372 RURAL BIRD LIFE. 



Having now cleaned the skull, you must proceed to 

 apply the solution to all parts of it, and to the skin of 

 the head and neck as well. Fill the sockets of the eyes 

 with wool. Before going further you now turn the skin 

 back again, for you will note that it is now inside out 

 as it were. Holding the skin between your fingers, with 

 the head towards you, gently push it back again through 

 the neck, until you see the beak appearing. Seize the 

 beak now between your thumb and finger, and, by gently 

 pulling, the head will gradually slip through, and your skin 

 is turned back again without the loss of feathers. In 

 some birds, as Ducks, Woodpeckers, Plovers, &c., the head 

 is very bulky, and this operation must be effected with the 

 greatest care, or else the skin will be inevitably torn. 



The wing bones are now cleaned of the muscles and 

 tendons, the skin being removed until you see the roots 

 of the quill feathers, proceeding with the greatest caution, 

 always shoving the skin with your thumb, for the skin 

 here adheres to the bone, and is removed with difficulty. 

 Having cleaned both these bones, apply the solution to 

 these parts, for you will not be able to reach them again, 

 and then tie a piece of thread to each of them, about six 

 inches long. Tie the bones together, adjusting them in 

 such a manner as to leave the same space between them 

 as existed before the bird was dissected : this will cause 

 the wings of your specimen to keep their place. 



Now proceed to clean the thigh bones. Seizing the 

 leg and foot in your left hand, and holding the skin in 

 your right, by pressing gently upwards the skin is soon 

 separated, and the thigh appears. After cleansing this 

 of all flesh and tendons, proceed to anoint the bone and 

 skin with the solution, and then wrap the bone with tow, 

 forming as near approach to the thigh as possible. By 

 gently pulling the leg and foot the bone will slip back 

 to its place : the same must be done to the other thigh. 



