296 
ON PRESERVING BIRDS. 
Preserving the bird in any convenient position, and separate 
■-— the skin from the body, till you get at the middle 
joint of the thigh. Cut it through, and do nothing 
more there at present, except introducing cotton all 
the way on that side, from the vent to the breast¬ 
bone. Do exactly the same on the opposite side. 
Now place the bird perpendicular, its breast resting 
on your knee, with its back towards you. Separate 
the skin from the body on each side at the vent, and 
never mind at present the part from the vent to the 
root of the tail. Bend the tail gently dowm to the 
back, and while your finger and thumb are keeping 
down the detached parts of the skin on each side of 
the vent, cut quite across, and deep, till you see the 
back-bone, near the oil-gland at the root of the tail. 
Sever the back-bone at the joint, and then you have 
all the root of the tail, together with the oil-gland, 
dissected from the body. Apply plenty of cotton. 
After this, seize the end of the back-bone with 
your finger and thumb : and now you can hold up 
the bird clear of your knee, and turn it round and 
round, as occasion requires. While you are holding 
it thus, contrive, with the help of your other hand and 
knife, by cutting and shoving, to get the skin pushed 
up till you come to where the wing joins on to the 
body. 
Forget not to apply cotton; cut this joint through ; 
do the same at the other wing, add cotton, and 
gently push the skin over the head; cut out the 
roots of the ears, which lie very deep in the head, 
and continue skinning till you reach the middle of 
