will reappear, and gradually spread over
the breast, destroying the beauty of perhaps a unique specimen.

To skin a bird from under the wing, select the worst side, or that
injured the most by shot, etc, and laying the bird with that side
uppermost, make an incision from just above the leg to just under the
wing. Push the leg-bone up, and cut it off with a pair of scissors;
then work the skin away a little from the back, and as much as
possible from the breast, gradually working your way until you see the
wing-bone, which cut off. Careful skinning brings you to the neck and
windpipe, which also cut off. The whole of one side of the bird is now
skinned out with the exception of the tail; come downward on the
opposite side to your incision, and across the breast until you can
cut off the remaining wing; having done this, keep skinning downward
until the leg is arrived at, and cut off. Nothing now holds the skin
to the body but the tail-bone, which separate. Clean and finish the
bird in the ordinary way.

I shall now suppose that, instead of making a skin (as previously
described), you desire to stuff the specimen with the ultimate idea of
its forming part of a collection mounted in the same manner as the
birds are mounted in the British Museum--namely, on turned stands as
perches; or, as is usual now, to form a unit of a characteristic group
mounted in a more artistic manner in a shade or a case.

For the purpose of this lesson I have "relaxed" the original starling
we before made into a skin, and shall now mount it, keeping to one
bird, so as not to confuse the learner.

In "setting up" a bird we require to use wires. The sizes of wires are
determined by gauges. Thus the smallest sized wire made is that known
as Gauge 28. This and the two following numbers, 26 and 27, are only
required for the humming birds; 28 is, however, a good size for the
least. 24 will be found a good size for the smaller kinds of warblers
and finches up to canaries. 21 is a useful general size for a great
number of small birds, and will do for such a bird as the hawfinch. 19
is a good size for thrushes and starlings, and will also do very well
for squirrels. 16 is a good useful size for many things--will do for
such birds as the landrail or pigeons. 13 is a good size for such
birds as parrots, and that or the next largest size will do for owls.
12 will do for the larger hawks, such as the peregrine falcon, etc. and
for small dogs. 9 is more su