100 MATERIALS. 



for bodies, the best material of all, wherever suitable 



in texture and size, is beyond doubt 

 Quill. a barb taken from some large feather 



from a condor, peacock, turkey or 



similar bird, or carefully stripped 

 from the rachis of a small feather. As described elsewhere 

 the rachis is the main rib or quill of any feather and the 

 barbs are the fibres branching from them and the 

 barbules branch from the barbs. We here refer to barbs 

 composed of a narrow flat quill like substance smooth 

 and polished on one side, dull on the other from these 

 narrow " quills " the feathery barbules must be removed 



by careful scraping, during this 

 To Strip operation the " quill " being held 



Quills. by the left thumb on a sheet of 



celluloid, vulcanite or similar material 

 which will spring slightly under the pressure of the 

 knife, this spring is found to minimize breakages 

 during the scraping. These so called " quills " readily 

 dye any desired colour, keep clean, do not fade, and are 

 not affected by either oil or water. 



When a thicker or hairy body is required, such is 

 usefully imitated by fibres of quill from the peacock, 

 heron, condor, pheasant, turkey, or other bird, without 

 being either stripped or even dyed. 



Raffia grass is another capital material, very tough, 



and a good substitute when quill 

 Raffia. is not available, but it does not give 



such a good stripe or rib to the body 

 when finished, nor does it keep its colour so well as 

 quill, nor take quite such a brilliant dye. 



