270 ON PRESERVING BIRDS. 



hold of the knife with your two first fingers and 

 thumb, the edge upwards. You must not keep the 

 point of the knife perpendicular to the body of the 

 bird ; because, were you to hold it so, you would cut 

 the inner skin of the belly, and thus let the bowels out. 

 To avoid this, let your knife be parallel to the body, 

 and then you will divide the outer skin with great 

 ease. 



Begin on the belly below the breast-bone, and cut 

 down the middle, quite to the vent. This done, put 

 the bird in any convenient position, and separate the 

 skin from the body, till you get at the middle joint of 

 the thigh. Cut it through, and do nothing more there 

 at present, except introducing cotton all the way on 

 that side, from the vent to the breast- bone. Do exactly 

 the same on the opposite side. 



Now place the bird perpendicular, its breast resting 

 on your knee, with its back towards you. Separate the 

 skin from the body on each side of the vent, and never 

 mind at present the part from the vent to the root of 

 the tail. Bend the tail gently down to the back, and 

 while your finger and thumb are keeping down the 

 detached parts of the skin on each side of the vent, 

 cut quite across, and deep, till you see the back-bone, 

 near the oil-gland at the root of the tail. Sever the 

 back-bone at the joint, and then you have all the root 

 of the tail, together with the oil-gland, dissected from 

 the body. Apply plenty of cotton. 



After this, seize the end of the back-bone with your 

 finger and thumb : and now you can hold up the bird 

 clear of your knee, and turn it round and round, as 

 occasion requires. While you are holding it thus, con- 

 trive, with the help of your other hand and knife, by 



