458 lewis' AMERICAN SPORTSMAN. 



the down which covers the belly, make an incision in the skin 

 from the commencement of the sternum or breast-bone, until 

 beyond the middle of the belly ; raise the skin on one side by 

 the forceps, and separate it from the muscles with a scalpel, 

 approaching as near as possible to the wings ; this done, we put 

 a little floured or powdered cotton on the skin and flesh, that 

 the feathers may not stick to them ; we force up or push out 

 the thighs within the body of the skin, cut them between the 

 femur and tibia in such a manner that the former remains to be 

 afterwards pushed back into the skin. By the help of the scal- 

 pel and the fingers we detach the skin as far as the rump, which 

 we cut off". It is essential for this part to remain attached to 

 the skin to sustain the tail-feathers. We then take the already 

 uncovered part of the body with the left hand, and continue to 

 separate the skin from the two sides, cutting some little tendons, 

 which we find before we come to the wings, with the scissors ; 

 we separate the wings from the trunk at the junction of the 

 humerus with the body, and restore them to their proper place. 

 We continue to skin the neck, thrusting the head from within, 

 and we uncover it, taking care not to enlarge the opening of 

 the ears, and, above all, to be particularly attentive not to injure 

 the eyelids in taking out the eyes, which are easily picked out 

 with closed points of the scissors ; we replace the eye with 

 chopped cotton, with which we fill the orbits. 



" We separate the neck, take out the tongue, and carefully 

 remove all the flesh which is between the two branches of the 

 inferior mandible. We enlarge the occipital hole to extract 

 the brain, by means of an iron instrument resembling an ear- 

 picker; and, to finish cleaning out the inside of the head, we 

 pass cotton and flax into it several times ; we must, during the 

 operation, besprinkle the humid parts with plaster of Paris, or 

 dry earth, from time to time, to prevent the feathers from ad- 

 hering to them and becoming dirty, and also divide the feathers 

 to the right and left, for the same reason. 



" We then take out the wings, cut them off at the second 

 joint, and, taking away the flesh, restore them to their place. 

 This operation answers for small Birds; and we anoint the 

 wings in the parts which are destitute of feathers. We take 



