186 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 10-No. 12 



Practical Taxidermy. 



BT FRANK B. 'WEBSTEn. 

 CHAPTER IV.—SKiyXIXG. 



We will select a Bluebird from the lot, and take 

 it to the work room. Taking our medium scal- 

 pel, long-nose plyers, fine forceps, scissors and 

 brain spoon, we will proceed with the 



SKINNIKG OPERATION. 



Lay the bird on its back. With the fine forceps 

 remove the cotton from its throat, and refill with 

 fresh cotton. Part the feathers right and left, 

 exposing the bare skin on the stomach from the 

 breast bone to the vent, and cut lengthways 

 A B. [Fig. 1,] with scalpel. Avoid if possi- 

 ble, cutting through the second skin or sack 

 which holds the intestines. [ Vaiiatioii.—ln sea 

 fowl the feathers cover the entire skm and the 

 cut must be made through them ; it can be done 

 with scalpel or scissors — if witli tlic latter, insert 

 at A and cut along to B.] 



Now push the skin from tlic body to the right 

 till the joint C is exposed ; cut it and draw out 

 the leg till jou get to where the meat ends, U; 

 cut the meat at this point and strip it off the bone. 

 Taking hold of the foot draw it back in place, 

 the bone will then be clean and loose. [See fig. 3.] 

 Repeat this operation with the left leg ; cutting 

 at D, drawing out to U, cleaning the bone and 

 drawing back. Both legs now hang loosely in the 

 skin. Nest push the skin from the body to the 

 vent, B, lift the bird with the left hand, stand it 

 on its head end and bend the tail over backwards, 

 and with scissors cut the vertebra between the 

 body and the end or kiioh that holds the tail 



feathers at B B. [Fig. 3.] Use care not to 



cut the knob V, [Fig. 3,] for by doing so the tail 



feathers will fall out ; also be careful not to cut 

 through the skin on the back. Just press the 

 scissor points till you have the vertebra between 

 them. There is a joint at this place — an expert 

 will sever it with the scalpel. " T!iis k tlie first 

 snag you strike." 



Take the body with the plyers at the place 

 where the vertebra has been cut, hold it firmlj' 

 with the plyers in the right hand, and with the left 

 thuml) and finger push the skin down towards 

 the head, both on back and breast till the wing 

 joints arc reached. Drop the plj-ers. Plyers are 

 only used in handling small birds, where the 

 fingers would be in the way. In skinning very 

 large birds many hang them up by fastening 

 hooks in the body. Medium sized birds require 

 neither. Cut the wing joints at E and F, [Fig. 

 1]. Without stopi>ing to clean proceed to skin 

 to the skull. Lay the bird down skin towards 

 you, and by nsing the nails of lioth forefingers to 

 pull, and at the same time pushing with ))oth 

 thumbs, the skin will slide over the large part of 

 the skull. Work carefully, bear evenly on both 

 sides and be steady. Should the skin break it 

 must be sewed up after the skinning is completed, 

 and before poisoning, by overcast stitches on the 

 wrong side. Then with point of scalpel pick the 

 ear skin from the ear hole H, [Fig. 1,] and cut 

 the skin from the eye, being careful not to cut the 

 eye-lid. Then .skin to base of bill, G. [Figs. 1 

 and 5.] Remove the eyeballs and cut off the 



skull at K K [Fig. 5,] at the angle shown in 



figuie 5 A. Draw out the tongue and windpipe, 

 and the body will be separated from the skin. 

 [Poison it and give it to the cat.] Clean the 

 brain from the skull cavity with brain spoon. 

 Next go back to the wing joint E, draw it out to 

 W, and part the skin so as to expose the meat 



Explanation of Pen Sketch. 



Fig. 1. — Shows bird partly skinned. 

 A. — End of breast bone. 

 B.— Vent. 



C and D. — Leg bones, second joint from foot. 

 U — U. — End of same bones. 

 E and F. — -Wing bones — body joints. 

 G.— Base of bill. 

 H.— Ear. 



V. — End of Vertebra. 

 Fig. 2. — Shows leg. 

 C, D to U. — Bone that is left in skin. 

 Pig. 3.— Shows tail. 

 B — B. — Place to sever vertebra. 

 V. — End of vertebra and socket of the quills 

 of the tail feathers. 

 Fig. 4. — Shows wings. 



E to W. — Bone that is cleaned and left in skin. 



W to X. — Two bones, cleaned and left in wing. 



Fig. 5.— Shows skull. 



G.— Base of bill. 



H— H.— Ear holes. 



K — K. — Place to cut skull. 



H— H to G.— Part of skull left in skin. 



Fig. 5a.— Side view of same. 



K — K. — Same cut as in Fig. 5. 



Fig. 6.— Wing bones, E and F to W. [See Fig. 

 4.] This shows them tied. Use thread for small 

 birds. 



The old story of the school boy who made a 

 drawing ana wrote the necessary description, 

 "this is a cow," has a moral which .should be duly 

 considered by many us. 



