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Guide to Taxidermy 



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staples to the leg blocks. Fasten your specimen 

 upright on a temporary base. (See sketch). If it 

 were put on a finished base at this time, the latter 

 would get scratched or soiled during succeeding 

 operations. Be sure that the centerboard comes 

 very nearly to your measured heights of your speci- 

 men, from the base. Staple the tail wire to the 

 centerboard and cut it off to its required length. If 

 your work is correctly done you can, in your imag- 

 ination, see the form of your specimen from this 

 framework of bone, wire and wood. 



Exceptional Cases 



If you are mounting an animal that requires a 

 neck rod of a quarter-inch or more, it will be best 

 to fasten the skull to the centerboard by means of 

 a neck piece of wood, similar to that used for 

 mounting a deer head. (See Chap. 4). This neck 

 piece may be made in one or several pieces to con- 

 form to the position of the head. It makes a more 

 substantial framework and one easier to make for 

 large specimens. The legs in elephants are made 

 of straight pieces of joist, dispensing with both 

 bones and rods. 



