138 TAXIDERMY AND MODELLING 



When the animal's skin was thoroughly dry, it was well 

 brushed to remove dust and clay-stains, and was afterwards 

 wiped down with turpentine and benzoline to brighten the fur. 

 Where any imperfection or slight gaping was observed in the 

 stitching, that part was first cleaned out, and then filled and 

 made up either with coloured wax or with paper pulp. Finally 

 the head was finished off, and the open mouth was modelled 

 with wax in the following manner : — Good beeswax was taken 

 and coloured to the various tints required, and, whilst hot, was 

 painted thinly with a brush over the oiled mould of the palate 

 (see Figs. lo and ii, Plate VII.); this, when nearly cold, was 

 removed (see wax model, Fig. 12, Plate VII.), and fixed upon 

 the roof of the mouth by brushing the latter over with hot wax 

 and uniting the two by gentle pressure, and by brushing on a 

 little more wax at the edges. 



The muscles around the teeth of the upper jaw were next 

 made up with hot tinted wax, by means of brushes and warmed 

 tools ; this was followed by the modelling, in the same material, 

 of the great muscles around the teeth — canines especially — of 

 the lower jaw ; the lips generally were also improved, and for 

 all of this the clay model and casts (see Figs. 9 and 10, Plate 

 VII.) were used as guides. Next, the upper and lower moulds 

 of the tongue were brushed over with properly-tinted hot wax, 

 which, taken off when nearly cold, and the parts joined together 

 at their edges, formed the complete tongue, which was inserted 

 and fixed in the mouth, giving all a life-like effect consequent 

 on being modelled from the natural objects. 



It is quite possible in summer time, or by artificial heat in 

 winter, to make pressure-models, and so dispense with melted 

 wax for all the foregoing processes, as such waxes as Nos. 65 

 and (>6 will, if made into convenient sticks, be easily broken 

 up by the fingers, and may be well kneaded by pressure 

 — strong thumbs being required for this — into all interstices 



