and this, Si explained, was
a hard place to get around. Sam called it "rounding Cape Horn." As the
flesh was exposed Si kept it powdered thickly with corn-meal, and this
saved the feathers from soiling.

Once around Cape Horn it was easy sailing. The skin was rapidly pushed
off till the wings were reached. These were cut off at the joint deep
in the breast (under _J J_, Fig. 1, or seen on the back, _W J_, Fig. 2),
the first bone of each wing was cleared of meat, and the skin, now
inside out and well mealed, was pushed off the neck up to the head.

Here Si explained that in most birds it would slip easily over the head,
but in Owls, Woodpeckers, Ducks and some others one had sometimes to
help it by a lengthwise slit on the nape (_Sn_, Fig. 2). "Owls is hard,
anyway," he went on, "though not so bad as Water-fowl. If ye want a real
easy bird for a starter, take a Robin or a Blackbird, or any land Bird
about that size except Woodpeckers."

When the ears were reached they were skinned and pulled out of the skull
without cutting, then, after the eyes were passed, the skin and body
looked as in Figure 2. Now the back of the head with the neck and body
was cut off (_Ct_, Fig. 2), and the first operation of the skinning was
done.

Yan got along fairly well, tearing and cutting the skin once or twice,
but learning very quickly to manage it.

Now began the cleaning of the skin.

The eyes were cut clean out and the brains and flesh carefully scraped
away from the skull.

The wing bones were already cleaned of meat down to the elbow joint,
where the big quill feathers began, and the rest of the wing had to
be cleared of flesh by cutting open the under side of the next joint
(_H_ to _El_, Fig. 1). The "pope's nose" and the skin generally was
freed from meat and grease by scraping with a knife and rubbing with
the meal.

Then came the poisoning. Every part of the bones and flesh had to be
painted with the creamy arsenical soap, then the head was worked back
into its place and the skin turned right side out.

When this was done it was quite late. Guy was asleep, Sam was nearly
so, and Yan was thoroughly tired out.

"Guess I'll go now," said Si. "Them skins is in good shape to keep,
only don't let them dry," so they were wrapped up in a damp sack and
put away in a tin till next night, when Si promised to return and
finish the course in one more lesson.

[Illustration: Owl-stuffing plate]

OWL-STUFFING PLATE