466 Hints for the Preservation [Aug, 



far as to enable them to embrace each side of the neck, and cut the ver- 

 tebrae or neck bones through as close as possible to the head. A hook is 

 then introduced into the fore part of the incision on the breast, so as to 

 catch hold of the neck; when the bone may be readily drawn out, without 

 disturbing or injuring the feathers of the neck. A string is now to be 

 fastened to the vertebrae of the neck, and the bird hung up to a hook in 

 the wall, or any other convenient place, and the skin very carefully drawn 

 off the back. It should be pushed rather than pulled, and with the fingers 

 and thumb nails rather than with the knife. Indeed, the less the knife 

 is used in skinning birds the better. Unless very great care is taken, the 

 skin will here be torn ; for on the back it is very tender, particularly so, 

 indeed, in some of the hawks and pigeons. When the hip joints are come 

 to, the thighs and legs must be pushed up, so as to allow of their being 

 cut off at the joint next to the hip-joint, leaving what is generally thought 

 to be the thigh, but which is, in reality, the leg, attached to the skin. 

 The skinning then proceeds down to the rump, and the skin is finally 

 separated by cutting through with a strong pair of scissors the rump bone 

 in tiie middle, leaving at least half of that bone attached to the skin. 



In cleaning the head, the tongue and trachea, or wind pipe, attached to 

 it, must be drawn out ; and the gullet or oesophagus also, if that part has 

 not been previously removed by the withdrawal of the neck. A pair of 

 sharp-pointed scissors must be run through the top of the inside of the 

 mouth into the brain, first on one side the head and then on the other, so 

 as to cut a triangular flap in the base of the skull. This flap is then to be 

 detached by seizing and twisting it out with a pair of forceps, long and 

 slender, like those in the common dressing case of a surgeon. The brain is 

 then easily removed through this opening, by means of forceps ; a bit of 

 wire bent into a hook, and cotton wrapped round the end of the forceps 

 into a ball to wipe it out. When the brain is removed, the eyes are to be 

 taken out: and this is done by introducing from the mouth a hook form- 

 ed like the hook found in the anatomist's dissecting case ; by means of 

 which, the eye is laid hold of and pulled inwards ; taking care, at the same 

 time, to detach it, by cutting the skin or folding of the outer coat of the 

 eye, from its connections with the eyelid ; and this must be managed 

 carefully : for if the eyelid is torn, the head of the bird on that side never 

 looks well when set up. The inside of the skull and eye-boles are to be 

 well wiped out with dry cotton, and smeared with arsenical soap ; after 

 which, a pellet of cotton should be introduced into the eye-hole, and the 

 eyelid closed accurately over it, so as to preserve the roundness of the 

 part, A small quantity of cotton, dipped in arsenical soap, must also be 

 put into the cavity of the head. 



When the body has thus been removed from the skin, the wings are to 

 be skinned as far as the first joint from the shoulder ; and in a large bird, 

 a little beyond. The flesh is to be removed from the bones of the wing, 

 and the bones smeared over with arsenical paste, and covered with a small 

 quantity of tow, dipped in the same substance. The legs are to be treated 

 exactly in the same manner as the wings, skinning them as far as can be 

 done without injuring the feathers. 



When the bird is skinned, the skin must be smeared all over with 

 arsenical soap, on the inside, especially about the rump and wings, where 

 a good deal of flesh always remains. The inner side of the wings along 

 that part of the bones not skinned, and the inner sides of the pinion, 

 must have a small quantity of a solution of corrosive sublimate in spirits 

 of vvine, put upon them with a camel's hair pencil. For birds with a 

 colourless plumage, it matters little of what strength this solution is made; 

 but for those of the more delicate colours, two grains of the corrosive 

 sublimate to one ounce of spirit will be enough ; and this strength should 

 not be exceeded, or the colours may be injured. A certain quantity of 

 cotton is next to be put into the neck and body of the bird ; the plumage 



