34° TAXIDERMY AND MODELLING 



being carefully avoided. The colouring being satisfactorily ac- 

 complished, lay the florets upon the left forefinger and impart 

 the requisite curves, etc., by means of a blanket-pin, and then 

 fold a strip around the disc, taking a natural flower as a guide 

 to the number and arrangement of the " petals." 



For buds of which the discs are hidden, the entire founda- 

 tion may be made by folding wax around the wire and model- 

 ling it to the desired shape, and strips of " petals " may be cut 

 as for the flowers, but much more simply (see Fig. 3), the length 

 of the points, and the width of the uncut base, being determined 

 by the size of the bud to be copied. 



The earlier stages of the flower having been successfully 

 reproduced, the representation of later developments may be 

 left to the skill and intelligence of the modeller, excepting, 

 perhaps, the latest of all those mentioned, and in this the 

 pappus has been fairly represented by frayed-out worsted, cut 

 thistledown, etc., but, as these require colouring, the best medium 

 is the natural pappus. Remove the involucre therefore, insert 

 a prepared wire, and bind the tuft as low as possible above the 

 seeds with waxed silk, cotton, or very fine wire. 



The involucre is all that is now required to complete the 

 flower in any stage, and this may be cut in two parts, from a 

 strip of light green fabric lined with thin wax, in the forms of 

 Figs. 4 and 5. Tool each point on the wax side with the 

 head of a blanket-pin, and then fold the first piece (Fig. 4), 

 fabric outside, around the basal portion of the flower (which 

 must, of course, be of the correct shape, but a trifle smaller to 

 allow for the addition of the involucre) until it meets ; cut off" 

 the remainder, unite the ends, and colour to nature. Around 

 this fold the other piece (Fig. 5), and impart the natural de- 

 pressions and form by tooling with any of the pins most 

 convenient. Colour this also to nature, using Vandyke brown, 

 Rubens madder, burnt sienna, and white, as required. 



