16 OBNITHOLOOICAL AND OOLOOICAL COLLEVTIMl. 



To make up a clean, shapely, well-prepared bird skin requires considerable ex- 

 perience and practice. Facility and speed will come with both. I have already de- 

 scribed in detail the manner in which a bird should be skinned. 



In these directions we shall again take up the robin as our example and skin it 

 exactly as I have directed in Chapter II, and, if it be any other species much larger, 

 you will, as before, refer to the foot-notes In case there be any variations or ex- 

 ceptions to the general rule, as, for instance, skinning the heads of woodpeckers, 

 ducks, skinning the wing by an opening cut along the underside of the wing in large 

 birds, etc. Do not fall to take full measurements, ascertain the sex, etc., before 

 beginning as before recommended. 



Having skinned the specimen it lies before you exactly as you see it in Plate 4, 

 Fig. 4, ready for the filling. Some taxidermists fill the neck-skin with tow (Plate 

 4, Figs. 1 and 2) before turning the skin back. I prefer always to fill the neck after 

 the skin has been returned over the skull. Poison the entire skin thoroughly. Make 

 a roll of fine tow the thickness of. the natural neck and longer than the entire neck 

 and body; insert one end of this into the cavity of the skull and let the other extend 

 as far as the tail. Many do not allow the neck roll to extend farther down than 

 shown in Figs. 3 and 4, Plate 4. The wing-bones in very small birds need not be 

 wrapped with cotton. In all cases the leg-bones should have a wrapping of cotton 

 or fine tow; for the small ones cotton will do; but tow should be used in the large 

 ones. Cotton will answer for the body-filling in the small birds, but tow is the thing 

 to use in the larger ones. This should be made in one mass, rather firmly moulded 

 into something like the shape of the bird's body or trunk, but rather less in bulk. 

 Insert this into the skin until it fits nicely, bring tlie edges of the incision together 

 and the skin is about completed. In some cases the open^g is held together by 

 taking one or two stitches with a needle, and thread. 



The usual fault of beginners is in using too much stuffing, thus making the skin 

 to "bulge out" in the wrong places, especially between tlie shoulders and along 

 the neck. Never make the neck of a skin too long. The specimen is usually meant 

 to lie on its back with tne head drawn down near the body, the neck being of natural 

 length. It only remains to "set" the specimen in a shapely manner by folding the 

 wings neatly, adjusting the head and neck, bringing the legs together and crossing 

 them. The throat of the bird should be filled with cotton and the skin can now be 

 labeled and placed In a drying-board. 



These are found very useful in forming or moulding the shape of the skin. 

 They are made by gluing or tacking pieces of thin wood of the same size on a board, 

 equal distances apart. Pieces of lieavy paper are fitted between the cross-boardfe 

 and glued or tacked in position, so as to form semi-cylindrical grooves. Tin or zinc 

 can be used for making drying-boards for large birds. The old-fashioned paper cone, 

 in which you thrust the bird head foremost, pinning the cone on the wall while the 

 bird is drying, is an excellent method in some cases. All birds with crests should 

 have the head turned slightly to one side and their crests raised. This is illustrated 

 in Plate 5, Figs. 1 and 2. 



Ducks, herons, geese and all other long-necked birds should, when placed to dry, 

 rest upon the breast with the head and neck resting upon the back. The feet 6f the 

 long-legged waders should be placed underneath the breast. This is beautifully 

 Illustrated in Plate 5, Figs. 3, 5 and 6, in skins of the Great Blue Heron, Avocet and 

 Marbled Godwit. In Fig. 4 of the same plate we have an illustration of the skin of 

 the Hooded Merganser, which has as long a, neck as some of the ducks. When pre- 

 paring a long-necked skin in this manner always wra^ tow to the natural thickness 



