758 



0f practical 



" Treatise on Shooting." Shot No. 5. is the 

 best for general purposes, No. 8. for Thrushes, 

 and dust shot for the smaller species : El- 

 ley's wire cartridges (Reds) are invaluable 

 for coast-shooting, or wherever birds are 

 difficult to approach. If a bird is wounded 

 in the head, it is often difficult to prepare 

 this part in a neat manner ; therefore, in 

 firing at a bird sitting on a tree, endeavour 

 to aim so that his head shall be protected 

 by a branch. By loading your gun thus, 

 pour in a full charge of powder, enter a wad 

 into the muzzle, cover it with a single tier 

 of shot, place another wad over all and ram 

 home, your shot will be economized, and 

 the specimen less injured ; it is a deadly 

 charge at thirty yards. For small birds the 

 charge of both powder and shot should be 

 reduced one-fourth. 



The death of a wounded bird may be 

 speedily effected by severe and continued 

 pressure on the region of the heart and lungs, 

 with the thumb and fingers placed on oppo- 

 site sides, and below the wings : a large bird 

 may have his feet and wings confined by a 

 handkerchief, and then the spinal cord may 

 be pierced by a pin, where the bones of the 

 neck unite with the skull. The throat should 

 be carefully stuffed with cottou or tow ; the 

 clots of blood wiped off ; the shot holes 

 plugged with cotton ; and, when cold, wrap 

 the bird in a square piece of paper, be- 

 ginning to roll at one corner, and finish off 

 by twisting the ends together. When mice 

 or shrews are taken for stuffing, it is best 

 to wrap them in a handkerchief, and drown 

 them in water. Before setting out on a 

 shooting excursion, provide a clue of twine, 

 and should a bird fall into the water, tie 

 the cord to the middle of a stick, three feet 

 long, or to your ramrod, and throw it over 

 the bird, which you must endeavour to en- 

 tangle with the cord, and so pull it ashore. 



Gamekeepers,warreners, market gardeners, 

 and poulterers may all be advantageously 

 employed in procuring specimens ; and bird- 

 catchers also, for such parts of the plumage 

 of birds as may be soiled with bird-lime can 

 be restored on being washed with spirits of 

 I wine : 



Aquatic reptiles, and a few of the smaller 

 freshwater and marine fishes, are best taken 

 with the hand net, such as has been described 

 in the proper place. 



To procure Marine Fishes: Make frequent 

 excursions to the fishing grounds in person, 

 and frequent the fish markets at an early 

 hour. You will find it a good plan to induce 

 fishermen and fish-curers, by making them 

 suitable presents, to bring you desiderata. 



SKINNING AND MOUNTING 

 QUADRUPEDS. 



Lay the animal on its back with its head 



from you. Plug up the nostrils and stuff the 



throat with cotton or tow. Divide the hair 



[ in a straight line stretching between two 



i points, one situated between the fore legs and 



i the other near the tail ; make an incision 



1 along this line with the scalpel, knife, or 



! scissors. Turn the body with its side towards 



1 you ; raise the skin on the breast between 



your fore finger and thumb, and by means 

 of your fingers and the handle of the scalpel, 

 or its substitute, the mesh of hard wood, 

 separate the skin from the body as far as you 

 can reach, only using the blade of the knife 

 where it is absolutely necessary, and_ stuffing 

 in cotton or paper to keep the hair clean. 

 Take especial care not to cut the thin mem- 

 brane which covers the intestines ; push for- 

 ard the hind leg, and divide the first joint 

 which comes in view, leaving the thigh bone 

 ,ttache_d to the body. Do the same on the 

 other side. Finish off the posterior extremity 

 of the body, and separate the tail. Turn the 

 subject on its breast, and skin along the 

 back : separate the fore leg at the lower joint 

 of the bone which is united to the lower part 

 of the shoulder-blade by its upper extremity; 

 wrap the carcass in paper to keep it from 

 soiling the table, and push rather than pull 

 the skin over the neck and skull, cutting out 

 the ears and round about the eyes with great 

 care. Cut off the neck close to the head ; scoop 

 out the eyes ; extract the brain through the 

 opening left by the spinal cord ; cut off all 

 the muscles, and clean the bones thoroughly. 

 The legs are next pushed inwards and cleared 

 of their muscles as far as the roots of the 

 toes, and the tail skinned as far as practica- 

 ble ; the skin is next cleared of every particle 

 of fat and muscle, and the shot-holes stitched 

 up. 



The general principles on which quadru- 

 peds are mounted may be concisely stated. 

 Take a weasel which has been skinned as 

 above : provide a quantity of iron wire consi- 

 derably less than a crow quill in diameter ; 

 heat it till it is red hot, and cool slowly ; it 

 will then bend with facility in every direction. 

 Divide the cork of a wine bottle equally and 

 longitudinally, and connect the two pieces by 

 means of a piece of wire nearly equal to half 

 the length of the body of the weasel, mea- 

 sured from the fore part of the shoulder-blade 

 to the root of the tail. Prepare a piece of 

 wire pointed at both ends, equal in length to 

 the neck, the height of the skull, and allow- 

 ing one and a half inches for its insertion 

 into the anterior cork and projection beyond 

 the head. Do the same with the tail wire, 

 allowing for its insertion only ; and with the 

 leg wires also, making liberal allowance for 

 their insertion, not only into their respective 

 corks, but also into the board or stand for 

 the specimen : these wires should be sharp- 

 ened at both ends. The space intervening 

 between the corks should be rolled with tow, 

 and in like manner an artificial neck of the 

 same material on its appropriate wire. 

 Anoint the orbits with soap ; stuff with cotton ; 

 and after a liberal application of the soap to 

 the skull, its skin and that of the neck, the 

 head is carefully restored to its natural posi- 

 tion, so as to stretch it as little as possible. 

 The legs having been anointed, are restored 

 to their natural position ; and the wires hav- 

 ing been entered in the ball of the foot, are 

 placed behind the bones of the leg and bound 

 to them with pieces of thread. The artificial 

 body is then placed in position, the neck wire 

 is thrust downwards through the anterior 

 part of the foremost cork, its point seized by 

 the wire forceps, bent slightly and pressed 



