56 MANUAL OF TAXIDERMY. 



to a greater or less angle. Sew up specimen 

 as before ; arrange and place in a long form and 

 bind. The legs of such birds as yellow-legs may 



be stitched together at the tibial joint, then bent 

 toward the sides, and the toes stitched to the skin. 

 In making skins of all birds where the back of 

 the head is opened, the orifice should not be sewed 

 up until after the wire has been inserted in the 

 upper mandible, as it may be necessary to add 

 more cotton through here to make the throat 

 or back of the head as full as in life. Sew up this 

 orifice by taking fine stitches in only the extreme 



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edge of the skin, and the same caution must be 

 exercised in sewing up accidental tears in the 

 skin. Very tender skins may have tears mended 

 by pasting tissue-paper neatly over the holes from 

 the inside. In fact it is best to sew up tears 

 from the inside, always using silk thread for the 

 purpose. 



Section IV. : Making Skins of Herons, Ibises, 

 etc. — Proceed exactly as in long-necked birds, 

 but to make a compact skin lay the bird breast 

 down, and turn the head and neck on the back, 

 and fasten the legs to the sides. I always wire 

 the necks, and for additional security, to prevent 

 them being straightened by careless or inex- 



