Guide to Taxidermy 



87 



Cleaning the Feathers 



After you have skinned a bird, whether you are 

 to mount it or put it into a skin, you must first be 

 sure that the feathers are entirely free from stains 

 of any character. 



Blood stains are most easily removed by applying 

 luke-warm water with a piece of cotton; keep 

 rinsing the cotton off, or take fresh pieces until you 

 can wipe over the feathers without getting any stain 

 on the cotton. Do not wet the feathers any more 

 than necessary except on the spot you wish to re- 

 move, as they must be dried out again. This dry- 

 ing of the feathers can be accomplished most read- 

 ily by the continued aj^plication of sawdust, work- 

 ing it into the feathers with your brush until the 

 bulk of the moisture is removed ; then dust the spot 

 with plaster, applied with the brush until it is thor- 

 oughly dry. The plaster and sawdust must all be 

 shaken or brushed out of the plumage before the 

 next operation. 



If your bird seems to be dirty or the feathers 

 gummed-up, as is often the case with hawks or 

 owls, you will find that they will clean best with 

 soap and water, afterwards drying them the same 

 a.s before. 



^VUV^< 



