
88 HOW TO MAKE A BIRDSKIN. 
jinal adjustment of the head. The commonest mistake is get- 
ting it too far away from the body. In the ordinary attitudes 
of most birds, little neck shows, the head appearing nestled 
upon the shoulders. If the neck appears too long, it is not 
to be contracted by pushing the head directly down upon it, 
but by making an S curve of the neck. No precise direc- 
tions can be given for the set of the head but you may be 
assured it is a delicate, difficult matter; the slightest turn of 
the bill one way or another may alter the whole expression of 
the bird. You will of course have determined beforehand 
upon your attitude—upon what you wish the bird to appear 
to be doing; then, let your meaning be pointed by the bird’s 
bill. 
On the general subject of striking an attitude, and giving 
expression to a stuffed bird, little can be said to good purpose. 
If you are to become proficient in this art, it will come from 
your own study of birds in the field, your own good taste and 
appreciation of bird life. ‘The manual processes are easily 
described and practised —it is easy to grind pnint, I suppose, 
but not so to be an artist. I shall therefore only follow the 
above account of the general processes with some special 
practical points. After ‘‘attitudinizing” to your satisfaction, or 
to the best of your ability, the plumage is to be carefully 
‘‘ dressed.” Feathers awry may be set in place with a light 
spring forceps, or needles fixed in a handle—one by one if 
necessary. When no individual feather seems out of place, it 
often occurs that the general plumage has a loose, slovenly 
aspect. This is readily corrected by wrapping with fine thread. 
Stick a pin into the middle of the back, another into the breast, 
and perhaps others elsewhere. Fasten the end of a spool of 
sewing cotton to one of the pins, and carry it to another, 
winding the thread about among the pins, till the whole surface 
is covered with an irregular network. Tighten to reduce an 
undue prominence, loosen over a depression ; but let the wrap- 
ping as a whole be light, firm and even. This procedure, nicely 
executed, will give a smoothness to the plumage not otherwise 
attainable, and may be made to produce the most exquisite 

