326 TAXIDERMY AND MODELLING 



well done, and will also pave the way to the making of many- 

 others of the pea-flower tribe to which the clovers belong. 



The Flower 



First take a piece of thin white art fabric and cut a number 

 of corollas in this form — 



the size and number being determined by the. flowers it 

 is desired to copy. Place these one by one upon the left 

 forefinger, holding the lower point or stem with the thumb, 

 and, by rolling with the head of a blanket-pin, slightly 

 indent as shown by the dotted lines. Then, with the right 

 thumb and forefinger, lightly press the edges together, at the 

 same time gently stretching the curved points, without flatten- 

 ing them together too much, and bear them down within the 

 partially folded centre point, giving to the whole a backward 

 curve over the finger, or rather between the appressed finger 

 and thumb. When sufficient of these corollas are made, they 

 must be coloured before being put together. 



Now wax a piece of rather fine wire ; turn over the end as 

 usual, and cover the knot with pale green wax. Snip a short 

 fine fringe of delicate green fabric, and fix, fringe upwards, 

 around the tip thus prepared, and, around this again, fix four, 

 or five, or six of the flowerets by pressing their thin stems 

 upon the wire, and letting their points curve inwards above the 

 green tip. Snip a fine fringe of dull brownish or of pale green 

 fabric, as the case may be, and wind once around the little stems, 

 which the straight uncut edge will bind together, whilst the 

 fringed portion will spread, and represent the sepals of the tiny 

 calyces amongst the blossoms. Now fix another row of the 

 flowerets with their tips curving in between the first row. Bind 



