THE RELAXING OF SKINS 207 



which time skins were roughly wired, and, with the exception 

 of being upon their legs, were no more like a properly set-up 

 bird than may be supposed. 



" Relaxing," therefore, is an important and delicate opera- 

 tion, and is one which fails if the worker does not take pains, 

 or is not skilful. In the infancy of the art, the skin was 

 unpacked and water poured through with great care so that it 

 should not touch the feathers ; and later, perhaps, came the 

 " plaster-box," which has been described by nearly every writer 

 upon Taxidermy, and consists simply of a strong box thickly 

 plastered inside with plaster of Paris, which is allowed to set 

 and dry. When required for use the box is filled with water, 

 which saturates the plaster lining, and, the surplus water having 

 been thrown out, the skins are placed within and the lid tightly 

 closed, and the skins, being allowed to remain for a certain 

 time, become more or less relaxed. To Waterton is due the 

 credit of inventing the apparently impracticable operation of 

 . plunging skins entirely into water to relax them, but it cannot 

 be said to be a success executed as he describes it, and the 

 improvement of the method lies in the after-treatment, not then 

 known to Waterton. The skin is, in the first place, entirely 

 covered with water, and, although professionals should have lead- 

 er zinc -lined wooden tanks in which to submerge their speci- 

 mens, yet an oval galvanised-iron vessel or foot-bath, to be 

 obtained for a shilling or so from the tinman's, is a respectable 

 substitute when skins are not large. A round bucket is, though 

 deep, of such small diameter as to cramp wings or tail, which 

 must on no account be allowed ; nor must a tin vessel be used, 

 and there is really little expense in having a small zinc-lined 

 wooden trough made, which is the safest. 



If of any size, the bird's skin will probably require weight- 

 ing to keep it submerged, and this can be done by resting 

 a piece of thin wood on the specimen, and keeping it down 



