SKINNING 



377 



table and its belly toward your right, and press the skin away 



from the back, turning it inside out as you proceed. In the 



work at this stage you will 



find that as soon as the skin 



is partly past the rump it will 



be well to hold the rump with 



the right hand and with the 



fingers of the left gently press 



the skin from the flesh. You 



will soon reach the wings, and 



your specimen will look as in 



the second illustration.^ 



6. With scissors cut off the 

 wing bones close to the body. 

 At this stage there is danger 

 from profuse bleeding, and the 

 meal must be used very freely. 

 The blood must not be allowed 

 to touch the feathers. Continue 



the skinning up the neck and over the head. The skinning of 

 the neck is easy, but care must be taken as you press the skin 

 loose from the skull. You will soon have the bird and skin as 

 shown in the third illustration,' and the skin of the right ear, 



as shown in the figure, is to be carefully pulled from its socket 

 by the aid of the point of the knife ; afterwards remove the 

 skin from the other ear. 



7. The eyes now come into view, and the membrane which 



