BIRDS. 7 



ward his left hand. The feathers are then separated in the 

 median line by the left hand, and an incision is made much 

 as in mammals, the extent of this slit varying somewhat 

 with the expertne'ss of the operator, as well as the kind of 

 bird being skinned. The slit being made, the fingers are in- 

 serted between the skin and the flesh, and the parts exposed 

 dusted with plaster of Paris, to prevent any adhesion of the 

 feathers. In some cases, it is advantageous to sew strips of 

 cloth to the cut edges of the skin to keep the feathers clean, 

 and also to prevent the skin from stretching. The legs are 

 now pushed forward, and divided at the knee joints, after 

 which the vertebral column is divided, leaving the last joint 

 in the skin, as a support to the tail feathers. The body is 

 then suspended from the hook by the rump end, and the skin 

 separated from the back and sides (as in the case of mam- 

 mals) until the shoulder joints appear. If the bird in hand 

 be a water-fowl, it may be necessary to separate the wings at 

 the shoulder joint, but whenever possible the division had 

 best be made at the elbow. The neck is next to be skinned, 

 taking great care not to stretch the skin, especially in the case 

 of the long-necked birds. Then the head is separated from 

 the integument as far as the bill. Now remove the tongue 

 and muscles from the skull, and separate it from the neck, 

 placing the carcase aside, and remove the brain from the 

 skull with a quill, enlarging the opening if necessary for the 

 purpose. Great care should be taken, in skinning the head, 

 not to injure the external ear and the parts around the eyes. 

 The bones left in the legs {tibia) are now to be skinned, 

 cleaned, thoroughly covered with preservative (arsenic or 



