MOUNTING BIRDS. *J\ 



body. Now place the wires which protrude from 

 the feet in holes bored in the perch of the stand, 

 which should be about as far apart as the bird na- 

 turally stands while perching. See that the feet 

 come well down on the perch with the toes arranged 

 properly, remembering that cuckoos, woodpeckers, 

 etc., have two toes in front and two behind, while 

 with hawks, owls, etc., the outer toe generally stands 

 at right angles with the others, and should therefore 

 grasp the end of the stand. Either twist the ends 

 of the wire together or wind them around the 

 stand very firmly. Now comes the most difficult 

 part of the task of mounting. Hitherto all has 

 been merely mechanical ; certain rules had to be 

 observed only. But now the instructor must 

 pause for want of words wherewith to express his 

 meaning, for who can tell an artist how to put in 

 those bold and hasty strokes with which he maps 

 out his picture? He knows just what he is about, 

 however, for he has before his mental vision the 

 complete picture, and strives to place on canvas 

 that which appears before him. So must the artistic 

 taxidermist have before him a vision of the bird he 

 wishes to represent, with the combined mass of 

 feathers now in hand. Whether lightly poised for 

 flight or calmly sitting at rest, before he puts his 



