204 PEACTICAL TAXIDERMY. 



the art of featlier cleaning. It served equally as well as tlie 

 other preparation, and its superior cheapness placed it within 

 the reach of everybody. The cleansing property of benzoline 

 is still somewhat a secret out of the profession, and is really 

 worth, as a matter of business, all the money which is sometimes 

 asked for divulging it to an amateur. 



When, therefore, you have a bird which is greased, or stained 

 with greasy dirt, &c., wipe it down the way of the feathers 

 with a piece of wool saturated with common (or French) ben- 

 zoline, using from time to time fresh wool as the other becomes 

 soiled. When the feathers are well damped, cover the newly- 

 cleaned part with dry plaster of Paris, allowing the bird to- 

 remain from one to two or three hours, at the expiration of 

 which time take it out, dusting the waste plaster off with a 

 soft bundle of feathers. Do not be alarmed if the bird looks 

 somewhat miserable at the outset, but be sure that, if the plaster 

 is dusted on the way of the feathers, all will come out right. 

 Blood, whether fresh or old, is best removed by warm water* as 

 just described, and the feathers then carefully wiped down with 

 benzoline, before putting on the plaster; this obviates the rough- 

 ness often observable in water-cleaned birds. Sometimes, in very 

 old skins, successive applications of water, turpentine, benzo- 

 line, and plaster, carefully managed, will work wonders. I have 

 mentioned, at page 85, the fact that birds may be plunged into 

 turpentine to rid them of insects. After this process they do 

 not readily dry in proper foi-m, remaining greasy and streaked 

 with dirt — in fact, in a generally deplorable condition (as I 

 know to my cost, teste, the Leicester Museum collection, 

 ignorantly treated in this manner before my advent). Birds 

 treated with turpentine must be well washed down afterwards 

 with benzoline and then dried in plaster of Paris, as before 

 described. In cleansing old specimens, do not forget to dust 

 them, or to beat them thoroughly with feathers, hefore applying 

 the benzoline, &c. 



In a fresh specimen it would be a person's own fault if he 

 should fail to clean a bird, even were it dipped in blood and 



* The American pubHcation, " Science," points out that the addition of salt to the water 

 cleanses blood irom feathers, by preventing the s-clution of the blood-globules, and diffusioa 

 of the colouiiiii; matter, or red haemoglobin. I have found this " wrinkle " of great benefit 

 in cleansing white -plumaged birds. 



