January 2. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
207 
I erroneously called the Cotton-plant, and which is so common 
j throughout the colony, is well adapted for this purpose. Tic 
I the bill with a little thread, ami plug the shot holes with 
j cotton; this will prevent the blood and liquid matter from j 
I soiling the feathers of the head, neck, &c. The bird is then 
i placed on its back, the feathers of the breast and holly are 
divided right and left, an incision is then made in the skin, 
commencing from the upper part of the breast,-bone till you 
come to the vent, and with your knife and fingers you may 
easily detach the skin from the body. If the bird is fat, 
use a little powdered chalk and fine sand mixed, which will 
take up the blood or grease, and prevent the feathers from 
adhering to the body, push the legs up, and separate the 
thigh-bones, at the knee-joints; cut carefully round them 
till you come to the rump ; divide the vertebrae or back-bone 
where it joins the root of the tail; be cautious you do not cut 
through the tail-feathers. Take the body in your left hand, 
and separate it from the sides ; in many birds, the finger¬ 
nails arc sufficient to do this. As soon as the wing-joints 
are seen, divide them close to the body; when removed from 
the trunk, push them back into their right place, and pass 
on to the neck; draw the skin down gently till you come 
to the skull, an operation which should be done with great 
care; raise the membrane which covers the ear holes, and 
skin down till you come to the lowest extremity of the skull, 
taking out the eyes; but do not cut the eyelids, as it will 
destioy the appearance of the head, which, in all stuffed 
specimens, first attracts attention; cut away the lower or 
under portion of the skull, and remove the brains ; skin the 
wings to the second, and the legs to the first joints; remove 
all the flesh from them, and replace it with tow or cotton. 
Fill the eye-orbits and lower portions of the hoad with the 
same ; a piece of thread must be then attached to the first 
joint of the wing-bones, and drawn together as close as they 
were when removed from the body. This gives the wings a 
desirable set when turned, a natural appearance when 
mounted ; in some birds, especially Ducks, Geese, &c., the 
head is so large in comparison with the nock, that it will 
not admit being drawn through it; in these cases it becomes 
necessary to make a longitudinal incision in the upper part 
of the skin of the head, which will allow the skull to pass 
out; the eyes and fleshy parts may be removed, and the 
skull anointed, and filled out with cotton or tow; this in¬ 
cision may be neatly stitched together, without leaving any 
detrimental appearance to the skin. The whole of the 
inside of the skin must be well anointed with preserving 
matter, and turned and filled out with tow or cotton, taking 
care'not to stretch the neck too far. Anoint the feet and legs 
externally, wrap them in a strip of paper, which will prevent 
their being attacked by insects or mice; the heads and 
legs of birds should be preserved when no other part,' can 
be saved. 
The eggs of birds are useful, and easily preserved, by 
making a hole on ono side, and inserting therein a straw or 
small quill; blow through the quill gently, which will force 
the contents of the egg out of the same hole ; it may then 
be washed inside with a weak solution of arsonical soap, and 
dried. It is especially important that the name of the bird, 
and the locality where obtained, should be attached to each 
egg, and in cases where the eggs are large enough, these 
particulars may bo written with a pencil upon the egg itself. 
Eggs may be packed either in wadding or dry saw-dust. 
On Preserving Repth.es,— 
Such as Crocodiles, Lizards, Iguanas, Snakes, Turtles, and 
Tortoises. 
