20 Handbook of Taxidermy. 



skinning away, you will come to a hard sub- 

 stance ; this is the thigh. Skin carefully around 

 this until you come to the under side, when you 

 can easily insert your scissors and sever it from 

 the body. Push the leg up out of the skin until 

 you come to the tarsus ; clear away all muscles 

 and tendons, and bring the legs back into its 

 skin again. Repeat this process on the other 

 side without turning the bird around. Now 

 skin carefully around the tail ; place your fore- 

 finger across this, and pressing it back a little, 

 insert the scissors and sever the stump. Great 

 care must be taken, however, not to cut the thin 

 and very tender skin over the tail. 



Now turn the bird up, and with its belly point- 

 ing toward you, let the tail fall over the fore- 

 finger of your right hand, and with your thumb 

 nail and fingers, continue to push and work the 

 skin until you come to the wings ; sever these at 

 the shoulder. 



Now holding the skin in the left hand, and 

 letting the body fall over the other side of the 

 fingers, skin down the neck — which will slip 

 out as easily as a finger from a glove — until you 



