286 METHODS IN THE ART OF TAXIDERMY. 



thus unite the wires in a solid mass. Do not meddle with the speci- 

 men until the plaster has thoroughly set. When it has, put the cara- 

 pace in place, adjusting it carefully over the legs, and tie it firmly on, 

 lest it should warp in drying ; also, pin out the eyes and arrange the 

 feelers. In case the specimen is to be resting on its pedestal it will be 

 unnecessary to run the wire through the legs, and quite slender wires 

 may then be used, since their only purpose will be to keep the legs in 

 place and render it impossible for them to fall off should they become 

 disjointed. The animal is held in place by means of a wire bent into 

 the shape of a wide U, one end of which is run through the front por- 

 tion of the body and the other through the hinder part, the middle of 

 the U passing over all the leg-wires and holding them securely in place 

 (D, Fig. 2), Lobsters are usually placed flat on their pedestals, and the 

 fastening wire is run through the entire length of the tail and brought 

 out at the tip of it. For museum or other purposes it is often desira- 

 ble to study all sides of a specimen, and in such cases the mode of pro- 

 cedure is as follows : Shape a piece of wood so that it will fit loosely 

 in the body cavity (Fig. 4) and attach it securely to a rod of sufficient 

 size to firmly support the finished piece. This rod is variously placed 

 according to the position in which it is wished to have the finished 

 specimen. ' 



In the case of crabs it is desirable to have them " stand on end," 

 and the rod may be brought out at the rear of the body, while in lob- 

 sters it may be brought out through the center of the thorax. The 

 legs having been wired, this piece of wood is introduced, the legs fast 

 to it (Fig. 4, 1. 2, 3, i), and plaster poured around it to form a firm 

 attachment. First, however, place fibers of tow or pieces of twine 

 over the wood and poke them down into the space between it and the 

 sides of the body. Of course, in a lobster thus mounted the tail-wire 

 would need to be of some considerable size, and it is well in such a 

 case to use a tow wire for additional security. When the specimen is 

 quite dry glue on the carapace (Fig. 1) and fill the holes between the 

 joints of the legs with finely cut cotton and thin glue. First, put a 

 little cotton into the hole, smear it over with glue, and apply cut cotton 

 and glue until the gap is completely filled. Le Page's fish-glue used 

 thin, or his mucilage, is excellent for this work. In painting crusta- 

 ceans, first give them a thin coat of sugar of lead, which fills the pores 

 and prevents the color from striking in and thus looking dead in spots. 

 When dry, paint with turpentine color, the main point being to stipple 



1. The rod is threaded at the lower end, and it is fastened on a wooden base by means of a nut below and 

 ornamented by a rosette above (Figs. 4 and 5). 



