CASTING FROM A DEER'S SKULL 153 



merely necessary to oil and to key them together tightly, and, 

 laying them on the table with the orifice of the neck upwards, 

 to pour in plaster mixed as usual ; then, when set, by tapping 

 gently with the mallet as before directed, the mould can be 

 taken off, and the counterpart or model of the skull in plaster 

 is obtained. This is, however, solid and heavy, and, therefore, 

 when it is desired to fix the head upon a shield or to model a 

 neck, two pieces of board should be provided — one about one 

 foot long by three inches wide by one inch or so thick, the 

 other just the size of the anterior cut for the horns. The 

 smaller piece should be nailed on the top of the larger at right 

 angles and placed that end downwards within the mould, 

 resting upon that part which represents the anterior saw-cut 

 in the bone. After oiling, plaster should be poured in and 

 on top, firmly fixing the boards in position. As the plaster 

 sets, it should be taken out with a spoon or modelling-tool 

 to within three-quarters of an inch of the edge, and for some 

 distance down, to hollow it and thus reduce the weight. Finally, 

 the moulds must be removed with still greater care on account 

 of the thinness of the model, which, of course, comes out 

 much lighter, and with a wooden neck-block and horn-block 

 immovably fixed. (Fig. i, Plate VII., represents a hollow 

 plaster cast of the head.) 



The weight of the solid plaster model, with wood included, 

 will be about eight and a half pounds whilst wet, but, when 

 dry, six pounds. That of the plaster model partially hollowed 

 out will be, however, about six and a quarter pounds when 

 wet, and, when dry, about four pounds. 



Hitherto the neck has not been taken into consideration in 

 the casting, as a plaster neck, in addition to the plaster head, 

 would be far too weighty. In this process, therefore, it is best 

 treated as described in the following pages, but, on the other 

 hand, if a paper instead of a plaster model is to be made of the 



