102 
Insert the pointed anterior end of the stuffing at the tip of wire or 
stick, running it up the neck into the throat until the tip appears in the 
mouth, and pull back the skin of the bird until it encloses the cotton 
body (Figure 36). Holding the skin with thumb and forefinger on each 
side of the breast, the plumage may now be arranged properly with the 
fingers and forceps, the wings folded close to the body and on the back 
rather than down the chest, with flank feathers overlapping the edge of 
the wing, and the skin of crown and hind neck pushed forward or back- 
ward as required to make the feathers overlap smoothly. 
If the skin of the crown or ear-region does not lie smoothly it may 
be pricked up with a needle point and moved around until the feathers 
are smooth. When everything is smooth, break or cut off the posterior 
part of the middle wire or stick so that it comes within the skin. Draw 
the sides of the opening cut loosely together. In a very small bird the 
Figure 37. Finished bird skin showing method of tying mandibles and of 
attaching label. 
opening cut need not be sewn up as the skin will dry in place, and the 
feathers will hide the slit. Most birds should have the opening closed 
by a few stitches, made from inside to outside. If the edges of the skin 
have dried too much, moisten them a little inside before sewing. 
Bills and Feet 
Tie the mandibles together so that the bill is closed in a natural 
position. A thread may be passed through the nostrils with a fine needle 
and tied around the lower mandible (Figure 37). If the nostrils are soft, 
as in nighthawks and cuckoos, the needle is better passed through some 
other soft part of the base of bill. Care should be taken not to pinch in 
the sides of ducks’ bills; they may be closed without excess pressure if the 
thread passes over a small pad of cotton placed beneath the lower 
mandible. The thread may slip off the end of a very thick bill, and to 
prevent this a fine pin may be thrust between the rami of the lower 
mandible into the upper mandible. A moistened thread is then used to 
encircle the beak, posterior to the pin on the lower mandibular side, and 
with a half hitch on the upper mandibular side somewhat distal or forward 
of the pin point. The ends of the thread are then brought back to the 
ventral side, but well forward of the pin for knotting. The pressure by 
this method is such that it closes the mandibles all along the line and 
brings the lower mandible forward into its proper position in relation to 
the upper mandible. Mr. L. L. Snyder, who suggests this modification 
