.146 
THE YOUNG SCIENTIST. 
body of the bird, because,- were you to 
bold it so, you would cut the inner skin, 
and thus let the intestines out. To avoid 
this let your knife be parallel to the body, 
and then you can divide the outer skin 
with great ease. 
Note 5th.— Begin on the bird below the 
breast bone and cut down the middle, 
quite to the vent. This done, put the 
bird in any convenient position, and sep- 
arate the skin from the body, till you get 
at the middle joint of the thigh. Cut it 
through, and do nothing more there at 
present except introduce cotton all the 
way on that side, from the vent to the 
breast bone. Do exactly the same on the 
opposite side. 
Note 6th. — Now place the bird perpen- 
dicular, its breast resting on your knee, 
with its back towards you. Seimrate the 
skin from the body on each side of the 
Tent, and never mind at i^resent the part 
at the vent to the root of the tail. Bend 
the tail gently down to the back, and 
while your finger and thumb are keeping- 
down the detached parts of the skin on 
each side of the vent, cut quite across and 
deep, until you see the back bone near 
the oil gland at the root of the tail. Sever 
the back-bone at the joint and then you 
have all the root of the tail, together with 
the oil gland, dissected from the body. 
Apply plenty of cotton. 
Note 7th.— After this, by shoving and 
cutting get the skin pushed up until you 
eome to Avhere the wing joints join 
the bod3^ Apply cotton, and then cut 
this joint throagh, and do the same at the 
other wing ; add cotton, and gently push 
the skin over the head, cut out the roots 
of the ears, and continue skinning till 
you reach the middle of the eye ; cut the 
membrane quite through, otherwise you 
would tear the orbit of the eye. 
Note 8th. — After this nothing difficult 
intervenes to prevent your arriving at the 
root of the bill ; when this is effected cut 
away tlie body, leaving just a little bit of 
the sk'ull ; clean well the jaw bones, and 
touch the skull and corresponding parts 
with the solution. Now all that remains 
to be removed is the flesh on the middle 
joints of the wings, one bone of the 
t!.i;;iis, and the fleshy root of the tail. 
Note 9th.— Now fasten thread to the 
joints of each wing, and then tie them to- 
gether, leaving exactly the same space 
betwixt them as your knowledge in ana- 
tomy informs you existed there wtien the 
bird was entire ; hold the skin ojoen with 
your flnger and thumb, and apply the so- 
lution to every part of the inside. Neglect 
the head and neck at present, they will 
receive it afterwards. 
Note 10th. — Now fill the body moder- 
ately with wool to prevent the feathers 
below the breast from being injured. 
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 ends round the bone 
inside, then push the skin just oppo- 
site to it, and then tack up the thigh 
under the wings with several strong- 
stitches. This will shorten the thigh, 
and render it quite capable of supporting 
the body without the aid of wire. 
Note 11th.— Now is the time to put in 
the cotton for an artificial body, by means 
of the little stick, and then sew up the 
orifice you originally made, beginning at 
the vent. Lastly, dip your stick into the 
solution, and put it down the throat three 
or four times, in order that every part 
may receive it. When the head and neck 
are filled with cotton quite to your liking, 
close the bill, as in nature. Bring the 
feet together by a pin, and then run a 
thread through the knees, by which you 
may draw them to each other, as near as 
you may judge proper. Nothing now re- 
mains to be added but the eyes ; adjust 
the orbit to them as in nature, and that 
requires no other fastener. After this, 
touch the bill, orbit, feet, and former oil 
gland at the root of the tail, with the so- 
lution, and then you have given to the 
bird everything necessary, except atti- 
tude and a proper degree of elasticity. 
