23 
THE AET OF PRESERVING BIRDS. 
over the neck and head. When the ears appear, with 
the thumb-nail remove the skin that adheres closely to 
the skull without breaking it, pull down to the eyes, then 
cut the skin off close to the eyelids, taking care not to 
cut or injure them; but be sure and cut close enough to 
remove the nictating membrane,- as it will otherwise cause 
trouble. Skin well down to the base of ’ the bill. Ee- 
move the eye with the point of the knife ^by thrusting 
it down at the side between the eye and the socket, then 
with a motion upward it can- be removed without^ breaking j 
cut off enough of the back part of the skull to remove the 
brains easily. Proceed to skin the wings ; draw them out 
until the forearm (Plate X. d) appears, to which the sec- 
ondaries are attached; with the thumb-nail detach them 
by pressing downward forcibly. Eemove the muscles and 
tendons — as explained on the leg — to the joint, where 
the forearm joins the humerus (B), then divide, removing 
the humerus entirely. * 
Now open the drawer containing the arsenic, and with 
a smair flat piece of wood cover the skin completely with 
it ; be sure that the cavities from which the brains and 
eyes were removed are filled. Take up the skin and 
shake it gently. The arsenic that remains adhering to it 
is sufficient to preserve it, provided the skin is damp 
enough; if not, it may be moistened slightly. Now fill the 
eye-holes ^ with cotton, ‘tie the wing-bones with thread, as 
near together as the back of the bird was broad, then 
turn the skin back into its former position. Smooth the 
feathers of the head and wings with the fingers. With a 
few strokes of the feather duster, holding the skin up by 
the bill, remove the plaster and arsenic that may be ad- 
hering to the feathers. 
If there is blood upon the feathers, it may be removed 
— if there is not much of it, and if it is dry — -with the 
* By which I mean the holes occupied by the eyes in the skull 
