Natural History 359 



finished, wrap it in a damp cloth and put it in a close tin 

 box. This wiU keep it from getting dry. 



In skinning large birds, a strong hook, attached to a 

 string from the waU in front and above, is a great help. 

 As soon as the tail is cut off stick this hook into the bony 

 pelvis. It holds the bird away from you and answers 

 as a third hand. 



Finally, make a Httle shroud out of a sheet of cotton 

 and wrap the bird in this before setting it to dry. 



Cross the legs as in Fig. 7, and attach a label to these, 

 giving date, sex and place where the bird was taken. 



The work is now done. But it is wise to lift the skin 

 the next morning and see if all goes well. In a few days 

 it will be dry and safe from ordinary corruption, but 

 must be protected from moth and insects. 



This is a museum skin. It can be kept indefinitely 

 in this shape, or at any time it can be softened up and 

 mounted. 



MOUNTING THE BIRD 



For mounting the bird some additional tools and mate- 

 rials are needed, namely: 



A pair of wire cutters. 



A pair of pliers. 



A file. 



Some glass eyes. 



Some annealed or soft iron wire of several sizes, 



Some tow, and a ball of stout packthread with needle 

 to match. 



A few ordinary carpenter tools are needed to make the 

 stand, but that is another department. 



The first part of the mounting is the skinning carried 

 out exactly as in making the skin, up to the point where 

 the cotton is put in. Now there is a difference. You 



