16 



collector's manual 



Considerable practice is required to wrap cotton satisfactorily 

 around the tail wire (fig. 12A). Splinters of tough wood or of 

 bamboo may be substituted when wire for the tail is not available. 

 A long thin shred of cotton of satisfactory quality must be selected 

 and this twisted or wound around the tail wire, tightly at the 

 end that is to go to the tip of the tail, more loosely toward the 



A 





-\ 





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Fig. 12. — Sewing the finished skin. A, wrapped tail wire 



ready for insertion. 



base, so as to resemble a tapering form like that of the tail bones. 

 To accomplish this the straight tail wire should be rotated be- 

 tween the fingers of one hand while the thin shred of cotton 

 that winds around the wire is played out with the other hand. 

 The cotton must be wound smoothly on the tail wire, without 

 lumps or loose strands. Before insertion, the wrapped tail wire 

 should be dusted with arsenic. After inserting the tail wire, 

 the free end of the wire should be bent into a loop which will lie 



