BO 
HINTS ON TANIDERMY. 
up near"tliembody, and considerably bent. The body must be thrown 
to one side, and the wing on that side much elevated and spread 
out, w r hile the other is placed lower and less diffused ; the tail 
must be expanded, thrown down at the point, and much arched ; 
the neck should be stretched upward, and the head inclined 
towards the foot, which is drawn up ; the eyelid should also be 
well rounded. The eagle can be placed in the position of seizing 
its prey, with wings and tail expanded, head thrown backward 
and crest erect, gazing upward. The vulture should have droop¬ 
ing wings to portray its sluggish habits. Such descriptions are 
endless and indeed needless to a student of nature. 
Remarks upon preparing , relaxing , and mounting dried skins .—• 
The bird should be skinned in the ordinary manner, leaving all 
the bones of wings in their places, and the skin thoroughly an- 
nointed with arsenical soap. The neck should then be stuffed with 
chopped tow or cotton to its natural dimensions. The upper 
points of the humeri should be tied together at a distance from 
each other equal to that of the same when fixed in their sockets, 
otherwise the distance between the shoulder joints. The skin 
should next be filled with cotton or tow, and the incision sewed 
up, the legs turned inwards, crossed, and tied in this position, 
with a label attached containing descriptions. 
One of the most efficacious methods of relaxing dried skins, is 
that employed by the ingenious Mr. Bullock. A box is made, of 
convenient size, the top of which is free to lift on and off, without 
hinges or fastenings. The sides, top and bottom within are lined 
with a coating of plaster of Paris, two or three inches thick. 
When any skins are to be relaxed, fill the box with water, and in 
this condition allow it to stand over night; in the morning any 
water remaining can be poured off, and the skins placed within. 
The lid of the box, being grooved, will shut close, and the wooden 
sides will prevent evaporation from going on. The box should be 
set in some damp situation. In twenty-four or forty-eight hours 
the skins will be sufficiently soft and pliant for mounting. It is 
necessary before placing the skins within the box, to render the 
feet and the bill pliable, that these parts should be enclosed in 
dampened rags or tow. Before moistening, the bod}^ should be 
opened and the inside stuffing taking out with the forceps. An¬ 
other method is to fill the skin (the former stuffing having been 
previously removed) with cotton or rags saturated with water, en- 
