48 



THE OOLOGIST. 



portion; clear the skin and tailboue of flesh 



airdTat. 



Nbw paint every interior part with 

 arsenical soap or else sprinkle with powcler- 

 ed arsenic; draw the legs and wings back 

 into tLeir places; put a cotton plug into 

 each eye-socket; make a piece of cotton 

 into a long roll about the size of the bird's 

 neck, force one end tight into the skull and 

 let the rest hang; now proceed gently to 

 work the skull back through the skin to its 

 natural position, taking care that neck the is 

 not pulled out too long; place the wings in 

 position and fill the body neatly with cotton 

 and sew it up; put a little cotton into the 

 throat through the beak and tie the beak 

 shut with a thread through the nostrils; 

 cross the legs, tie the labels to them, and 

 after preserving and arranging the feathers 

 with a needle, adjusting the eyes, wings 

 etc. , lay the skin away to dry in either a 

 bed of cotton or a paper cylinder. 



Many bird-skinners do not put anything 

 in the skull till after it is returned to its 

 place, but thrust the cotton up afterwards 

 with the pliers. Others again use a stick 

 of the size of a match for the neck, first 

 wrapping it with cotton wool; a stick of 

 suitable size is necessary in the necks of 

 all birds larger than a Robin, but in smaller 

 birds it is unnecessary and difficult to 

 manage. 



Many operators tie the wing bones to- 

 gether and wrap both leg and wing bones 

 with cotton before replacing, but these also 

 are unnecessary in small birds. 



A specimen is improved by having the 

 tail half spread. Remember always that 

 a dead bird is the perfect model for a skin. 



Mammal Skin. In general a small mam- 

 mal should be cleaned and skinned in the 

 same way as a bird, but the skull should 

 be completely and carefully removed; the 

 tail bone should be drawn out of the tail ; 

 poison every part with dry arsenic or else 

 with a mixture of of four parts of arsenic 

 to one of powdered alum, working it well 

 into the tail and feet; put a wire in the 

 tail, of as large a size as will enter the tip; 

 and having filled and sewn up the body 



as in birds, and sewn up the mouth, lay the 

 animal on a board, draw the forefeei for- 

 ward, soles down, close to the head and 

 even with each other, use a pin if they wiJl 

 not remain so without; similarly draw the 

 hind feet back, soles up; arrange the fur, 

 the ears and tail neatly and set it away to 

 dry. 



The skull should be partly cleaned, biit 

 with care so that no bones are broken; it 

 should then, after having been dried, either 

 be tied to one foreleg, or else maiked with 

 a number corresponding to that on the 

 label. 



Muskrats, beavers and others require 

 the tail to be cut open and skinned for the 

 basal portion at least, otherwise it will not 

 draw out completely . 



Rabbits, wildcats and foxes require a 

 strong wire in each leg in addition * to the 

 bones to give them strength and rigidity. 



Skin all specimens as soon as possible 

 after death. Never pack the skins till 

 dry. 



Sexing. The sex of a bird is determined 

 by dissection. After carefully removing 

 the bowels, there will be seen in the male 

 bird, next the backbone, above the kidneys, 

 two round yellowish-white bodies as large 

 as beans, in the Robin during springtime, 

 but much smaller in fall and winter. 

 In the feiTiale these are replaced by an 

 irregularly shaped mass of tiny eggs of 

 various sizes, very large in the breeding 

 season, but in winter reduced in size so as 

 to be readily discernible. 



Labelling. A specimen without a label 

 is of very little value, often of none at all 

 to a scientific coUecter. The label should 

 always record the date, sex and locality of 

 the specimen; it is also desirable that the 

 length, stomach contents, condition, and 

 name of the collector (the person who 

 vouches for the date and locality) should 

 be recorded but the fiist three are the 

 important items. 



In birds tie the label to both feet ; in 

 mammals tie it to one fore foot. 



