88 
SOO. OF AM. TAXIDERMISTS, ANNUAL REPORT. 
fastened together, as follows : Place the knees and tail in their 
proper position — the animal lying, of course, on its back — and form 
a ring in the tail-wire just where the leg- wires cross. Through 
this pass the leg-wires and twist all firmly together, so that there 
shall be no “ wobbling.” If the specimen is large, the wires 
must be fastened to a piece of wood running lengthwise the body, 
as in a large mammal. Secure the tail-wire with staples, and 
bore holes for the leg-wires through which they are passed, ad- 
justed to the proper length, bent down against the board and 
secured with staples. It will next be necessary to fill in from the 
base of the tail to the legs. This can be done with chopped tow 
after having first placed a good coat of clay on the skin in which 
to model the wrinkles. ISTow proceed with the neck and front 
paddles. Run the neck rod into the brain cavity and fasten it 
there securely, either by tying or by bending it down through the 
roof of the mouth, and turning it backward. It can be run out 
through the mouth, but this plan is not so solid as the above. 
The neck and front flippers are made and fastened in a similar 
manner to the tail and hind flippers. 
Secure the cut edges of the plastron together with wires, and in 
sewing the skin use strong thread, and pull the edges tightly to- 
gether, in order that the shrinkage in drying may not cause an un- 
sightly gap. In very large turtles it is sometimes necessary, in 
addition to the leg- wires, to run a bolt through the plastron into the 
wood, to which the leg-rods are fastened. After the specimen 
has been placed on its temporary pedestal go over it carefully, 
marking in the wrinkles and working out the prominences, and, 
if needful, adding, by way of the mouth, clay and tow to com- 
plete the throat. 
In mounting small turtles the wires of each end are secured as 
follows : Having made the tail and hind legs, b'end an eye in the 
tail wire, opposite the inner ends of the legs, pass the leg-wires 
through this, and twist all firmly together. Fasten the neck 
and front legs in a similar manner, and twist the wires of both 
ends firmly together, so that the united wires form a sort of 
backbone. 
In making the legs of small turtles be sure that they are 
flattened instead of round, and before skinning note well their 
shape. Fasten the leg- wire solidly to the bone, and wrap firmly 
