Guide to Taxidermy 



li21 



CHAP. 4--Mountiii^ Heads 

 of AnimalsJ 



Mounted heads of any of the larger birds or ani- 

 mals make attractive wall decorations and are 

 valuable reminders of the chase. You will often 

 want to do this work for yourself, and many taxi- 

 dermists derive their chief income from the mount- 

 ing of deer heads. The methods for mounting 

 animal heads have been, and are, subject to a great 

 many variations. Most of these methods are, how- 

 ever, stuffing, pure and simple, and modern taxi- 

 dermy does not allow of that. All heads should be 

 modeled, that is the head should be modeled to its 

 true form and have the eyes set before the skin is 

 put on. Most taxidermists continue to use clay 

 for this ])urpose, but it is far inferior to either 

 plaster or papier-mache, and is used simply be- 

 cause it requires slightly less time and skill. We 

 will describe and illustrate the best method. 



