THE WAY TO MOUNT BIRDS. 37 



Place the body inside the skin. Now cut wires of the 

 right size (that is, large enough to support the bird when 

 mounted : which can be learned by experience, although I 

 would advise putting in as large wires as can be used with- 

 out splitting the skin of the tarsi) and proper length for the 

 wiring of the following parts : to go through the legs, for 

 the neck, and for the tail. Straighten the wires by rolling 

 them on the bench with a file, then sharpen them by hold- 

 ing the end obliquely against the edge of the bench and 

 filing from you, at the same time twisting the wire ; force 

 the wire cut for the leg up through the sole of the foot, 

 through the tarsus, along the leg-bone into the centre of 

 the side of the grass body (Plate VIII. Fig. 1, a), through 

 this so that the end will protrude for an inch ; bend the 

 end down in the form of an L (Fig. 1, b), and again force 

 it into the body (Fig. 1, c), thereby clinching it so that it 

 can have no motion whatever. The wire should protrude 

 out of the sole at least two inches (Fig. 1, d). 



Proceed in the same manner with the other leg ; if this 

 seems difficult at first, practice will soon overcome the 

 difficulty. Be sure and clinch the wires firmly, as they 

 will otherwise cause trouble. Force the wire cut for the 

 head down through the skull near the base of the bill 

 (Fig. 3, g) through the neck, — but it must not come out 

 through the skin anywhere, — through the body (Fig. 1, e), 

 out the other side, where it is clinched as before (Fig. 1, c). 

 Force the wire cut for the tail through the bone left in 

 the tail, and under the tail, into the body (Fig. 1, f); 

 clinch as usual (Fig. 3, g). Bend the wire — which should 

 protrude about two inches beyond the end of the tail — - 

 into the form of a T (Fig. 1, h); the cross-piece is placed 

 about half the length of the tail ; on this the tail rests. 

 Pin up the incision by drawing the edges of the skin 

 together and forcing pins through them into the body ; 

 then smooth the feathers over the place. 



