SPECIAL PROCESSES. all 
I could put away a dozen sparrows in the time I should spend 
over an eagle, and I would rather undertake a hundred hum- 
ming birds than one ostrich. For “large” birds, say anything 
from a hen hawk upward, various special manipulations I have 
directed may be foregone, while however you observe their gen- 
eral drift and intent. You may open the bird as directed, or, 
turning it tail to you, cut with a knife.* Forceps are rarely 
required —there is not much that is too small to be taken in 
hand. As soon as the tail is divided, hang up the bird by the 
rump, so you will have both hands free. Let it swing clear of 
the wall or table, at any height most convenient. The steel 
hooks of a dissecting case are not always large enough; use a 
stout fish-hook with the barb filed off. Work with your nails, 
assisted by the scalpel if necessary. I know of no bird, and 
I think there is none in this country at least, the skin of which 
is so internally adherent by fibrous or muscular tissue as to 
require actual dissecting throughout; a pelican comes perhaps 
as near this as any; but in many cases the knife may be con- 
stantly employed with advantage. Use it with long clean 

beauty of result, but in rapidity of execution. Ihave seen taxidermists make good 
small skins at the rate of ten an hour; but this is extraordinary. The quickest 
work Iever did myself was eight an hour, or an average of seven and ahalf minutes 
apiece, and fairly good skins. But I picked my birds, all small ones, well shot, 
labelled, measured and plugged beforehand, so that the rate of work was excep- 
tional besides including only the actual manipulations from first cut to laying away. 
No one averages eight birds an hour, even excluding the necessary preliminaries 
of cleansing, plugging, etc. Four birds an hour, everything included, is good 
work. A very eminent ornithologist of this country, and an expert taxidermist, 
once laid a whimsical wager, that he would skin and stuff a bird before a certain 
friend of his could pick all the feathers off a specimen of the same kind, I forget 
the time, but he won, and his friend supped that night on some very tough game! 
* Certain among larger birds are often opened elsewhere than along the belly — 
with what advantage I cannot say from my own experience. Various water birds, 
such as loons, grebes, auks, gulls and ducks (in fact any swimming bird with 
dense under plumage) may be opened along the side by a cut under the wings from 
the shoulder over the hip to the rump; the cut is completely hidden by the make-up, 
and the plumage is never ruffled. ButI see no necessity for this; for, asa rule, 
the belly opening can, if desired, be completely effaced with due care; though a 
very greasy bird with white under plumage generally stains where opened, in spite 
of every precaution. Such birds as loons, grebes, cormorants and penguins are 
often opened by a cut across the fundament from one leg to the other; their con- 
formation in fact suggests and favors this operation. I have often seen water 
birds slit down the back; but I consider it very poor practice. 
