48 THE SPORTSMAN'S VADE-MECUM 



insect powder, and when quite dry (in about three days) roll up 

 neatly in a paper, turning down and pinning the ends, so that the 

 insect powder and its noxious fumes may remain around the bird. 



If the powder is not sufficient, add some camphor, or you will 

 find a nasty, hairy weevil amongst the feathers later on ; the 

 latter will be quite spoilt. It is well to overhaul and air the 

 specimens on every spare dry day, carefully redusting them with 

 the powder. Always allow plenty of room in a box for bird skins, 

 with no weight on top of them. 



When an animal falls to the rifle, the shikarie usually wishes to 

 " hallal " it (cut its throat), and does so immediately under the 

 angle of the jaw-bone, slashing it from ear to ear. Everyone of 

 the heads so treated is useless for stuffing, there being no neck left 

 on which to mount them, and as a matter of fact the object of the 

 " hallal " is lost, for the life blood rarely flows from such a wound, 

 neither veins nor arteries being severed. However, that seems to 

 be nobody's business ; as long as there is a gash somewhere in the 

 throat the meat is clean, provided life was in the animal when it 

 was made. 



Every native trusted to " hallal " good heads must be shown how 

 to do so correctly ; the hunting knife, not the skinning ditto, must 

 be used, and plunged into the throat from one side, just in front 

 of the shoulder, where the neck ends ; there the veins and arteries 

 come out from the trunk, and must be severed if the knife has a 

 keen double edge. You can then remove the head from the 

 carcase at sufficient distance to leave a good neck to mount it on, 

 and remove the skin subsequently. A is where the shikarie likes 

 to slash, B is where the prod or thrust should be, the dotted line 

 being a good one to follow in detaching the head. 



To skin the head, commence by inserting the point of the hunting 

 knife under the skin on the back of the neck, and cut up nearly 

 to the horns ; then diverge to each horn. Next take the skinning 

 knife, separate the skin from around their base very carefully, 

 and remove the skin from the skull, cutting the ears through, 

 and separating the nose and cheeks well in to the bone, so that the 

 full interior will be left for stuffing. The nose will require careful 

 opening from the inside ; also the ears and lips ; remove flesh and 

 fat, rub in plenty of arsenical soap, dust in powdered alum, put some 

 coarse stuffing into the head inside out, after sewing up the seam 

 with a few stitches to keep the skin straight, and dry in the shade. 



