MANUAL OF NATURAL HISTORY. 641 



it is better to prevent it by putting a piece of cotton 

 into the rectum. The bird should now be suspended 

 by the rump with a chain hook, and the stripping 

 continued down to the wings, which may be sepa- 

 rated from the body by cutting through the bone 

 with scissors, except in large birds when they must 

 be separated at the shoulder-joint ; skin the neck 

 and the head beyond the eyes, taking especial care 

 on arriving at the ears not to pierce the skin, and 

 in dissecting round the eyes not to injure the orbits ; 

 separate the head from the trunk at the first joint 

 of the neck, at the same time draw out the tongue 

 from the mouth and keep it in connexion with the 

 trachea which should be removed entire and either 

 dried or preserved in spirit. Scoop out the brain 

 through the occipital foramen, and remove the eyes 

 carefully, as the feathers of the head are frequently 

 soiled by their bursting. The muscle should be 

 removed from the base of the skull and from between 

 the mandibles ; preservative must then be applied 

 to all parts of the skull, after which a little tow 

 ought to be thrust into the cavity, and some cotton 

 into the orbits ; a thread somewhat longer than the 

 body should now be fastened to the base of the 

 skull, the use of which will be made known pre- 

 sently. 



In large birds the wings should be skinned down 

 to the elbow on the inside, and the bone separated 

 at that joint, thence down to the wrist ; an opening 

 ought to be made on the under side of the wing, 

 the muscle removed, preservative applied to the 



