3. PREPARING SKINS 



19 



part of the fore-arm below this joint, but the secondaries are attached to the 

 lower part of it and these must not be moved (fig. 1 1). Remove flesh from 

 around the upper arm bone and from between the paired bones of the fore- 

 arm, as far as is possible. Rub alum into any flesh that cannot be removed. 

 When clean wrap upper arm bone tightly with cotton wool to replace flesh 

 removed. 



Fig. 11. 



With larger birds such as ducks and hawks the muscles between the paired 

 bones of the fore-arm can be reached from the underside of the wing by lifting 

 the layer of small covert feathers along the edge to expose bare skin, cutting 

 a slit in the skin through which the muscles can be reached and removed 

 (fig. 12) and either sewing the slit again or, since it is held in place by the bones 

 and covered by the feathers, leaving it open. 



14. Cleaning legs. Peel skin down legs as far as the scaly leg cover which 

 will not peel. Remove any muscle from the bones. Wrap the clean bone 

 in cotton wool to replace the removed flesh. 



15. Cleaning tail stump. Clean tail stump as far as possible but do not 

 disturb the roots of the tail quills. Check for the presence of preen glands, 

 which may appear as rounded white bodies situated on top of the tail stump. 

 They are particularly large in ducks. They contain oil or fat and must be 

 removed or destroyed. If they cannot be removed entirely, cut away as 



