66 HOW TO MAKE A BIRDSKIN. 



as you did the eyeball, introduce it in the same way, and ram 

 it firmly into the base of the skull ; disengage the needle by 

 twisting it the other way, and withdraw it, taking care not to 

 dislodge the cotton neck. If now you peep into the skin you 

 will see the end Of this artificial neck ; push it up against the 

 skin of the breast — it must not lie down on the back between 

 the shoulders.* The body-wad comes next ; you want to imi- 

 tate the size and shape of the bird's trunk. Take a mass of 

 cotton you think will be enough, and take about half of this ; 

 that will be plenty (cotton is very elastic). It should make a 

 tolerably firm ball, rather egg-shaped, swelling at the breast, 

 smaller behind. If you simply squeeze up the cotton, it will 

 not stay compressed ; it requires a motion something like that 

 which bakers employ to knead dough into the shape of a loaf. 

 Keep tucking over the borders of the cotton till the desired 

 shape and firmness are attained. Insert the ball between the 

 blades of the forceps in such way that the instruments con- 

 fine the folded-over edges, and with a wriggling motion insin- 

 uate it aright into the body. Before relaxing the forceps, put 

 your thumb and forefinger in the bird's armpits, and pinch the 

 shoulders together till they almost touch ; this is to make sure 

 that there is no stuflflng between the shoulders — the whole 

 mass lying breastwards. Loosen the forceps and withdraw 

 them. If the ball is rightly made and tucked in, the elasticity 

 of the cotton will chiefly expend Itself in puffing out the breast, 

 which is just what is wanted. Be careful not to push the body 

 too far in ; if it impacts against the skin of the neck, this will 

 infallibly stretch, driving the shoulders apart, and no art will 

 remedy the unsightly gape resulting. You see I dwell on this 



* Although a bird's neck ie really, of course, in direct continuation of the back- 

 bone, yet the.natural sigmoid curve of the neck is such that it virtually takes de- 

 parture rather from the breast, its lower curve being received between the prongs 

 of the merrythought. This is what we must imitate instead of the true anatomy. 

 If you let the end of the neck lie between the shoulders, it will infallibly press 

 them apart, so that the interscapular plumage cannot shingle over the scapular as 

 it should, and a gaping place, showing down or even naked skin, will result. 

 Likewise if the neck be made too large (the chances are that way, at first), the 

 same result follows. These seemingly trifling points are very important indeed; 

 I never made a decent birdskin till X learned to get the neck small enough, and to 

 shove the end of it against the breast. 



