THE SETTING-UP OF BIRDS WITH HARD BODIES 185 



and their ends turned down and made fast where they came 

 through. This was the system affected by "Joe Wise," of 

 Mr. Housman's book. Then came the body formed from a 

 piece of peat ; it was undoubtedly an advance upon the cork, 

 inasmuch as it was shaped into some rough semblance of a 

 body, but it was hard and unyielding, and was a dirty, awkward 

 plan with nothing but quickness in manufacture to commend 

 it. Bodies made of moss, hay, straw, and shavings have been 

 used, but there is nothing comparable with the fine wood-fibre 

 (" excelsior ") now used in packing various goods, or with tow, 

 commonly used by all except American taxidermists. 



Assuming the skin of the pigeon to be ready for setting 

 up, nine pieces of wire are first of all got ready, and filed 

 into a point which is either three- or five-sided, these " bayonet 

 points " being far superior in penetration to the rounded 

 points ; one piece, gauge No. 17, a little longer than the bird, 

 say about ten inches in length ; one piece, gauge No. 1 8, 

 about seven inches in length, bent for the wings (see preceding 

 figure, p. 1 84) ; two others, of the same gauge, about five 

 inches in length, also for the wings ; two, gauge No. 15, about 

 fourteen inches in length, for the legs ; two, gauge No. 1 8, 

 about four and a half inches in length, for the thighs ; and the 

 ninth, gauge No. 1 8, about five inches in length, for the tail. 



Next comes the question of the artificial body, and for this 

 the natural body (Fig. 6, Plate IX.), having been retained, is, as 

 before, taken as a guide. Its measurements are, still presuming 

 the pigeon to be the model, five inches in length, and two and a 

 half inches across the back at its widest part, where the wings 

 have been cut away, and gradually tapering to the tail. Its 

 greatest height from breast-bone to back is also two and a half 

 inches, but it will be seen by the figure that it rapidly slopes 

 from this to the tail. One point usually lost sight of, and to be 

 well considered, is that the thighs are of the same width across 



