METHODS IN THE ART OE TAXIDERMY. 83 



abdominal cut in skinning, we begin the opening incision far up on the 

 breast and stop at the end pf the breastbone (PKite X\'II, I'ig. 7 a to b). 

 Loosen the skin from the breast down to the wings and neck, cut the 

 wings and neck off close to the body and skin them in the usual way 

 (Plate XVII, Fig. 8). Now skin down the back a little and then hang 

 the bird up on the hook at the point where you have cut off the neck. 

 Skin down to the legs and cut them off as usual at the knee joints, 

 stripping the flesh off down to the heel. vSkin over the neck and 

 head and treat them as previously directed. Now having the robin 

 before you as in Plate X\'II, Fig. 0, and in Plate XMII, Fig. 1, it is ready 

 for the artificial body. Take a piece of annealed wire and encircle the 

 natural body lengthwise and clinch it at the neck. This is in order to 

 obtain the correct dimensions of the body for future use as you will 

 notice directly. Now take the long sharpened and smooth wire which 

 is intended for the body-wire and encircle the carcass lengthwise as 

 shown in Plate X\'III, P'ig. 2, bending it straight across, however, 

 about three-quarters of the way down on the carcass, where the dotted 

 lines are in Fig 2. If you have carried the directions out fully you 

 will have an outline form in the wire similar to Fig. •'>, Plate XMII. 

 Take a quantity of tow and mould it with your hands to about the 

 proper size, place it in the frame and sew it through and through, as 

 directed for the usual way. You will now have a three-quarters por- 

 tion of the artifiicial body made. By measuring or comparing this with 

 the wire which you encircled lengthwise around the carcass to obtain 

 its size you can easily mark with a file how much should be allowed for 

 the lower or abdominal portion of the body. You can cut it apart and 

 bend and clinch it where you have marked it, thus making the shape 

 of the lower portion of the artificial body as seen in F'ig. 3, Plate 

 XVIII. Put tow within this frame and sew it as before directed. 

 Place in the balls of tow for the neck, as usual ; take hold of the large 

 portion of the artificial body which you have just made and thrust the 

 pointed wire through the balls of tow in the neck and through the 

 skull. Now run the wires of the legs into and through the artificial 

 body, clinching them on the respective opposite sides in the usual 

 manner, as is illustrated in Plate XIII, Fig. 13. When a beginner 

 skins a bird and mounts it, using the abdominal cut, he often, indeed, 

 almost invariably finds great difficulty in sewing up the opening so 

 that it will be neatly and perfectly done — in fact, this is one of the 

 constant defects in mounted birds, and it is here that the work is 

 slighted or neglected, even by those who have long experience in the 

 matter. The feathers high up along the ventral tract are more abun- 