In skinning Crocodiles, Iguanas, and Lizards, the same 
plan may be adopted as that recommended under the article 
of quadrupeds, leaving the skull and leg-bones in, removing 
the fleshy portions, anointing the skin well, and filling it out 
with tow or oakum: the feet and mouth should be well 
anointed externally as well as internally. Snakes must be 
handled with great caution; care should be used to ascertain, 
in every instance, whether they are of a poisonous or harm¬ 
less species, which may be done by opening the month, and 
inspecting the teeth; if they have, like the carpet and diamond 
snakes, a regular row of teeth on the outer portion of the 
vpper jaw, they are harmless; if, on the other hand, you 
observe, as in the death-adder, an absence of those teeth, 
and in their stead two fangs, one on each side of the upper 
jaw, the snake is a poisonous one: in all instances, teeth 
occur in the lower jaw. Make an incision below the throat, 
separating the neck-bone at its junction with the skull; then 
I pci-1 or cut carefully, and remove the body right down to the 
tail; anoint the inside of the skin, and turn the right side 
out; then fill it up with saw dust or other stuffing matter, 
taking care not to extend it too much, so as to stretch the 
skin ; small lizards and snakes, together with frogs, &c., are 
best preserved by putting them into spirits—common wide¬ 
mouthed pickle or mustard bottles are well adapted for this 
purpose. In preserving turtles and tortoises, the under 
shell should be sawn neatly off, and tho interior parts re¬ 
moved, anointing thoroughly: the neck and legs may be 
filled out with tow, dried, and the lower shell returned to its 
former position. 
On Preserving Fishes. 
When a fish is taken, no time should be lost in skinning 
and preserving it, as decomposition goes on very rapidly in 
this class of animals, more particularly during our summer 
months. If the fish is scaly, cover it with tissue-paper or cam¬ 
bric, which will soon dry, and prevent the scales from coming 
off; if without scales you proceed at onco to skin it, which 
is done by placing the fish on one side, and with a scissors 
or knife cutting away a portion of the other, sufficiently large 
to enable you to remove all the fleshy portions of the interior. 
The skin, when divested of all its flesh, must be wiped dry 
inside, anointed and filled with tow or cotton. It should 
then be placed on a soft board, and the fins may be extended 
by means of pins at each end; great care must be taken not 
to break or remove any portion of them. If tho fish is 
round or globular, where it becomes necessary to preserve it 
entire, make an incision underneath the belly, through 
which the inner portions may be extracted, anointed, and fill 
in as before. Many fishes have their bodies covered with 
singular parasitical insects—these should be carefully 
searched for, especially under the gills, tho fins, and eye¬ 
lids ; they should be preserved in spirits, with the name of 
the fish from which they were taken. It is, also, essential 
to examine the intestines for worms, which are peculiarly 
interesting, and may be, likewise, preserved in spirits. 
On the Capture and Preservation oe Insects. 
To catch and preserve tho larger species of moths and 
butterflies, should the insect bo on the wing, it is necessary 
to be provided with a fine gauze net, made in the form of a 
hag, about three feet deep, sewn round a piece of strong 
iron wire in the shape of a hoop, which is fastened to the 
end of a pole about six feet long. Some dexterity and 
activity arc necessary in capturing the flies—when insido 
the net, secure your insect by clasping the gauze underneath 
the ring to prevent its escape. If a thin-bodied moth or 
butterfly, squeeze it when it has its wings folded, underneath 
the thorax, or the part where the organs are attached to the 
body; this will render it incapable of flight, when it can bo 
shaken out into the hand, and a pin passed through it 
between the wings, somewhat slanting. If tho insect is 
thick-bodied it requires to be squeezed more forcibly, and in 
all instances great care must bo taken not to injure the 
plumage of the wings by the lingers, or by allowing the 
insects to flutter in the net. Should a moth be found repo¬ 
sing in the day-time on the trunk of a tree, or upon a fence 
or stone wall, the best method is at once to transfix it with 
a pin, and then squeeze it underneath, taking care to place 
the pin very close to the insect before you thrust it in, so as 
to insure a good aim, as the slightest touch beforehand will 
disturb the creature. Towards the close of the day butter¬ 
flies may be found settled on twigs or palings ; they may be 
then approached quietly, and taken between tho thumb and 
finger, having previously prepared a pin by which they may 
be transfixed. When thus secured, they should be pinned 
into a box lined with cork or into the crown of tho hat, 
( until they can bo placed in proper safety ) in which a few 
slices of bottle corks may be glued. The smaller species of 
moths should be taken in pill-boxos ; to capture these, it is 
advisable to have a smaller net with a handle about eighteen 
inches long, and a good stout stick for beating trees or 
bushes where these species are found. When these small 
insects are captured, they should not be squeezed, but kept 
in the net by blowing down on them, and seizing tho oppor- 
