344 TAXIDERMY AND MODELLING 



one of the hardest to make when the method is grasped, it will 

 not be amiss to give full directions for its successful accom- 

 plishment. 



The first thing to be done is to make the yellow centre 

 or disc of the flower, which looks a hopeless task, and has 

 been roughly and unsatisfactorily imitated by pressing wax 

 with a thimble, but which is very easy to make, like many 

 other things, when one knows how. Take, therefore, some 

 yellow sheet-wax and cut off a strip from a quarter to three- 

 eighths of an inch in width, turn down the edge about a six- 

 teenth of an inch, so that it is doubled on the top edge along 

 its whole length, and wind it around a suitable piece of wire (end 

 turned over as usual), gradually lowering it so that the centre 

 is the highest part, looking to the natural flower as a guide 

 to the degree of convexity, and being careful not to squeeze 

 the turned-down edge of the wax, which should be just loosely 

 folded over. When sufficient is wrapped around the wire, and 

 the base of the wax is pressed firmly to the wire, cut a small 

 piece of the finest white net of the smallest mesh, and — 

 after the wax has been well warmed (but not melted) in front 

 of a fire, or by a lamp — pull the net firmly down upon the top 

 of the wax until it buries itself and sinks out of sight, whilst 

 the softened wax starts through the holes of the net as little 

 rounded points, and in less time than can be imagined the 

 centre is beautifully imitated. Now cut a small strip of art 

 fabric, snip one edge very finely with the scissors, and wind 

 once around the centre ; tease it out slightly with a needle, 

 and the outer ring of the florets of the disc, which is looser, 

 and, as it were, blooming, appears. 



The petals, or rather florets of the ray, are, as is well 

 known, white, and often tipped with pink. They must be 

 imitated in thin white Mintorn art fabric, and — task though it 

 seems— each must be cut out separately, the natural floret being 



