Guide to Taxidermy 



205 



Plaster 



Has many uses in the art of taxidermy, chief of 

 M-liich are the covering of manikin for mounted 

 animals and heads, and for drying the plumage of 

 birds. For the first purpose it is mixed with water 

 in sufficient quantity to make it of the consistency 

 of cream, and then applied to the subject with a 

 putty knife as soon as it commences to harden. It 

 hardens within a few minutes and consequently 

 has to be worked very rapidly. You can get it at 

 a dealer in paints, a grain store or often at hard- 

 ware stores ; call for plaster-of-paris. 



Putty 



Is used chiefly for the setting of the eyes in fin- 

 ished specimens of birds. Get it at a paint store. 

 If it gets too soft, so as to be sticky or oily, add 

 whiting; if it gets too hard to be worked, add boil- 

 ed oil. Both of these materials you get at the 

 same place. 



Sand 



You can get mica sand or shell sand of your 

 dealer in supplies. Grits, such as grain dealers 

 keep for chickens, makes a good sand with which 

 to cover bases. \\nien ground fine it imitates 

 granite very well. 



