312 ON PRESERVING BIRDS. 



Preserving allow it to daiigle froiii youi' hand, its own weight will 



Birds. 



— stretch it too much. 



That, throughout the whole operation, as fast as you 

 detach the skin from the body, you must put cotton 

 immediately betwixt the body and it ; and this will 

 effectually prevent any fat, blood, or moisture from coming 

 in contact with the plumage. Here it may be observed 

 that, on the belly you find an inner skin, which keeps the 

 bowels in their place. By a nice operation with the 

 knife, you can cut through the outer skin, and leave the 

 inner skin whole. Attention to this will render your 

 work very clean ; so that, with a little care in other parts, 

 you may skin a bird without even soiling your finger 

 ends. 



As you can seldom get a bird without shooting it, a 

 line or two on this head will be necessary. If the bird 

 be still alive, press it hard with your finger and thumb, 

 just behind the wings, and it will soon expire. Carry it 

 by the legs, and then the body being reversed, the blood 

 cannot escape down the plumage through the shot holes. 

 As blood will often have issued out before you have laid hold 

 of the bird, find out the shot holes, by dividing the feathers 

 with your fingers, and blowing on them, and then, with 

 your penknife, or the leaf of a tree, carefully remove the 

 clotted blood, and put a little cotton on the hole. If, 

 after all, the plumage has not escaped the marks of 

 blood ; or if it has imbibed slime from the ground, wash 



