80 PRACTICAL TAXIDERMY. 



candle, and run them full of tin, slightly alloyed with 

 lead. Fasten the castings on a wooden skull, file the 

 teeth, and burnish them. AYhen finishing an animal, a 

 mouth made in this manner may be painted and var- 

 nished to look as natural as life, with flake-white, Chinese 

 Vermillion, cassel earth, and white varnish. 



In mounting animals, with long tails, such as those in 

 the genera Felis, Oanis, Vulpes, etc., after the head and 

 legs are secured, a support for the tail is made by fasten- 

 ing a wire, having jute wound tightly around it, to the 

 board. In preparing short-tailed animals, such as bear 

 and mountain-sheep, the tail-wire is made long and run 

 into the body. 



Next, the whole anatomy of the body is made by bind- 

 ing on pads of excelsior. The dummy is then fastened 

 on a stand with washers and nuts, or by bending the 

 irons under, plugging the holes tightly around them, and 

 fastening with the ^\dres as described. The paws take 

 considerable room, and space should be allowed for them. 



The skin is next cleanly curried, coated with arsenical 

 soap, and laid on the body. The skin should be drawn 

 together at those points where it would be liable to fall 

 short, were the body too large. If a good fit is made, 

 commence sewing up the legs, cross-stitching from the 

 inside. In process of sewing, any imperfections in the an- 

 atomy can be corrected by cramming stuffing under the 

 gkin. The feet should be modelled wholly in cement, and 

 nailed in position, and the lower parts of the legs may be 

 modelled in clay over the excelsior, if necessary. In 

 mounting short-haired animals, it is best to model the 

 legs in clay or cement, and imbed it well in the material 

 of the body. AVhen the last seam has been closed, the 

 whole coat should be combed out with a fine metal comb. 



Now comes the modelling of the head, which is the 

 most difficult part. An expert can model any common 

 animal's head from memory, but casts taken from ani- 



