292 
ON PRESERVING BIRDS. 
Preserving artist will avail him little in his attempt to conceal 
Birds. 
the defect; because, in order to hide it, he must con¬ 
tract the skin, bring down the upper feathers, and 
shove in the lower ones, which would throw all the 
surrounding parts into contortion. 
You will also observe, that the whole of the skin 
does not produce feathers, and that it is very tender 
where the feathers do not grow. The bare parts are 
admirably formed for expansion about the throat and 
stomach; and they fit into the different cavities of 
the body at the wings, shoulders, rump, and thighs, 
with wonderful exactness ; so that in stuffing the 
bird, if you make an even rotund surface of the skin, 
where these cavities existed, in lieu of reforming 
them, all symmetry, order, and proportion are lost 
for ever. 
You must lay it down as an absolute rule, that 
the bird is to be entirely skinned, otherwise you 
can never succeed in forming a true and pleasing 
specimen. 
You will allow this to be just, after reflecting 
a moment on the nature of the fleshy parts and 
tendons, which are often left in : 1st, they require 
to be well seasoned with aromatic spices; 2dly, 
they must be put into the oven to dry; 3dly, the 
heat of the fire and the natural tendency all cured 
flesh has to shrink, and become hard, render the 
specimen withered, distorted, and too small; 4thly, 
the inside then becomes like a ham, or any other 
dried meat. Ere long the insects claim it as 
their own; the feathers begin to drop off, and 
