SKINNING AND PEESEEVING BIRDS. 97 



by pusMng witli the finger-nails, and occasionally using the 

 knife wliere the tendons hold the skin, gradually work up 

 the back, turning it round and round, and working very care- 

 fully until the place where the wings have been previously 

 broken is arrived at. A.gain lay down the knife, and taking 

 up the scissors, cut the wing nearest to you away from 

 the skin; do the same with the other side; and now the 

 only thing which holds skin and body together is the neck. 

 Taking the whole of the body in the hand, proceed 

 with the fingers of the other (using no knife) to gradually 

 cause the skin to leave its attachment at the neck. With 

 care work over the head by the same means, and here progress 

 is stopped by the skin being held on either side of the face 

 by a little membrane; this is the inner skin of the ears. Re- 

 gaining the knife, slip the point underneath, and gradually 

 lift them out, cutting towards the flesh and not towards the 

 skin. This done, the skin will appear darker, immediately 

 above this point. These are the eyes ; carefully cut on top 

 of them with a very gentle motion, until they are skinned 

 to where only a very thin membrane hides them from 

 view; arrived at this, the knife-point must be pushed gently 

 underneath, and an upward cut made, which, if carefully 

 done, entirely severs the eyelids from the retaining membrane. 

 The exact point shown in Fig. 23 is now reached. 



After this sever the skull from the neck at the point where 

 the dotted lines A — B are shown in the drawing. This exposes 

 the brain without cutting off too much at the base of the 

 cranium, the shape of which is wanted for subsequent operations. 



After the body is completely severed, proceed to pull the 

 tongue out (unless wanted for show) by placing the knife 

 on the other side of it in opposition to the thumb, give a 

 smart pull, keeping an even pressure on, and the tongue will 

 come out with little or no diflS.culty. IsText enlarge the orifice 

 at the back of the head by cutting a triangular piece out 

 towards the palate or roof of the mouth, scooping the brains 

 out with the point of the knife, having a small piece of paper 

 in readiness to receive them. During this operation hold the 

 beak of the bird through the skin of the neck by the two 

 first fingers, and thumb, the latter being uppermost, the 



