ON STUFFING BIRDS. 39 



in the ordinary form. When the head and neck were stufted, 

 he introduced the long end of the centre wire through the 

 neck and skull, and the other extremity which was forked, 

 and passed it across the rump to support the tail feathers. He 

 then forced up one of the leg-wires, and brought the end of 

 it through the small hole which was situated above the triangle, 

 and then gave it an inclination towards the opposite parts, and 

 united the two with threads ; the same method was then adopt- 

 ed with the other leg. 



For larger birds, M. Mauge substituted the oval for the 

 triangle. 



We shall now describe the new method invented by the in- 

 genious Mr Waterton. 



MR WATER-TON'S METHOD OF STUFFING BIRDS. 



" You will observe," says Mr Waterton, " how beautifully 

 the feathers of a bird are arranged, one falling over the other 

 in the nicest order ; and that, where this charming harmony is 

 interrupted, the defect, though not noticed by an ordinary 

 spectator, will appear immediately to the eye of a naturalist. 

 Thus, a bird not wounded, and in perfect feather, must be pro- 

 cured if possible, for the loss of the feathers can seldom be 

 made good ; and where the deficiency is great, all the skill of 

 the artist will avail him little in his attempt to conceal the de- 

 fect, because, in order to hide it, he must contract the skin, 

 bring down the upper feathers and shove in the lower ones, 

 which would throw all the surrounding parts into contortion. 



" You will observe, that the whole skin does not produce 

 feathers, and that it is very tender where the feathers do not 

 grow. The bare parts are admirably formed for expansion 

 about the throat and stomach, and they fit into the different 

 cavities of the body at the wings, shoulders, rump, and thighs, 

 with wonderful exactness ; so that in stuffing the bird, if you 

 make an even rotund surface of the skin where these cavities 

 existed, in lieu of re-forming them, all symmetry, order, and 

 proportion, are lost for ever. 



" You must lay it down as an absolute rule, that the bird is 

 to be entirely skinned, otherwise you can never succeed in 

 forming a true and pleasing specimen. 



