HOW TO MOUNT A DEER HEAD. 



C. A. DAMON. 



Nearly every sportsman would like to 

 nave his best trophies mounted, so as to 

 "have them constantly before him, as adorn- 

 ments for his home or office; but the expense 

 of having a head mounted is, to many of 

 us, quite an item. Moreover, the results are 

 not always satisfactory. 



Too often the taxidermist is not a- sports- 

 man, and is ignorant of the habits and poses 

 which are natural to the animal under treat- 

 ment; and therefore he is obliged to mount 

 the specimen according to his own notion 

 of how it should look. 



There are a few taxidermists who are 



I. THE NECK BOARDS. 



really artists in their line, and if you can 

 afford it by all means send your specimens 

 to one of them. If that is impossible, you 

 would better mount it yourself than lose 

 your specimen, or send it to a bungler. 



Let us suppose you have a deer head 

 to mount, and that it is in the condition in 

 which such specimens usually reach the 

 taxidermist. The skin has been cut off at 

 the shoulders, the neck skinned out to the 

 base of the skull, and there cut off with a 

 dull axe. 



The first thing to do is to cut the hide 

 down the back of the neck, from the centre 

 of the shoulders to a point between the 

 antlers. Then make a T cut running to the 

 base of each antler. 



After cutting the hide away from around 

 the burr of each antler, skin the head out. 

 Avoid cutting holes in the skin at the 

 corners of the eyes. Leave a good depth of 

 skin in each nostril, and detach the lips close 

 to the skull. 



Before removing the flesh from the skull 

 you should notice just where clay filling will 

 be required to restore the skull to its former 

 shape. By making a rough sketch of the 

 skull with all the flesh on it, and marking 

 down measurements at different points, you 

 will save yourself considerable trouble and 

 avoid making your form too full or too scant 

 in different places. 



Remove all flesh from both skull and hide. 

 With care and patience the skin of the ear 

 can be turned wrong side out, over the ear 

 cartilage, and the entire cartilage removed, 

 so it can be replaced with sheet lead. Split 

 the lips open from the inside, and remove 

 all the flesh. 



Turn the hide wrong side out, find the 

 exact centre of each lip, and sew into it a 

 tow-wrapped wire, to give the natural form 

 to the lips when they are closed together, 

 filled within with clay (or putty) and mod- 

 eled into shape. 



The poison formula which appears below 

 is the best I know of, and has kept birds 

 and heads in perfect condition for 50 years. 

 An old taxidermist, who gave it to me, 

 said he never had the hair or feathers slip, 

 or get moth eaten, on any specimen on 

 which it had been Used. 



Corrosive sublimate 2 oz. 



Salts of tartar 2 oz. 



Arsenic 8 oz. 



Camphor gum 1 oz. 



Pulverize, and mix well. 



Rub this powder on the skin, using plenty 

 of it; then roll the hide up and keep it in a 

 moist place until ready to put it on the form. 



Enlarge the opening in the base of the 

 skull by sawing two cuts, one on each side, 

 and cutting out the bone with a chisel. This 

 cut should be about one inch wide and 3 

 inches long. 



Remove the brain and eyes and clean the 

 skull of all flesh. 



Fit an inch board, 4 inches wide, into this 

 cut by notching it in such a manner that 

 the end will rest against the top of the 

 skull between the antlers. 



When you have secured the right angle 



415 



