10 ORNITHOLOGWAL AND OOLOGICAL COLLECTING. 



to the vent> (Plate 2, Fig. 1 a to 6). Do not cut through the wall of the abdomen, for 

 the intestines, blood, etc., will come out and give you trouble. Now raise the skin 

 carefully along the cut until the muscles of the leg are visible; push gently, but 

 with sufiacient force until the knee-joint protrudes, and cut it off here (Plate 2, Fig. 

 2 (7), leaving the thigh attached to the body.' Most of the cutting from this point 

 until the bird is finished may be done with the scissors. Skin the leg down to the 

 heel, strip the flesh off perfectly clean (Plate 2, Fig. 3 f) and poison thoroughly 

 with arsenical paste or arsenical soap (see formulas, page 7).' Proceed in the same 

 manner with the other leg, then loosen the skin down on the back as far as possible, 

 stand the bird on its breast, bend the tail and cut carefully through the tail joint 

 or pope's nose (Plate 2, Fig. 4 g). In doing this you will find it necessary to work 

 slowly and carefully in order to avoid cutting the skin. .You may now hang the 

 specimen up on one of the hooks suspended from the ceiling. Be sure, however, to 

 leave enough of the pope's nose to hold the feathers fast. Skin down the body, cut 

 off one of the wings at the shoulder joint, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig, 5 h, 

 Plate 2. Strip off the fiesh from the humerus or upper arm bone and also the fore- 

 arm (ulna and radius) or double bones, detaching the secondaries of the wing down 

 to the carpus or wrist joint (Fig. 6 I, Plate 2). In the smaller birds, like^ the robin 

 for example, you may cut the wing-bones off at the dotted linea in Fig. 6, Plate 2, 



With a little care and gentle force, after hanging the bird on the hook you can peel 

 the skin down to the shoulder joint and there disjoint It without disturbing the feathers 

 to, any great extent. 



The best bird artist I ever knew never broke the humerus in ai y wing in order to 

 facilitate the skinning of the bird. He skinned down the body completely as represented 

 In Fig. 5, Plate 2, and exposed both upper arm bones; these were cu*- off, skinned and 

 cleaned as seen in Fig. 6, Plate 2, leaving the other wing attached to th^ body, skinning It 

 down with the assistance- of a second hook. , 



In the smaller birds it is well enough to cut the wing off at the end of the humerus, 

 where the dotted lines show in the upper portion of Fig. 6, Plate 2. In all of the larger 

 birds, however, the humerus should be allowed to remain attached to the ulna and radius 

 as seen in Fig. 6, Plate 2. 



In all of the larger birds, the eagles, the hawks, owls, herons, pelicans, ducks, etc., 



' be sure and leave all the wing-bones remain attached to one another and skin the wipg 



from the outside leaving the secondary feathers attached to the ulna of the forearm 



as illustrated in Plate i, Fig. 7. The reason of this will be further discussed when we are 



ready to skin the wing of the subject we have on hand. 



1. OPENING CUT IN THE BACKS OF BIRDS.— In the grebes, loons, gulls and 

 many of the ducks I shall recommend making the opening cut along the back, as this 

 will enable you to preserve with more certainty the beauty of the underparts. 



2. SKINNING THE LEGS OF BIRDS.— In skinning the legs of birds the rule is to 

 skin down as far as feathers grow or in all cases to the heel. The legs of many of the owls 

 should be skinned down as far as the base of the toes which is as far as we can reach 

 from the inside. The legs in all hawks and eagles should be skinned to below the heel. 



3. REMOVING TENDONS FROM LEGS- OF BIRDS.— The tendons in the legs of 

 eagles, large hawks, pelicans, flamingoes and large herons, down to the size of the Ameri- 

 can Bittern Botaurus lentiginosus (Montag.), should be taken out. To do this make a cut 

 in the ball of the foot and draw the tendons out by means of a hook turned on the end of 

 a piece of hard wire. If you choose to do so you may put a wooden handle on the wire and 

 make it a permanent tool for your outfit. After making the slit in the ball of the foot I 

 sometimes cut the tendons where they branch to the toes, take hold of them with pliers 

 and draw them out. It requires much longer time to remove the tendons from a dry 

 V-in which you have relaxed than from a fresh bird. 



In making up large birds in the form of skins the tendons should, by all means be 

 faken out and the legs thoroughly poisoned, both to cure them and protect them against 

 the attacks of insects. (Confined on page 12.) 



