eable stiffness and
disarrangement of symmetry follow.

The head and neck can be placed in any attitude; the body supported,
the wings closed, extended, or elevated; the tail depressed, raised,
or expanded; the thighs set horizontal, or oblique, without any aid
from wire. Cotton will effect all this.

A very small proportion of the skull bone--say from the fore part of
the eyes to the bill--is to be left in, though even this is not
absolutely necessary. Part of the wing bones, the jaw bones, and half
the thigh bones remain. Everything else--flesh, fat, eyes, bones,
brain and tendons--are all to be taken away.

While dissecting, it will be of use to keep in mind that, in taking
off the skin from the body, by means of your fingers and a little
knife, you must try to shove it, in lieu of pulling it, lest you
stretch it.

That you must press as lightly as possible on the bird, and every now
and then take a view of it, to see that the feathers are all right.

That, when you come to the head, you must take care that the body of
the skin rests on your knee; for, if you allow it to dangle from your
hand, its own weight will stretch it too much.

That throughout the whole operation, as fast as you detach the skin
from the body you must put cotton immediately between the body and it,
and this will effectually prevent any fat, blood, or moisture from
coming in contact with the plumage. Here it may be observed that on
the belly you find an inner skin which keeps the bowels in their
place.

By a nice operation with the knife you can cut through the outer skin,
and leave the inner skin whole. Attention to this will render your
work very clean, so that, with a little care in other parts, you may
skin a bird without even soiling your finger ends.

As you can seldom get a bird without shooting it, a line or two on
this head will be necessary. If the bird be still alive, press it hard
with your finger and thumb just behind the wings, and it will soon
expire. Carry it by the legs, and then, the body being reversed, blood
cannot escape down the plumage through the shot holes.

As blood will often have issued out before you have laid hold of the
bird, find out the shot holes by dividing the feathers with your
fingers and blowing on them, and then, with your penknife or the leaf
of a tree, carefully remove the clotted blood, and put a little cotton
in the hole. If, after all, the plumage has not escaped the marks of
blood, or if