THE NATURALISTS' COMPANION, 
59 
TAXIDERMY. 
A 5!crial on })rfparin',^ and i)i’0!?'‘rvini;- Hiiinials, biid^, 
rcptilfs, ins^fcts, etc , etc. 
I'AUr 4 -BlPEDS. 
STUFt'lNO. 
As liir us our experioiico oxteiids, 
we liiive always fouiul birds easier 
to stuff than auinials. The reason 
ol‘it being so is this: Any default 
in the stufbng or sewing up of a bird 
ean easily be eorreeted by adjusting, 
(U’ what is termed by taxidermists, 
*‘[)ieking out” of the feathers. Not 
so with animals, for if the skin 
of an animal is out of order the fur 
is also. There are various methods 
used in stuffing birds as well as other 
animals; but our objeet is to treat 
only on the simplest and easiest pro¬ 
cess. Procure two pieces of wire, 
of a size suitable to sustain the 
weight of the bird, the longest pieee 
to be about three inches longer than 
the bird, measuring from the rump 
to the top of the head, and the .other 
])iece to be hve inches longer than 
the distance between both of the 
bird’s feet, measuring from the bot¬ 
tom of one foot across the body to 
tlie bottom of the opposite foot. 
File both wires to a point at each 
end. Now procure some cotton or 
tow, the later preferable, a pair ot 
glass eyes, same size and color as 
those removed from the bird, and a 
smooth, round stick, about six inch¬ 
es long by one fourth of au inch 
thick. Place the skin on its back at 
its natural length. Lay the longest 
i)ieee of Avire on top of the skin, 
with une end extending about an 
inch below the rump, and mark it 
with a tile at a point directly between 
the legs. Next take the wire and 
make a loop in it at the the point 
marked just large enough to admit 
the smaller wire being jiushed 
through it. Idace a layer of toAV 
on the inside of tlu‘ skin, tilling the 
neck, skull and other parts trom 
which any flesh has been removed. 
Now inseid one end of the longest 
wire in the neck from the inside of 
the skin and push it upward until 
it [irotrudes an inch (U* so out of the 
top of the head, and then push the 
other end down through the skin 
and out at the roots of the tail. In¬ 
sert the smaller wire in the bottom 
of one of the feet, and press it up¬ 
ward along the leg bone until it 
reaches the loop in the wdre in the 
center of the body, pass it through 
this loo[) and continue it down the 
o[>posite leg and out at the bottom 
of the foot. Get some stout thread 
and, after winding a little tow ar- 
round the leg bone and wire, bind 
the two tightly together. Kepeat 
the o[)peration on the opposite leg, 
and also bind the body and leg 
wares tightly together where the 
leg ware passes through the loop in 
the body Avire, This done Ave Avill 
proceed Avith the stuffing. Place 
some tow or cotton inside of the 
skin, and push it in place .Avith the 
stick aboA'e mentioned, and contin¬ 
ue adding more tow^ until the breast, 
neck and other parts are properly 
filled out,then draw the skin gently 
together and sew it ui). It is not 
necessary to describe the process of 
mounting as Ave described that un¬ 
der the head ofanimals so thorough¬ 
ly that any of our bright young read¬ 
ers could arrange the instructions 
so as to make them apply to bipeds 
instead of quadrupeds. After the 
bird has been mounted and the 
feathers properly arranged,[ilace the 
wdngs in their natural [tosition and 
fasten them there liy inserting tAvo 
