METHODS IN THE ART OF TAXIDERMY.. 



285 



of each leg and the meat drawn out, an operation nnidi more quickly 

 described than performed. Usually it is most convenient to make the 

 openings on the upper side of the leg, as it is a very simple matter to 

 close them with a little glue and cotton in the manner hereafter de- 

 scribed. After carefully scraping the interior of each leg, wash thor- 

 oughly with a syringe to finish the work of cleansing. As crustaceans 

 are particularly liable to the attacks of dermestes, they should be care- 

 fully poisoned, either by a liberal application of thin arsenical soap, 01 

 better still, by soaking for two or three hours in a bath made by dis- 

 solving arsenic in hot water. If the soap is used, see that it is worked 

 well into the legs, as well as every nook and cranny of the body, by 

 means of a small brush. The method of wiring varies a little accord- 

 ing to the desired position of the finished piece, but, owing to the 

 nature of the subject, but little variety of attitude is possible. The 

 best wire to use is zinc, as it never stains by rusting, but, unfortunately 

 it is, so far as I know, impossible to procure zinc wire in this country 

 except by special importation, and iron wire must ordinarily be made 

 to answer. It is well to wrap iron wire thinly with tow. If the animal 

 is to be walking with the body clear from the ground the wire must be 

 passed through the tips of the claws, and in many species which, like 

 the common blue crab, have sharply-pointed claws, it will be necessary 

 to remove a little of the tip in order to render this operation possible. 

 Ordinarily it will be quite sufficient to support the animal on four legs, 

 thus leaving the others intact. The wires for the large claws must be 

 carefully worked to the very tip, and not infrequently these claws are 

 so heavy that they must be allowed to rest on the pedestal. The leg- 

 wires should be so long that the free inner end can reach from the 

 opening of the leg to the opposite side of the body, so that the leg- 

 wires cross one another. (Upper a «, Fig. 2.) ' Bend the ends into 

 hooks, place a little tow between the wires and the shell, and fill the 

 opening of the leg-joints with cotton. Place the animal in a walking 

 attitude on the temporary pedestal, supporting the body by a block of 

 wood just as thick as the height that you wish to have it from the 

 ground. Bear in mind that the third pair of legs keeps step with the 

 first, and the fourth with the second, and that they do not sprawl away 

 from the body, but keep pretty close to it. Therefore, what may by 

 courtesy be called the knee-joint, should be bent at a pretty sharp 

 angle. All this being done, pour in a little thin plaster of Paris, and 



1. The lower a, a and b, b in Fig. 2 are intended to illustrate another method by which the wires of four 

 legs in pairs, on each side are twisted together; these should reach to the opposite sides and they should be 

 hooked together before the plaster is poured over them. 



