1 84 TAXIDERMY AND MODELLING 



Let four wires be provided ; one — the longest, pointed at 

 both ends — is the body-wire ; two others, also pointed, are for 

 the legs, and the fourth one, bent in this manner | | 



is for the wings. Let the ends of this latter be pushed into 

 the hollow bones of the wings, after a sufficiency of wadding 

 or tow has been laid inside the skin along the back. The 

 length of the bar is determined by the distance between the 

 wings in nature. The longest wire is next taken, and a 

 loop made in it to come about the centre of the skin. One 

 end (the longest from the loop) is then pushed up the previously 

 stuffed neck and head until it comes out at the centre of the 

 skull, and so far through as to let the other end fall within 

 the skin ; when this is so, push that end through the root of 

 the tail from the inside, taking care that the wire is well 

 packed underneath to prevent it, and all others, from touching 

 the skin. The leg-wires only remain now to be considered, 

 and these, being pushed up the legs in the ordinary manner, 

 are thrust through the loop upon the body-wire and twisted 

 around securely so that all is perfectly rigid. Proceed by 

 shaping the various parts, and by filling in with the packing 

 until finished sufficiently to sew up. As stated just before, 

 soft-body setting-up is only well done by those who have great 

 experience, and does not in any way help the learner, as 

 setting-up by the hard-body plan does, unless, indeed, the 

 skeleton is used as described later, at p. 199, and shown on 

 Plate XI. 



DIVISION IV- 



THE SETTING-UP OF BIRDS WITH HARD BODIES 



Probably the origin of the hard body was the wine-cork, 

 through which a wire extended from head to tail, the leg-wires, 

 and sometimes the wing-wires, being pushed in at an angle 



