384 



PREPARATION OF BIRD SPECIMENS 



wires into the tow body just before you insert those of the legs 

 (stage 18). The position for the entrance of these wires is 

 found by examining the place where the wings were cut off 

 from the body. The proper locality for both wing and leg 

 wires is shown in the illustration of the tow body (page 380) 

 by small circles. The wing wires need some clinching after 

 being passed through the tow body, though this is not so im- 

 portant as the firm 

 fixing of the leg 

 wires. 



When a success- 

 ful flying bird has 

 been prepared/ a 

 slight modification 

 of the plan will en- 

 able the student to 

 give a male the strutting position.^ After this he is ready to 

 undertake the mounting of birds in all kinds of natural atti- 

 tudes. Probably as difficult a one as any is that of gathering 

 food from the ground.'" 



GENERAL HINTS ABOUT THE MOUNTING OF BIRDS 



Cleaning blood from feathers. — No matter how small the 

 shot used, there will occasionally be blood spots to be removed. 

 This can be easily done when the blood is fresh. In the worst 

 of cases, with the blood dry and the feathers white, the stains 

 can all be removed if sufficient time and care be giren to the 

 work. Wash the spots thoroughly with warm water (and soap 

 also if necessary), and dry with abundance of plaster of Paris. 

 After the moisture has been all absorbed, the plaster is to be 

 completely diisted from the feathers. 



Birds difficult to skin. — Birds with large heads and small 

 necks, as the ducks and woodpeckers, will not allow the neck 

 skin to pass over the head. In these cases, the skin of the 

 neck has to be so split open as to allow the head to be skinned 

 and the brain to be removed. Birds with firm, close feathers, 



