42 
FIELD ORNITHOLOGY. 
The three mistakes most likely to be made by a beginner are, getting the body altogether too 
large, not firm enough, and irregular. When properly made, it will closely resemble the 
bird's body and neck, with an inch or several inches of sharp-pointed wire protruding from the 
anterior extremity of the neck of tow. You have now to introduce the whole affair into 
the skin. With the birdskin on its back, the tail pointing to your right elbow, and the 
abdominal opening as wide as possible, hold the tow body in position relative to the skin ; 
enter the wire, pass it up through the neck, bring the sharp point exactly against the middle 
of the skull, pierce skull and skin, causing the wire to protrude some distance from the middle 
of the crown. Then by gentle means insinuate the body, partly pushing it in, partly drawing 
the skin over it, till it rests in its proper position. This is just like drawing on a tight kid 
glove, and no more difficult. See that the body is completely encased; you must be able to 
close the abdominal aperture entirely. You have next to wire the legs. Enter the sharp 
point of one of the leg- wires already prepared, exactly at the centre of the sole of the foot, 
thrusting it up inside the tarsal envelope the whole length of the shank," thence across the 
heel joint ^ and up along the next bone of the leg, still inside the skin. The point of the wire 
will then be seen within the skin, and may be seized and drawn a little further through, and 
you will have passed a wire entirely out of sight all the way along the leg. The end of the 
wire is next to be fixed immovably in the tow ball. Thrust it in at the point where the knee, 
in life, rests against the side of the body.^ Bring the point to view, bend it over and reinsert 
it till it sticks fast. There are no special directions to be given here ; fasten the wire in any 
way that eff'ectually prevents ^' wabbling." You may find it convenient to wire both legs 
before fastening either, and then clinch them by twdsting the two ends together. But remem- 
ber that the leg-wires may be fixed respecting each other, yet permit a see-saw motion of the 
body upon them. This must not be ; the body and legs must be fixed upon a jointless frame. 
Having secured the legs, close the abdominal opening nicely, either by sewing or pinning; you 
may stick pins in anywhere, as freely as in a pin-cushion; the feathers hide their heads. Stick 
a pin through the pope's nose to fix the tail in place. 
All this while the bird has been lying on its back, the neck stretched straight in continua- 
tion of the body, wired stiffly, the legs straddling wide apart, straight and stifi", the wings lying 
loosely, half-spread. Now bring the legs together, parallel with each other, and make the 
sharp bend at the heel joint that will bring the feet naturally under the belly (over it, as the 
bird lies on its back). Pick up the bird by the wires that project from the soles and set it op 
its stand, by running the wires through holes bored the proper distance apart, and then secur- 
ing the ends by twisting. The temporary stand that you use for this purpose should have a 
heavy or otherwise firm support, so as not easily to overturn during the subsequent manipu- 
lations. At this stage the bird is a sorry-looking object ; but if you have stuffed correctly and 
wired securely, it will soon improve. Begin by making it stand properly. The common fault 
here is placing the tarsi too nearly perpendicular. Perching birds, constituting the majority, 
habitually stand with the tarsi more nearly horizontal than perpendicular, and generally keep 
the tarsi parallel with each other. Wading and most walking birds stand with the legs more 
nearly upright and straight. Many swimming birds straddle a little; others rarely if ever. 
See that the toes clasp the perch naturally, or are properly spread on the flat surfiice. Cause 
the flank feathers to be correctly adjusted over the tibije (and here I will remark that with 
most birds little, if any, of the tibiae shows in life), the heel joint barely, if at all, projecting 
1 There is occasionally difficulty in getting the wire across this joint, from the point sticking into the enlarged 
end of the shin-bone. In such case, take stout pliers and pinch the joint till the bone is smashed to fragments. 
The wire will then pass and the comminution will not show. If there is any trouble in passing the wire through 
the tarsus, bore a hole for it with a brad awl. 
2 This point is further forward and more belly-ward than you might suppose. Observe the skinned body 
again, and see where the lower end of the thigh lies. If you insert the wire too far back, you cannot by any possi- 
bility balance the bird naturally on its perch; it will look in imminent danger of toppling over. 
