44 



Guide to Taxidermy 





you will come to the eyes; this is one of the most 

 delicate operations for the beginner. Work the 

 skin down as far as possible on top of the skull, 

 between the eyes and on the sides of the head ; then 

 with the left hand draw the skin taut and, with the 

 scapel, sever the thin membrane in the corner of the 

 eye. A little practice will enable you to do this 

 readily without danger of cutting the eye-lid, which 

 shows faintl}' through the membrane as a whitish 

 line. You continue skinning over the skull down 

 to the very base of the bill. 



With the scalpel, or in the case of large birds a 

 stronger skinning or hunting knife, slice off the 

 back of the skull, exposing the brains. In doing 

 this have the bird's skull resting on the bench and 

 cut through the pony part down to the windpipe; 

 you can then lift the head and continue cutting ' 

 along under the jaws towards the ti}^ of the bill, 

 this releasing the tongue which will remain attached 

 to the neck. The body is now entirely free from 

 the skin and should be laid to one side. Run the 

 point of the scalpel around the eye, inside the 

 socket, and j^ou will loosen all the tissues that hold 

 it in place ; you can then easily scoop it out with the 



