ON THE PLACING- AND WINDING OF BIEDs’ FEATHEKS. 41 
niOT6 corroct in form and far liandsonier to look at than it could 
possibly be mounted on standards in its entireity. 
Owing to the fact that fish collections are more rare than 
zoological collections of almost any other kind, and even those 
that do exist are, as a rule, not very attractive, and believing that 
the little interest taken in ichthyology generally is partly due to 
tlie fact tliat few know how to mount fishes so that they may be 
beautiful objects to the eye of the naturalist or sportsman, I submit 
the above method with the hope that its simplicity and efficacy may 
lead the amateur to make attractive collections of the tinny tribes 
and study their natural history. 
ON THE PLACING AND WINDING OF BIRDS’ 
FEATHERS. 
BY FKEDEEIO S. WEBSTER. 
Tliere are many methods of mounting and winding birds, all 
of which I have at different times tried, and in this article desire 
to give m}^ experience and the conclusions drawn from a period 
of many years. 
It must be first understood, that most methods are subject to 
some modification and variation in their application, and this is 
true of the method I adopt. I find that I can produce a far 
better bird by it than any other known to me. 
Of course, it is easier applied to a specimen that is mounted 
with a body, than one with soft filling. As I use either method 
as the condition of skin, size of specimen, and attitude requires, 
I do not hesitate in saying that if the soft material (generally tow) 
is packed quite solid the pins or “ hook-wires ” will bear consider- 
able strain of the thread before lopping over to ane side, thus 
crowding the feathers out of place. The amateur must pay particu- 
lar attention to filling out the specimen evenly, and not get more 
tow on one side than the other, also to fill the bird in such a way 
that the feathers are not bunched up or unevenly crowded 
