24 THE NATURALIST’S GUIDE. 
stiff brush by continuous brushing, assisted by scraping 
with the thumb-nail. A living bird cleans blood from its 
plumage by drawing each feather separately through its 
beak, thereby scraping off the blood-; the thumb-nail 
performs the part of the bill. If much bloody, with a soft 
* sponge and water wash away all traces of blood ; then 
throw plaster upon the wet spot, and remove it before it 
has time to harden or* ‘‘set.” By repeating this opera- 
tion, at the same time lifting the feathers so as to allow 
the plaster to dry every part,, and by using the soft brush, 
the feathers will soon dry. In this way any stains may be 
removed. 
If the plumage is greasy, wash it with warm water and 
strong soap long enough to remove every particle of fatty 
matter that adheres to the feathers ; then rinse thoroughly 
in warm water, afterwards in cold. Be sure and remove 
all traces of the soap before putting on the plaster to dry, 
as the soap will be changed by the plaster into a gummy 
substance, which will be very difficult'^to remove. 
After smoothing the feathers carefully, place the skin 
upon its back. With the tweezers take up a small roll 
of hemp or cotton, as large round and as long as the neck of 
the body that was taken out, and place it in the neck of 
the skin, taking care that the throat is well filled out ; then, 
by grasping the neck on each side with the thumb and 
finger, the hemp or cotton may be held in place, and the 
tweezers withdrawn. After placing the wings in the same 
position as the bird would have them when at rest, with 
the bones of the forearm pushed well into the skin,— so that 
they may lie down each side, and not cross each other, — 
with a needle and thread sew through the skin and the 
first quill of the primaries by pushing the needle through 
the skin on the inside and through the quill opposite, but 
be sure that the wing is in the proper place. (If it is too far 
forward, the feathers of the sides of the breast, that ought to 
