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the upper wing bones to the natural size and lays them in position without 
tying. This filling enables a good display of the scapular feathers to be 
made. After a large skin is thoroughly dried, the tension of the thick, strong 
skin is sufficient to keep the wings in place. 
The feet of large birds also dry slowly, and the skin may decompose, 
loosening the scutes or scales that cover the tarsi and toes. Therefore, the 
tendons and any small muscles in the tarsus must be taken out. The 
tendons of the tarsi have been loosened at the upper end in skinning the 
leg. The lower ends of the tendons come together in the sole of the foot, 
and by cutting a longitudinal slit in the median pad of the sole and pushing 
the tip of heavy forceps or pliers underneath them from the side, the 
tendons may be pulled out by main strength. The ends attached to the 
toes may be grasped with the forceps, pulled out, and cut off as far inwards 
as possible. If necessary the under side of the toes are also slit open. 
Herons and other large wading birds should have another longitudinal 
slit made, on the inner side of heel joint and the skin separated as far 
around the joint as possible, and poisoned. With a cotton swab on the end 
of a wire or long forceps, force as much preservative (either wet or dry) 
as possible inside the skin where the tendons have been pulled out. Mr. 
Charles H. M. Barrett suggests that filling up the space left after the 
tendons have been pulled out makes a very much better appearing leg than 
the shrunken and dried-up leg usually seen on large bird skins. He replaces 
the tendons with split pieces of bamboo, which is springy and tough and 
can be split very thin, rounded at edges, and easily pushed up the leg 
sheath. Bamboo splints may also be used to advantage in mounting birds. 
The legs and feet of young gulls and hawks are soft and pulpy, with 
much watery serum, and need to be opened to dry out. They should be 
poisoned well or they may become offensive before they become dry and 
may lose some of their scales. The feet of pelicans and large vultures are 
difficult to preserve in a warm climate, and it is recommended to slit the 
skin down the whole length of the tarsus and the underside of the toes 
to the last joint, to remove the tendons, and to poison thoroughly. The 
growing quills of young ducks, geese, hawks, owls, and other large birds 
as they are emerging from the pin-feather stage are in many cases filled 
with water and blood, so that they are slow in drying and are apt to 
become fly-blown. These soft young quills should be carefully slit on 
lower side near bases, the liquid soaked up with blotting paper or other 
absorbent, and preservative applied to the quills. It is also well to paint 
the bill, feet, and legs of large birds on the outside with arsenic water, 
sodium arsenite, or DDT for protection against insect pests. 
In mounting either adult or young birds that have large, soft, pulpy 
feet, trouble is caused by shrinkage and distortion in drying, and a more 
perfect reproduction for exhibition may be produced by mounting the fresh 
bird at once and then making plaster casts of the feet in place before 
drying. The natural feet are then replaced by coloured wax models. 
Where material is not available for casting feet, combs, or wattles from 
fresh specimens, the parts to be cast may be cut off and preserved tempor- 
arily in a solution of 20 per cent glycerine in water with a little carbolic acid. 
