ON PRESERVING BIRDS. 317 

 wing joints, leaving exactly the same space betwixt them Preserving 



Birds. 



as your knowledge in anatomy informs you existed there — — 



when the bird was entire ; hold the skin open with your 

 finger and thumb, and apply the solution to every part of 

 the inside. Neglect the head and neck at present ; they 

 are to receive it afterwards. 



Fill the body moderately Avith cotton, lest the feathers 

 on the belly should be injured whilst you are about the 

 following operation. You must recollect that half of the 

 thigh, or in other words, one joint of the thigh bone, 

 has been cut away. Now, as this bone never moved 

 perpendicular to the body, but on the contrary in an 

 oblique direction, of course, as soon as it is cut off, the 

 remaining part of the thigh and leg, having nothing now 

 to support them obliquely, must naturally fall to their 

 perpendicular. Hence the reason why the legs appear 

 considerably too long. To correct this, take your needle 

 and thread, fasten the end round the bone inside, and 

 then push the needle through the skin just opposite to it. 

 Look on the outside, and after finding the needle amongst 

 the feathers, tack up the thigh under the wing with 

 several strong stitches. This will shorten the thigh, and 

 render it quite capable of supporting the weight of the 

 body without the help of wire. This done, take out every 

 bit of cotton, except the artificial thighs, and adjust the 

 wing bones (which are connected by the thread) in the 

 most even manner possible, so that one joint does not 



