342 ON PRESERVING BIRDS. 



you cannot well get to these places afterwards. Prom the 

 time of pushing the skin over the head, you are supposed 

 to have had the bird resting upon your knee ; keep it 

 there still, and with great caution and tenderness return 

 the head through the inverted skin, and when you see the 

 beak appearing, pull it very gently till the head comes out 

 unruffled and unstained. 



You may now take the cotton out of the mouth ; cut 

 away all the remaining flesh at the palate, and whatever 

 may have remained at the under jaw. 



Here is now before you the skin, without loss of any 

 feathers, and all the flesh, fat, and uncleaned bones out of 

 it, except the middle joint of the wings, one bone of the 

 thighs, and the fleshy root of the tail. The extreme point 

 of the wing is very small, and has no flesh on it, com- 

 paratively speaking, so that it requires no attention, except 

 touching it with the solution from the outside. Take all 

 the flesh from the remaining joint of the wing, and tie a 

 thread about four inches long to the end of it ; touch all 

 with the solution, and put the wing -bone back into its 

 place. In baring this bone you must by no means pull 

 the skin ; you would tear it to pieces beyond all doubt, for 

 the ends of the long feathers are attached to the bone 

 itself; you must push off the skin with your thumb-nail 

 and forefinger. Now skin the thigh quite to the knee ; cut 

 away all flesh and tendons, and leave the bone : form an 

 artificial thigh round it with cotton; apply the solution, 

 and draw back the skin over the artificial thigh : the same 

 to the other thigh. 



Lastly, proceed to the tail ; take out the inside of the 

 oil-gland, remove all the remaining flesh from the root, 

 till you see the ends of the tail-feathers ; give it the solu- 

 tion, and replace it. Now take out all the cotton which 

 you have been putting into the body from time to time to 



