Ill 
very small body, strong, heavy legs, and long wings, but by making the 
artificial body carefully and tying the wings in their proper places, the 
feathers will usually fall naturally into place. This is much to be desired, 
as the plumage of owls is loose and fluffy and tight wrapping compresses 
the plumage too much. If the skin is properly made, it will dry very well 
Figure 42. Making up an owl skin. 
on a corrugated drying-board (Figure 39), which prevents the weight of 
the skin from flattening the back of the bird. Wrapping, if necessary, 
should be put on very lightly, and the skin supported while drying by pads 
of cotton laid under the wings on each side. 
Treatment of Fat Birds 
Fat and grease should be removed from the inside of every skin. A 
skin that is not thoroughly freed of grease may look all right for a time, 
but within a few months, or sooner if kept in a warm room, the oil will work 
out through shot holes or rents in the skin, or ooze into the feathers by 
capillary attraction, and stain and spoil the specimen. Old duck skins in 
some cases have the breast or back feathers caked with a solid mass of 
grease-soaked feathers, frequently thickened with dust. This is not the 
worst result; grease-soaked skins will rot or “grease-burn” by a process 
of slow combustion, and if ever relaxed for mounting will fall into pieces 
like wet brown paper. 
