616 
ON THE STUFFING OF QUADRUPEDS. 
wire is cut to the length of it, besides the 
oval. The wire is then wrapped round with 
flax in a spiral form, which must be increas- 
ed in thickness as it approaches the oval, so 
as to be nearly equal to the dimensions of 
the largest vertebrae, or root of the tail. 
The thickness can be very nearly imitated 
from measuring the bones of the tail which 
have just been removed, and for this purpose 
a pair of callipers should be used. When 
finished it should be rubbed thinly over with 
flour-paste, to preserve its smooth form, 
which must be allowed to dry thoroughly, and 
then the surface should receive a coating of 
the preservative. The sheath of the tail must 
now be rubbed inside with the preservative. 
This is applied with a small quantity of lint, 
attached to the end of a wire, long enough to 
reach the point of the tail-sheath. The tail- 
bearer is then insei-ted into the sheath, and 
the oval part of the wire placed within the 
skin of the belly, and attached to the longi- 
tudinal wire, which is substituted for the 
vertebrae or back bone. 
Four pieces of wire, about the thickness of 
a crow-quill, are then taken, which must be 
the length of the legs, and another piece a 
foot or fifteen inches longer than the body. 
One end of each of these is sharpened with a 
file in a triangular shape, so that it may the 
more easily penetrate the parts. At the blunt 
end of the longest piece a ring is formed, 
large enough to admit of the point of a finger 
entering it ; this is done by bending the wire 
back on itself a turn and a half, by the as- 
sistance of the round pincers, On the same 
wire another ring is formed in a similar 
manner, consisting of one entire turn, and so 
situated as to reach just between the animal’s 
shoulders. The measurement should be care- 
fully made from the animal itself. The re- 
maining part of this wire should be perfectly 
straight, and triangularly pointed at the ex- 
tremity. 
Another method of forming the supporting 
wires, as practised by M. Nicolas, is to take 
a central wire, which must be the length of 
the head, neck, body, and tail of the Cat, as 
in plate VI, fig. 8, that is from a to h, but the 
tail at b is shortened owing to want of room 
in the plate ; two other pieces are then taken 
and twisted round the centre piece, in the 
manner represented in plate VI, c, d, e,/,- 
these extremities being left for the leg wii-es. 
After the wires are thus twisted together, 
the central one is pulled out ; and the feet 
wires of one side are pushed through the 
legs of one side from the inside of the skin, 
and, the other two leg pieces are bent and 
also forced through the legs, and afterwards 
made straight by a pair of pincers : the cen- 
tre piece, having been previously sharpened 
at one end with a file, is now forced through 
the forehead and down the neck, till it enter 
the centre of the twisted leg wires which it 
formerly occupied, and pushed forward to 
the extremity of the tail, leaving a small 
piece projecting out of the forehead, as re- 
presented in the Cat, plate VI, fig. 8, After 
which, the completion of the stuffing is pro- 
ceeded with. 
We think this mode unnecessary for the 
smaller animals, and that it should only be 
adopted for quadrupeds the size of Deer, &c. 
These wires are besides much more difficult 
to insert by this than by the other method. 
All the wires being adjusted, the operation 
of stuffing is next proceeded with. The skin 
of the Cat is now extended on a table ; and 
the end of the nose seized with the left hand, 
and pushed again into the skin, till it reaches 
the neck, when we receive the bones of the 
head into the right hand. The skull is now 
well rubbed over with the arsenical soap, 
and all the cavities which the muscles before 
occupied are filled with chopped tow, flax, or 
cotton, well mixed with preserving powder. 
The long piece of wire is now passed into the 
middle of the skull, and after it is well rub » 
bed over with the preservative, it is returned 
into the skin. The inner surface of the neck- 
skin is now anointed, and stuffed with 
chopped flax, taking care not to distend it 
too much. Nothing like pressure should be 
applied, as the fresh skin is susceptible of 
much expansion. 
Observe that it is always the inner surface 
which is anointed with the arsenical soap. 
Take care that the first ring of the wire, 
which passes into the head, is in the di- 
rection of the shoulders, and the second 
corresponding with the pelvis, or somewhat 
towards the posterior part. One of the 
fore-leg wires is then inserted along the back 
of the bone ; and the point passed out under 
the highest ball of the paw. When this is 
accomplished, the bones of the leg are drawn 
up within the skin of the body, and'the wire 
fastened to the bones of the arm and fore-arm 
with strong thread or small twine. .Brass 
wire, used for piano-forte strings, makes it 
more secure, and is not liable to rot. These 
are wxll anointed, and flax or tow slivers 
wrapped round them, so as to supply the 
place of the muscles which have been remov- 
ed. The common stuffing employed by the 
French taxidermists, at the Jardin des 
Plantes, is chopped flax ; but it must be 
quite evident that for such parts as the legs 
of animals or birds, that flax or tow slivers 
are far preferable ; and can be wound on with 
more nicety, wffiereas, chopped flax or tow 
is apt to make inequalities. To give the 
natural I’ise to the larger muscles, a piece of 
silver should be cut of the length of the pro- 
tuberance required, and placed in the part, 
and the sliver wrapped over it. This gives it 
a very natural appearance. 
The mode of fixing the legs, is by passing 
one of their pieces of wire into the small ring 
of the horizontal or middle supporting wire. 
Pursue the same plan with the other leg, and 
then twist the two ends firmly together, by 
the aid of a pair of flat pincers. For an ani- 
mal of the size of a Cat, the pieces left for 
twisting must be from five to six inches in 
length. After being twisted, they are bound 
on the under side of the body wire, with 
strong thread : the two legs are then replac- 
