104 
quill on the wrong side of its neighbour until dry. If this is not suffi- 
cient, strips of thin cardboard may be placed on the upper and lower 
sides of the tail and pinned together after the feathers have been spread 
as desired. If for any reason it is desired to spread the tail fully, run a 
stitch through the outer edge of each side of the root of the tail and draw 
them together before closing the skin. In wrapping the skin, slight pres- 
sure may be brought to bear at any spot to reduce bulges, and made 
permanent by merely overlapping the cotton layers. The cotton wrapping 
is finally drawn together posteriorly and the skin put in a cool, airy 
place to dry. 
Large skins, above the size of that of a pigeon hawk or small grouse, 
are better wrapped in square sheets of cheesecloth. The cheesecloth is 
fairly elastic and may be drawn together in the same manner as the cotton 
wrapping, and held in place by pins where needed. It is easy to see 
through the cheesecloth and note how the skin is being shaped, and the 
porous cloth is admirable for letting in air. The cheesecloth wrapping 
may very well be left on the skin until it arrives at the collector’s home 
port. 
All bird skins should be wrapped or laid out for drying. The weight 
of a fresh unwrapped skin will cause if to dry with a flattened back. 
The old method of rolling a skin in a cylinder of paper is bad, as the 
operator loses control of the shape, air does not enter well, and the skin 
dries in a cylindrical shape. Drying in paper cornucopia gives the 
skin a conical shape anteriorly, and unduly spreads it posteriorly. If 
the skin is well and firmly made up, and symmetrically shaped, the old- 
fashioned drying-board, with depressions of varying width and depth, 
can be made to turn out a fairly good skin if the skin is laid out properly. 
The drying-board is made by nailing cleats on a board and bending 
heavy cardboard over these in curves and tacking down (Figure 39). 
A drying-board can always be extemporized by bending a sheet of card- 
board or tin and propping it in place between two blocks or boxes of the 
proper size. 
For stiffening the skins of small birds, Major Brooks keeps on hand 
a supply of brush pipe-cleaners (cotton-wrapped wire), wrapping cotton 
around one to form the neck. The tip of the wrapped wire is thrust up into 
the throat and well into the beak. A thick piece of cotton is laid inside 
the back and a wisp of cotton thrust into the throat. The centre wire is 
