r 
THE ART OF PRESERVING BIRDS. , 25 
lie smoothly over the bend of the wing, will be forced up 
and backward. If the wing is placed too far back, there 
will be a bare spot upon the side of the neck, — caused by 
the wing-coverts, which help, in connection with the feath- 
ers of the back, to hide the spot, being drawn either 
down or back too far. If the wing is placed too low, the 
same spot is seen, only it is elongated and extends along 
the back between the secondarics and feathers of the back ; 
if too high, the feathers of the back will appear pushed up, 
and will not lie smovth for obvious reasons. When the 
wing is in the right position, the feathers of the wing- 
coverts and back will blend nicely and smoothly, and the 
feathers of the sides of the breast will lie smoothly over 
the bend of the wing; the ends of the closed quills will 
lie flat upon the tail, or nearly so.) Now draw the thread 
through so that but an inch is visible inside the skin, 
then push the needle through the skin from the outside 
just below the quill that it came ont through, draw the 
thread through. and tie to the projecting end, thereby 
fastening the wing firmly to the side ; proceed in this way 
with the other wing. 
Roll up loosely an oblong body of cotton or hemp of 
the same size as the body taken out, place it in the skin 
neatly, then draw the edyes of the skin together where the 
incision was made, and sew them once in the centre; tie 
the ends of the thread together. Take care to put the 
needle through the edge of the skin so as not to disturb the 
feathers. Smooth the feathers on the abdomen. Cross 
the feet upon the tail (Plate IV. Fig. 3), — which is spread 
slightly, — then place tne skim upon its back in the 
rounded places of the drying-board, spoken of on page 
18 (Fig. 1, d), taking care that the feathers of the 
back are perfectly smooth. This rounded bed gives the 
back a natural rounded appearance, which cannot be 
made easily in any other way. Place the head with the 
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