How to Mount a Bird. 845 



fessionals, bring a bird's knees altogether too near his tail, the result 

 being a very awkward-looking creature. As a rule, a bird's heels 

 come about opposite the base of the tail. All birds of prey have 

 the knees very free, — outside the body, as it were, — while just the 

 reverse is true of swimmers and divers. Bend the legs backward, 



see that they are of the same length, and adjust the feathers a little. 

 With the long forceps and pushers, work some finely cut tow smoothly 

 around the base of the skull and top of the neck. I have never seen 

 this advised, and yet it is a very necessary proceeding in order to 

 secure the best results. It is of special importance in mounting owls, 

 in order to impart that roundness of the head so characteristic of 

 those birds. You may also put a little filling in the upper throat. 

 Turn the bird face downward, and with the thumb and finger lift up 

 and work together the skin on the upper part of the shoulders and 

 lower part of the neck, at the same time working the wings toward 

 each other. It is well to repeat this operation from time to time, 

 as a little attention here does much to prevent the bare spots on the 

 sides of the neck from showing in the finished specimen. Bend a 

 sharp-pointed wire into a T-shape, the point being on the upright 

 portion, and run it through the base of the tail, just below the cen- 

 tral feathers and well into the body. In doing this, be careful not to 

 get the wire between the feathers ; for if you do, nothing can induce 

 the tail to spread evenly. In a living bird, the tail feathers are moved 



