THE YOUNO SCIENTIST. 
35 
Skin Preserving. 
JUST at this time of year, when the 
"close season" is in abeyance, and 
when pottering round the hedgerows for 
the chance of a rabbit, one occasionally 
meets with feathers or fur worth preserv- 
ing, I have been several times asked for 
hints as to making up skins, till a com- 
petent stuffer, a rarity, unluckily, can be 
met with ; and not being without exper- 
ience of ray own as to the difficulty of the 
matter, perhaps a few simple hints which 
may assist in overcoming the first diffi- 
culty—the premier pas qui coute— may be 
useful. 
With a little practice, a bird's skin can 
be removed from the body as easily as 
that of a quadruped, and with a much 
more satisfactory result, as in the one 
case there is a thick coating of feathers 
which will make up for any slight de- 
ficiency in the perfection of the skin itself, 
while, in the latter case, the greatest pos- 
sible care must be taken not to stretch the 
skin in the least ; or a bare patch, which 
no amount of art will cover, will be the 
result. So that premising that the method 
of skinning is in both cases precisely the 
same, it will be as well to take the easier 
subject, the bird, on which to commence. 
By "making up a skin," is understood 
so arranging and preserving it that a 
professional taxidermist will have no dif- 
ficulty in softening and setting it up, after 
a reasonable lapse of time, while the plum- 
a,ge of the bird is preserved, as nearly as 
possible unruffled, in the ordinary posi- 
tion when dead. 
The tools required are, I had almost 
said, none ; but nothing more than a pen- 
knife is necessary, while a stout pair of 
pointed nail scissors are more handy for 
cleaning, and by no means cumbrous. 
Taking the bird as it lies, yet untouched, 
it is better to leave any dried blood stains 
to be removed after skinning. There is 
no advantage in cleaning at once, as after 
.removal the feathers can be grasped from 
within, as well as from without, and there 
is less chance of • stretching, the thing to 
be guarded against throughout, Any wet 
stains had better be removed at once with 
a bit of sponge, as they will be infinitely 
miore troublesome when dry. 
Having disposed of stains, notice where 
there are any wounds in the skin, for 
future guidance ; one is very likely to in- 
crease a rent if it is unexpectedly come 
upon. Then take the bird by the beak, 
and smooth down the feathers with the 
free hand ; placing the bird carefully on 
its back when every thing is in place. 
The next step is to prepare the way for 
skinning the limbs. Taking the leg by 
the " knee," where the bare shank meets 
the feathers, and by the bone just above 
the joint, the leg is snapped— taking care 
that the pointed ends of the bone do not 
injure the skin— just within the com- 
mencement of the feathered portion. The 
same is done with the wings, and the 
ruffled feathers are replaced. 
If the thick feathers covering the breast 
are now separated, a broad bare space will 
be found running the whole length of the 
body. Along this line an incision is made 
with the penknife, from the projecting 
end of the breastbone to the arms ; then 
keeping the feathers as much as possible 
from the edges of the cut, though, if care- 
fully made, there is not the least bleeding 
from the breast, and the special covering 
of the intestines is not cut through. The 
skin is separated with the back of the 
knife from the sides as far as possible, 
without lengthening the incision. Then 
carefully working down by the side of the 
abdomen, the legs are reached ; the skin 
is turned back till the broken bone is 
found, and the muscles cut through; 
freeing the skin of the leg, and leaving 
only the broken bone end in the pocket 
formed by the removal of the "drum- 
stick." The other leg is treated in the 
same way. 
The connection of the arms with the ab- 
domen must next be severed, and the skin 
turned back to the tail ; the attachment of 
the spine to the tail severed, and then the 
skin of the back is carefully — for owing to 
the thinness of the covering here, the 
slightest stretch will make a woful gap in 
the feathers— reflected till the wings are 
reached. These are treated in the same 
manner as the legs, and then the skin is 
entirely removed from the body, leaving 
only the head and neck to be completed. 
The neck is cut through at its junction 
