Viii MANUAL OF TAXIDERMY. 
As is natural, many methods have been prac- 
ticed to insure lifelike attitudes in birds and other 
objects of natural history. A good opportunity of 
studying the various schools of mounting may be 
seen among the specimens of a large museum, 
where material is gathered from various localities 
throughout the world. I have seen birds filled 
with many varieties of material, from cotton to 
plaster, and have even seen cases where the skin 
is drawn over a block of wood carved to imitate 
the body removed. 
As a rule, I prefer the soft body filling, where all 
the wires are fastened together in the centre of the 
inside of the skin, and cotton, or some similar elas- 
tic material, filled in around it. This method is, 
however, very difficult to learn, and, unless one has 
had a large experience in handling birds, will not 
give satisfactory results. I have therefore recom- 
mended the hard body method, as given in the 
text, as being the best, as it is more easily learned 
and always gives the best results in the hands of 
amateurs. 
In skin-making, although I have given two 
methods, making in the form and wrapping, I pre- 
fer the latter, as being by far the best, although it 
is not as easy to learn. 
