CHAPTER V. 



THE MAKIXG UP OF HIRDS' SKINS. 



What is technically known to ornithologists and taxidermists as s 

 "bird skin" is one constructed more or less artificially to conform to 

 the general shape of the actual dead bird. It is intended for scientific 

 study, because a mounted bird is not so easily handled, and a collec- 

 tion of them ordinarily occupies too much space. The shapes into 

 which these skins are made all depend upon the structural peculiari- 

 ties of the specimen in hand. 



To make up a clean, shapely, well-prepared bird skin requires con- 

 siderable experience and practice. F'acility and speed will come with 

 both. I have already described in detail the manner in which a bird 

 should be skinned. 



In these directions we shall again take up the robin as our exam- 

 ple and skin it exactly as I have directed in Chapter IV, and, if it be 

 any other species much larger, you will, as before, refer to the foot- 

 notes in case there be any variations or exceptions to the general rule. 

 as for instance, skinning the heads of woodpeckers, ducks, skinning 

 the wing by an opening cut along the underside of the wing in large 

 birds, etc. Do not fail to take full measurements, ascertain the 

 sex, etc., before beginning as before recommended. 



Having skinned the specimen it lies before you exactly as you see 

 it in Plate XIII, Fig. 1, ready for the filling. Some taxidermists fill 

 the neck with tow (Plate XIX, Figs. 1 and 2) before turning the skin 

 back. I prefer always to fill the neck after the skin has been returned 

 over the skull. Poison the entire skin thoroughly. Make a roll of fine 

 tow the thickness of the natural neck and longer than the entire neck and 

 body ; insert one end of this into the cavity of the skull and let the 

 other extend as far as the tail. Many do not allow the neck roll to ex- 

 tend farther down than shown in Figs. 3 and 4, Plate XIX. The wing- 

 bones in very small birds need not be wrapped with cotton. In all 

 cases the leg-bones should have a wrapping of cotton or fine tow ; for 

 the small ones cotton will do ; but tow should be used in the large 

 ones. Cotton will answer for the body-filling in the small birds, but 



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