SPECIAL PROCESSES. 71 



I could put away a dozen sparrows in the time I should spend 

 over an eagle, and I would rather undertake a hundred hum- 

 ming birds than one ostrich. For "large" birds, say ai^thing 

 from a hen hawk upward, various special manipulations I have 

 directed may be foregone, while however you observe their gen- 

 eral drift and intent. You may open the bird as directed, or, 

 turning it tail to you, cut with a knife.* Forceps are rarely 

 required there is not much' that is too small to be taken in 

 hand. As soon as the tail is divided, hang up the bird by the 

 rump, so you will have both hands free. Let it swing clear of 

 the wall or table, at any height most convenient. The steel 

 hooks of a dissecting case are not always large enough ;' use a 

 stout fish-hook with the barb filed off. Work with 3^0111* nails, 

 assisted by the scalpel if necessary. I know of no bird, and 

 I think there is none in this country at least, the skin of which 

 is so internally adherent by fibrous or muscular tissue as to 

 require actual dissecting throughout ; a pelican comes perhaps 

 as near this as any ; but in many cases the knife may be con- 

 stantly employed with advantage. Use it with long clean 



beauty of result, but in rapidity of execution . I have seen taxidermists make good 

 small skins at the rate of ten an hour; but this is extraordinary. The quickest 

 work I ever did myself was eight an hour, or an average of seven and a half minutes 

 apiece, and fairly good skins. But I picked my birds, all small ones, well shot, 

 labelled, measured and plugged beforehand, so that the rate of work was excep- 

 tional besides including only the actual manipulations from first cut to layin g away. 

 No one averages eight birds an hour, even excluding the necessary preliminaries 

 of cleansing, plugging, etc. Four birds an hour, everything included, is good 

 work. A very eminent ornithologist of this country, and an expert taxidermist, 

 once laid a whimsical wager, that he would skin and stuff a bird before a certain t 

 friend of his could pick all the feathers off a specimen of the same kind. I forget 

 the time, but he won, and his friend supped that night on some very tough game ! 

 * Certain among larger birds are often opened elsewhere than along the belly 

 with what advantage I cannot say from my own experience. Various water birds? 

 such as loons, grebes, auks, gulls and ducks (in fact any swimming bird with 

 dense under plumage) maybe opened along the side by a cut under the wings from 

 the shoulder over the hip to the rump; the cut is completely hidden by the make-up, 

 and the plumage is never ruffled. But I see no necessity for this; for. as a rule, 

 the belly opening can, if desired, be completely effaced with due care ; though a 

 very greasy bird with white under plumage generally stains where opened, in spite 

 of every precaution. Such birds as loons, grebes, cormorants and penguins are 

 often opened by a cut across the fundament from one leg to the other; their con- 

 formation in fact suggests and favors this operation. I have often seen water 

 birds slit down the back; but I consider it very poor practice. 



