6 ORNITHOLOGIST 
I will now go over the ground in brief. 
STUFFING. 
Fill in throat. 
Fill in skull cavity. 
Fill neck. 
Spread tail. 
Wire legs, making thighs. . 
Pass body wire through neck, out at top of 
head. 
Push body in place. 
Pin legs in place and clinch them. 
Fill in about body. 
Draw skin together and sew up. 
Bend legs in shape. 
Place on perch. 
Place wing bones in position and pin them. 
Put in wing supports. 
Put tail in position. 
Bend head into place. 
Clamp wings if necessary. 
Wind bird. 
Shape it and attend to eye-holes. 
In two days cut off windings and re-wind. 
GENERAL NOTES. 
Some taxidermists build the neck on the body 
wire and then force it in place. I never do. 
With a soft filling you can lengthen and shorten 
the neck at pleasure. Notso with the other way. 
The only reason I have had suggested to me for 
doing it in the other manner, is that a soft filling 
will allow the head to settle. Use excelsior with 
tow and there will be no trouble. 
Birds that have been opened on the back to 
skin are stuffed in the same manner; it makes no 
difference with the process whether it is done 
through the breast or back. When the skull is 
shot so that it will not hold, remove it and make 
as large a form on the same plan as the body 
(without a wire) as you can force through the 
neck with forceps. Put it in place and pack 
around it with soft filling. Parts of bills and legs 
can be patched by papier mache, and can be col- 
ored, Bills, feet and legs can be painted if de- 
sired, when perfectly dry. Use an elastic dryer 
and tube paint. All the natural color is lost as 
the specimen dries, and can only be reproduced 
by artificial coloring. I am aware of the opaque- 
ness of paint, but prefer it in many cases to the 
dead, faded color. In the case of the Wood Duck 
it is half the beauty. 
SETTING EYES. 
When the bird is dry, push the cotton in and 
force wet cotton into the eye-holes. In a few 
hours the largest will be found relaxed. When 
the lids are soft, remove the wet cotton and fill in 
with soft putty. Set the eyes in it, and use care 

[Vol. 11-No. 
to get a good expression. Clay, plaster, and glue 
for setting eyes, are to be avoided in good work. 
In stuffing Owis I often set the eyes at once, 
but for other birds I usually do it after they are 
dry. 
FEET. 
Ducks’ feet especially, should be pinned out to 
the stand or they will shrivel when drying. If 
by oversight they have done so, apply wet cotton 
till soft and then pin them. Be careful not to 
split the web in stretching them out. 
BILLS. 
If the bill shows a tendency to open when dry- 
ing, and it is not desired, it can be closed by pass- 
ing a strong pin through the under side up into 
the roof of the mouth and winding a wire around 
it at the place so that the pin will keep it from 
slipping off. 
The Lesser Redpoll. 


BY ARTHUR H. LOCKETT. 
The interesting, and hardy little bird, corres- 
ponds in Winter to the Goldfinch in Summer, but 
is a little larger than the Goldfinch, and with more 
modest colors. 
The male wears a beautiful rose colored vest, 
with a modest black tie just under his chin. His 
swallow-tailed coat is striped brownish gray and 
white, but the handsomest part of his outfit, is a 
beautiful crimson skull-cap, which is also a weak- 
ness of his wife’s, but she does not wear red in 
any other part of her costume. 
They are very irregular in their movements, 
some years appearing at one time, some years at 
another ; common one Winter and few or none to 
be found the next. Last year they came and went 
late, not arriving here (Exeter, N. H.,) until the 
first week in March, and leaving about the middle 
of April. They were in very large flocks, and 
wandered incessantly in search of food. ; 
When on the ground they are very easily start- 
led, but on the other hand very easily re-assured ; 
taking to the trees or bushes at the slightest sound, 
but in a second or two back again picking up 
seeds as before. 
Their note is very peculiar, for the note or 
rather chatter of one bird sounds like that of a 
great many. 
In the latter part of March I caught a well 
marked female, and tamed it, which was very 
easily done, and found it a very pretty little pet. 
It never disturbed me by loud notes, as at times 
a canary does, but sitting on the top of its cage, 
would chatter as if talking to itself for an hour at 
a time, and I could shut my eyes and imagine 
that I heard a whole flock of these happy little 
creatures, hopping about on the crust of the snow, 
fulfilling the duty for which God created them. 
