MAKING BIRDSKINS 19 



feathers about the opening on the belly. 31. See that the wing-bones 

 lie flat on the back of the skin, with their ends touching each other.* 

 32. Take a bit of fluffy cotton, press it lightly together, and draw out 

 one end to form a neck. When released from your grasp this cotton 

 body should be but little larger than the body you have removed from 

 the skin. 33. Take the end of the neck with the forceps and insert it 

 gently into the neck of the skin, working the skin down onto it in order 

 to avoid stretching the neck, until the points of the forceps appear 

 in the mouth, then hold the cotton there and withdraw the forceps. 

 34. Carefully fit the cotton body into the skin. 35. Put one or two 

 stitches in the incision on the belly. 36. Ascertain the sex of the bird 

 (see beyond). 37. Cross the legs, and at the point of intersection 

 attach a label (see beyond). 38. Squeeze the wing-bones together 

 until you feel the tips of your fingers meet over the bird's back. 39 Pre- 

 pare a sheet of cotton about five inches square and as thin as you can 

 make it; lay the bird on this on its right side, the bill pointing to your 

 right hand. 40. Put the left wing in place and dress the feathers about 

 it. 41. Take hold of the sheet of cotton, and turn the bird over in it in 

 order that you may dress the right wing. 42. Roll the bird on to its 

 belly, holding the wings in position with the thumb and first finger 



FIG. 4. A completed birdskin (reduced). 



of the left hand, and with the right hand bring the tips of the wing- 

 feathers into their proper place over the back. 43. Roll the bird back 

 on to its back, the bill pointing to your right hand; take the end of 

 the sheet of cotton farthest from you and draw it lightly over the bird 

 to the side nearest you. 44. Draw the end nearest you in the opposite 

 direction. 45. See that the feet, tail, and tips of the wings are in their 

 proper position, and place your specimen out of harm's way to dry. 



It will doubtless take you from half an hour to an hour to make 

 your first birdskin. It will probably be a sorry-looking object, per- 

 haps minus a head or tail or half its feathers; but do not let this dis- 



*The most difficult part in making a birdskin is to induce the wings to assume 

 anything like their natural position when closed. This is because the artificial cotton 

 body is apt to force them outward on to the sides rather than on the back, where they 

 belong. 



In the bird in the flesh the wings are held in place by being attached to the body; 

 in the skin they are loose and hanging. To remedy this, after drawing the wing-bones 

 in to remove the flesh from them, they should be pushed back only far enough to 

 enable one to see plainly the elbow or bend of the wing outside of the skin. This pre- 

 vents the wings from hanging, and, to further keep them in place, it will be well at 

 first to tie the ends of the bones (humeri) together. 

 4. 



