Guide to Taxidermy 115 



be sure and get all the sawdust out of the hair be- 

 fore you put it on the manikin, otherwise you will 

 find sawdust sifting out of your specimen for years 

 after. 



You must now cut a thin piece of sheet lead to 

 conform to the shape of each ear, cutting it. of 

 course, a trifle smaller as it is to go inside. Place 

 these in position before putting the skin on the sub- 

 ject. We use sheet lead for animals having large, 

 short-haired, flexible ears rather than tin such as we 

 use on deer and moose. While not as stiff as tin, it 

 can be bent to the proper shape much more readily. 



Place the skin in position on the form. The 

 backs of all the feet should be cut with the scissors 

 so as to allow them to fit about the wire. Fill the 

 ankle joints with clay (mixed as per instructions in 

 Chap. 10) so they will make good connections with 

 the lower ends of the legs on the manikin. You now 

 have a good, long, tedious task before you, — that of 

 sewing up the cuts on the legs and belly. For the 

 pointer dog, black linen thread used double and 

 thoroughly waxed, will be best. Larger animals 

 often need strong hemp twine for this purpose. 

 Start at the bottom of one of the legs, using a 



