TAXIDERMY. 485 



of its plumage. This is done by pursuing the following course : 

 If the bird is not shot entirely dead, the best and easiest plan to 

 relieve it from its sufferings, as well as prevent any further dis- 

 placement of its plumage by its painful struggles to escape from 

 our hands, is to squeeze it across the breast, or under the wings, 

 with the forefinger and thumb, but not with sufficient force to 

 break the bones. 



A small particle of cotton or fine tow should then be placed in 

 the bill, to absorb any exudation that might run from the mouth 

 and come in contact with the feathers. If the wounds show 

 any disposition to bleed, they should also be lightly covered with 

 the same material, to protect the plumage, as it is often very diffi- 

 cult, and at all times requires very nice handling, to cleanse the 

 feathers from coagulated blood. 



This done, the bird should be lightly grasped in the one hand 

 by the head, while the other is used in dexterously smoothing down 

 the ruffled plumage ; it should then be carefully wrapped up in a 

 handkerchief or fine paper, and consigned to one of our spare 

 pockets till the close of the day's sport. The following day or 

 evening will be quite time enough to commence the operation of 

 skinning, as the blood will not be completely coagulated till the 

 lapse of several hours after death. 



The process of skinning birds will at first seem very difficult 

 and awkward to the novice ; but we can assure him that a little 

 patience and perseverance will soon overcome all the imaginary 

 perplexities with which he surrounds the matter; and, before he 

 has finished his sixth specimen, he will be surprised to find how 

 easy a thing it is to skin a bird, even far less troublesome than, to 

 pull a rabbit out of his furry hide. 



"In order to skin birds, we must pass a needleful of thread 

 across the nostrils, tie it underneath the inferior mandible, (leaving 

 the thread the length of the bird,) to prevent the blood from 

 coming out of the beak during the operation. 



"We have before said that when a bird is killed we must in- 

 troduce a little cotton into its beak ; we repeat this injunction, be- 



