Vlll MANUAL OF TAXIDERMY. 



As is natural, many methods have been prac- 

 ticed to insure lifelike attitudes in birds and other 

 objects of natural history. A good opportunity of 

 studying the various schools of mounting may be 

 seen among the specimens of a large museum, 

 where material is gathered from various localities 

 throughout the world. I have seen birds filled 

 with many varieties of material, from cotton to 

 plaster, and have even seen cases where the skin 

 is drawn over a block of wood carved to imitate 

 the body removed. 



As a rule, I prefer the soft body filling, where all 

 the wires are fastened together in the centre of the 

 inside of the skin, and cotton, or some similar elas- 

 tic material, filled in around it. This method is, 

 however, very difficult to learn, and, unless one has 

 had a large experience in handling birds, will not 

 give satisfactory results. I have therefore recom- 

 mended the hard body method, as given in the 

 text, as being the best, as it is more easily learned 

 and always gives the best results in the hands of 

 amateurs. 



In skin-making, although I have given two 

 methods, making in the form and wrapping, I pre- 

 fer the latter, as being by far the best, although it 

 is not as easy to learn. 



