Take the scissors ; stick one 

 blade just inside one branch of the lower jaw, thence into the 

 eye-socket which lies below (the head being upside down) 

 thence into the brain-box ; make a cut parallel with the jaw, 

 just inside of it, bringing the upper scissor blade perpendicu- 

 larly downward crashing through the skull just inside of the 

 angle of the jaw. Duplicate this cut on the other side. Con- 

 nect the anterior ends of these cuts by a transverse one across 

 the floor and roof of the mouth. Connect the posterior ends 

 of the side cuts by one across the back of the skull near its 

 base just where the nape-muscle ceases to override the cra- 



* An eyeball is much larger than it looks from the outside; if you stick the 

 instrument straight into the socket, you may punch a hole in the ball and let out 

 the water; & very disagreeable complication. Insinuate the knife-handle close to 

 the rim of the socket, and hug the wall of the cavity throughout. 



t You may of course at this stage cut off the neck at the nape, punch a hole in 

 the base of the skull, dig out the brains, and scrape away at the jaw-muscles till 

 you are satisfied or tired; an unnecessary job, during which the skin may have 

 become dry and shrivelled and hard to turn right side out. The operation de- 

 scribed in the text may require ten seconds, perhaps. 



