Guide to Taxidermy 79 



to smoothen them and accentuate the curves and 

 hollows. 



Place the skin on your manikin, carefully insin- 

 uating the neck into that of the bird. The neck rod 

 should be of just sufficient length to rest inside the 

 skull. Pack tl:e inside of the skull about the rod 

 with clay, and also model some about the skull and 

 upper portion of the artificial neck; then carefuly 

 sew up the cut through whicli the head was skinned. 

 The leg rods should fit in the back of the legs of 

 your specimen, taking the place of the tendons that 

 you removed. Wire the upper leg bones to the rod, 

 wind with tow and give a covering of clay to repre- 

 sent the muscles. 



You must now sew up the breast cut, the legs and 

 cut across the abdomen, using a large sailmaker's 

 needle and waxed twine. The eyes can be imme- 

 diately put in, modelling the shape with clay and 

 then inserting the eyes. 



The wings are pinned in the same manner and 

 the feathers wound the same as on smaller birds. 



