THE CRUEL GODDESS FASHION— AN APPEAL 201 



(No. 7), compress forcibly the sides of the head from the outside, 

 endeavouring at the same time to press and coax the head — now 

 much more elastic — through the neck. Some birds there are 

 whose heads are so thick and unyielding as to resist all coaxing, 

 even after the removal of part of the bone, and with these 

 the second plan may be adopted — namely, that of cutting away 

 the roof of the mouth from the outside, and removing the brain, 

 eyes, and flesh through the orifice. It is a tedious operation, 

 however, and likely to be dirty, and as both methods cause 

 difficulties to arise in the modelling and returning of the head 

 when pulled out, the very best plan is to make an incision on 

 the top of the head, and to get the skull out that way. It may 

 then be easily trimmed, modelled, returned, and sewn up, and 

 if the bird be crested or have any length of feathers, the stitches 

 will never show if carefully done, i.e. the stitches drawn tight, 

 and no feathers pulled in with them. 



Although the heads of the greater and lesser spotted wood- 

 peckers refuse to be skinned out by the neck, yet the head of 

 the green woodpecker, which appears so very much larger, will 

 come through with care. The head of the little grebe is also 

 rather large, but will pass with care, whilst that of the coot is 

 very much better cut upon the top, for although it passes the 

 neck it stretches it badly, and gives trouble to make it look 

 natural. 



Be extremely careful, in instances where birds, such as the 

 eider duck, have fleshy swellings at the sides of the face or by 

 the base of the bill, or protuberances thereupon as in the swan, 

 to clean them well from flesh or fat, and to well preserve and 

 remodel them. 



The use of birds' skins or feathers for purely decorative pur- 

 poses, whether for personal adornment or for domestic embellish- 

 ment, cannot be too strongly deprecated, and the abominable 

 cruelties perpetrated by callous wretches, instigated by presum- 



