ON STUFFING BIRDS. 37 



have already said, will be easily comprehended by a reference 

 to plate III., fig". 3, where we have given a figure of his mode. 

 After the skin is taken off and prepared, different sized, nealed, 

 iron- wires are procured according to the size of the bird they are 

 to support. The skin is laid on its back without stretching it ; 

 cut two pieces of wire, the one rather longer than the bird, and 

 the other shorter, so as not to reach to the head of the bird ; 

 twist them together, sharpen the ends of the longer by means 

 of a file, and pass one end through the rump, and the other 

 through the crown of the head, near the base of the bill. 

 Care must be taken not to extend the neck beyond its ordinary 

 length, a very common fault in most preservers. Lay a little 

 tow along the back of the skin for the wire to rest on, then 

 take two other pieces of strong wire and file them to a point 

 at one end ; these are passed through the soles of the feet and 

 up the centre of the leg-bone, or tarsus. When within the 

 body, they are to be fastened to the first wires by twisting 

 them together, which, when accomplished, may be supposed 

 to represent the back bone. The wire should be left two or 

 three inches out of the soles of the feet, to fasten them in a 

 standing position, as before directed. Two smaller wires are 

 then passed through the wings, as in the legs, and afterwards 

 fastened to the back- wires a little higher up than the leg- 

 wires, taking care that no part of the skin is extended beyond 

 its natural position. 



MR BECGEUR'S METHOD OF STUFFING BIRDS. 



Becoeur, the best apothecary hi Metz of his day, the in- 

 ventor of that truly useful preservative the Arsenical soap, had 

 a method of mounting birds peculiar to himself, which he 

 successfully practised. He stuffed recent specimens in very 

 high perfection. And in support of the fact that they were 

 well preserved, many specimens preserved by his own hand, 

 still enrich the cabinets of France, and these were set up 

 sixty-five years ago. 



A little attention and practice will enable any one to follow 

 his method. He skinned his bird in the ordinary manner. He 

 extracted the body by this opening, without cutting any of the 

 extremities. The muscular parts were then extracted by a seal- 



