METHODS IN THE ART OF TAXIDERMY. 21 



The hand-vise (Fig. 3, Plate III) is essential in holding the annealed 

 wire while filing sharp points thereon, while several sizes of flat-nosed 

 pliers (Fig. 2, Plate III) are necessary in bending and clinching wire, 

 and for many other uses to which they are adapted. 



In sewing up the openings in mammals and birds, preparatory to 

 putting on the finishing touches, it is best to use the regular surgeon's 

 needles, straight and curved, of various lengths (Fig. 6, Plate III). Few 

 taxidermists, however, use anything better than a common needle for 

 birds. 



If you cannot buy extra long needles for sewing manikins, you can 

 make them by grinding a sharp point on one end of steel wire ; heating 

 the other end red hot and, whils in this state, flatten the end with a 

 hammer. It becomes cold during this operation, but heat it again and 

 while hot, with an awl punch an eye in it while it rests on a bar of 

 lead. In this way you can make excellent needles for any large size 

 for mammals. 



Experience has taught me that a soft, downy thread is best for wind- 

 ing the feathers of birds, and this is particularly the case in the smaller 

 species. For this purpose I prefer the thread from the bobbin, which 

 can be obtained at the cotton mills, technically called cops ( Fig. 7, Plate 

 III). When this can not be obtained, a spool of No. 40 thread will answer 

 the purpose for the smaller birds. For the larger species — hawks, owls, 

 etc., the soft, fluffy Barbour's No. 12 Irish flax, commonly used by 

 shoemakers for making wax-ends, is the very best. 



The stuffing rods are shown in Plate IV, Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Two that 

 I use for large mammals are made of ash, tipped with steel, notched as 

 seen in Fig. 1 ; they are 2 and 3 feet long, respectively. Another is 

 made of a light steel rod, curved at the point, and notched, and is 3 feet 

 long, with wooden handle, like Fig. 2. One represented by Fig. 3, for 

 small mammals, is made of a lighter steel rod, and is 18 inches long. To 

 make a small stuffing-rod for birds, take a piece of hard, straight iron 

 wire, No. 13, twelve inches long, hammer one end flat, notch it, give 

 the point a slight curve, or make it straight (both kinds are useful), make 

 a loop for the handle, or put on a wooden one, as indicated in Figs. 2 

 and 3, Plate IV. 



The stock of implements which has already been described and cata- 

 logued is yet incomplete, for we must bring to our assistance some of the 

 essential tools and materials which are employed in other arts. For put- 

 ting on the finishing touches — painting or tinting the discolored fleshy 

 parts of mounted animals, and for modeling the open mouths of mam- 

 mals, etc., we must not forget to bring into our studio or workshop our 



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