MOUNTING BIRDS. 
7 1 
body. Now place the wires which protrude from 
the feet in holes bored in the perch of the stand, 
which should be about as far apart as the bird na- 
turally stands while perching. See that the feet 
come well down on the perch with the toes arranged 
properly, remembering that cuckoos, woodpeckers, 
etc., have two toes in front and two behind, while 
with hawks, owls, etc., the outer toe generally stands 
at right angles with the others, and should therefore 
grasp the end of the stand. Either twist the ends 
of the wire together or wind them around the 
stand very firmly. Now comes the most difficult 
part of the task of mounting. Hitherto all has 
been merely mechanical ; certain rules had to be 
observed only. But now the instructor must 
pause for want of words wherewith to express his 
meaning, for who can tell an artist how to put in 
those bold and hasty strokes with which he maps 
out his picture? He knows just what he is about, 
however, for he has before his mental vision the 
complete picture, and strives to place on canvas 
that which appears before him. So must the artistic 
taxidermist have before him a vision of the bird he 
wishes to represent, with the combined mass of 
feathers now in hand. Whether lightly poised for 
flight or calmly sitting at rest, before he puts his 
