3. PREPARING SKINS 23 



position and straighten and smooth feathers with forceps until satisfied 

 with appearance of specimen. 



Beginners show a tendency to stretch the skin when stuffing, and it may be 

 necessary to compress the specimen and ease the skin over in places to 

 increase the overlap of feathers and give a better final result. 



21. Wrapping for drying. The finished specimen needs to dry off while 

 held in the correct position. For this purpose it should be placed in a paper 

 tube (fig. 16). The tube is formed first, and the specimen then slid into it. 



Fig. 16. 



Take care that the position is the one finally required and that no feathers, 

 particularly those of the crown of head, and mantle, are disarranged. Leave 

 the specimen in the tube, handling it by the protruding stick, until it is quite 

 dry. (This stick is left until the specimen is added to a museum collection, 

 when it is usually cut off close to the skin.) 



22. Drying. This is a most essential part of the skinning process since it 

 is the drying of the skin which principally preserves it, the preservative 

 applied to it functioning mainly in preventing attack by insects or moulds. 

 Skins require time to dry in freely circulating air, protected from animals and 

 insects. Drying may take a week or more and in very moist atmospheres 

 some additional arrangement may be required, such as gentle and prolonged 

 heating. 



The most convenient method for dealing with a number of skins is to use a 

 crate with fine fly-wire sides and top and a solid bottom, and to have a series 

 of wire-bottomed trays of varying depth which fit into this. The finished 

 skins can be left to dry on the trays and the whole protected from bad 

 weather by a cover. If the crate is to be transported with skins inside it will 

 require a cover that excludes dust. For rough travelling a solid box or metal 

 container into which the trays will fit is preferable. 



Skins may be tested for dryness by feeling the feet, which take longest to 

 dry. 



23. Large and long birds. 



(a) Large bodies. The skins of large birds present a problem because of 

 the quantity of packing material required. If it is available in quantity they 

 are best filled out with wood wool or tow. If this is not available the 

 collector can use dry moss, grass, paper, or any available material that is 

 light, dry, and insect-free. 



(b) Long necks. Herons, flamingos, geese, and other long-necked birds 

 should be made up with a wire in place of the usual stick. After skinning 



