TAXIDERMY. 



503 



shrivelled, as though they belonged to the mummies of 

 ancient days. In order to give the legs of birds a natural 

 appearance, and a natural size, the skin from the very claws 

 to the top of the leg must be separated from the bone by 

 running a working-iron betwixt it and the bone, and then 

 modelling the skin with the working iron. 



"The wattles of fowl, the caruncles of turkeys, and the 

 combs of cocks, by the simple process of internal modelling, 

 may be made to retain their natural size." 



All improvements are gained by experience, and, when 

 I first knew Waterton, he had abandoned the box of cot- 

 ton wool, and employed a far superior mode of fixing his 

 subject. 



Instead of a box, he had made a simple framework, as here 

 shown, both ends being open and the upper part projecting 

 considerably. This was bored full of holes at irregular inter- 



