November, 1921 
FOREST AND STREAM 
501 
hooked together, rest against a cleat on 
deck outside, and are hooked to the 
deck inside. 
In a heavy sea the apron is used. It is 
held up by a stick from peak to combing. 
Thus rigged the boat has the reputation 
wing; (4) bill; (5) tarsus. To measure 
the tail you must pass the fingers along 
the back until you feel a ridge or hump 
near the base of the tail feathers; this is 
the point to measure from. The length 
of the bird is obtained by stretching the 
I AY the specimen upon its back and 
■*— 1 divide the feathers upon the breast 
until you have the skin of the breast per- 
fectly bare. Begin at the center of the 
breast with your knife and part the skin 
in a straight line until you reach the base 
of being able to live as long as oars can 
be pulled. The apron is tacked to the 
deck about two-thirds its length. The 
wings are fastened to the top and bot- 
tom of the rowlocks. Masthole, 2-^5 
inches, 2 inches from combing. Drop of 
sides from top of deck, 5 % inches ; dead 
rise, 8 inches. Over cockpit a hatch is 
placed. 
Everything connected with the boat is 
placed inside, gunners often leaving their 
guns, etc., locking the hatch fast. The 
boats sail well and covered with sedge 
are used to shoot from. With the hatch 
on, a person can be protected from rain, 
and with blankets can be accommodated 
with a night’s lodging. 
HOW TO MOUNT A BIRD 
I SHALL not give any instructions for 
the collecting of birds, because bird- 
life is decreasing rapidly enough with- 
out adding to the death-rate, but let 
us suppose that we have a small bird, a 
robin, for example, which we found lying 
dead upon the ground. Lift it gently 
from the earth and carefully carry it 
home. As soon as we reach home we 
shall find a bird chart, naming the differ- 
ent parts of a bird, and carefully study 
the form and structure of our specimen 
until we know it backwards. Be sure and 
notice the exact position of the different 
feathers ; the color of the eye ; its general 
form and shape ; and, after you are sure 
of all these points, make a drawing of it 
in your notebook. Don’t think that be- 
cause you are not an artist you cannot 
draw (I did), but go at it and make some 
sort of sketch anyway. 
Now take the following measurements : 
( 1 ) entire length ; ( 2 ) length of tail ; (3) 
body to its full length and measuring 
from the tips of the tail feathers to the 
end of the mandibles. There are other 
measurements that might be taken, but 
for the amateur these will be sufficient. 
Now take the wings, one at a time, be- 
Heavy line indicates excelsior body 
tween the fingers and carefully break 
them at the point nearest the body. On 
large birds this must be done with a club 
or some heavy object. This bone which 
we have broken is called the humerus. 
Now procure the following supplies: A 
sharp knife, preferably a scalpel; a pair 
of small scissors; a brain spoon, if pos- 
sible; pliers; wire, small size; a little 
fine excelsior ; a file ; forceps ; needles 
and thread ; powdered alum ; and a little 
arsenic. 
of the tail feathers. Carefully separate 
the skin from the sides of the body until 
the knee joint is reached. Sever each leg 
at the joint, turn them inside out, and 
remove all flesh from the bones. Cut 
through the base of the tail feathers, 
without cutting the skin of the back, and 
turn the skin over the body towards the 
head. Cut around the ears and eyes 
very carefully and turn the skin down 
until you reach the base of the bill — here 
the skinning stops. Now sever the head 
from the body at the back of the skull so 
that it lays bare the base of the brain. 
Carefully remove the brain with a brain 
spoon or some small spoon-shaped ob- 
ject, and then take out the eyes. Re- 
move every particle of flesh from the 
skin and saturate it thoroughly with 
alum for preservation, and then with 
arsenic to protect it from the ravages of 
insects. Place some cotton in the skull 
and eye sockets and carefully turn the 
skin right side out again. 
It will now be necessary to carefully 
straighten the feathers around the head 
with a pair of small forceps for the large 
feathers, and by using the thumb and 
forefinger to smooth down the smaller 
ones. Now cut two pieces of wire, each 
about three times the length of the bird’s 
leg, and of a size small enough to pass 
up the leg under the skin. Take a small 
handful of excelsior and roll it into 
the shape of an egg, and of a size corre- 
sponding to the body of the specimen. 
Pass another wire through this false 
body and then wind the body with thread 
to hold it in shape. A neck must also be 
made, and then the body may be inserted 
into the skin with one' end of the wire 
thrust through the back of the skull and 
the other fastened to the end of the tail, 
( Continued on page 525) 
