136 TAXIDERMY AND MODELLING 



neck, chest, or belly. Strong hemp, fourfold and waxed, was 

 used in " skin "-needles. As the work progressed, little faults 

 were looked for and corrected. At the junction, for instance, 

 of the hind and fore limbs with the body, it was necessary to 

 put in a saw-cut, to allow the skin at those parts to be properly 

 tucked in. 



At certain places, especially on the flanks and belly, the 

 model appeared somewhat thin. This was attributable to two 

 chief causes : one, the weight of the plaster, when casting from 

 the body, bearing the flesh down ; and the other, that all the 

 fat and a considerable thickness of the inside of the skin had 

 been pared away in "trimming." The question how to replace 

 this evident loss was solved by tacking cotton wadding ^ 

 evenly over certain parts, and binding it down with hemp or 

 string. (In some instances — as happened in the case of a 

 very. thin lion, — two to three thicknesses, and in some parts 

 even more, of this wadding were nailed, glued, or tied on, the 

 weight of the superincumbent skin being quite sufficient to 

 press it into the hollows, or over the projections, when aided 

 by the hand, or by a few nails properly driven through the 

 skin where wanted, or even by stitching through at such places 

 as the hollows by the tendons of the legs.) Throughout 

 the sewing, the skin was well stretched with the "carpet- 

 stretcher '' and pulled toward the front, so as to get sufficient 

 skin to allow for folds and wrinkles at the neck and to deepen 

 the chest. 



The arrangement of the head was then attended to, and 

 the skin of the throat partly sewn up, to get an idea of the 

 pose when finished. Gradually a little tow and wadding were 

 rammed in where required, and, the head being satisfactory, a 

 rod was driven in through one of the ears to fix all securely. 



' Superseded in later models by tow or wood-fibre, both of which are improve- 

 ments. 



