centre of the body incision.

Pack underneath the wire at all points with little pieces of finely
cut tow, not forgetting the neck. The wire should now be protected
from touching the bird on its underside. Now take the leg wires, point
them and pass them up the legs as before described; when they appear
within the skin by the side of the legs, push the ends of each one
through the little loop on the body wire, and by the aid of the small
pliers and your finger and thumb twist them tightly up or down the
main wire. If properly done, the bird should be capable of being
lifted by one leg wire and should feel perfectly stiff and firm.
Proceed by the addition of cut tow to gradually form the body, which,
when arranged to your liking, sew up.

This, in contradistinction to the other method, is called the soft
body, and is not a plan which I at all recommend. Sometimes a cork is
pushed on at the main or body wire to act in the place of the loop;
the leg wires are then pushed through and clenched on the other side,
and the skin is filled with cut tow as before.

Another system of forming an artificial body for a bird is by means of
"peat." [Footnote: "Peat" is compressed vegetable fibre cut from old
bogs, and is sold by the dealers, in dried cakes about 1 foot long by
6 inches by 2 inches.] Having provided yourself with one of these
bricks of peat, you cut it with a sharp knife to as near the shape
required as possible, having the natural body before you as a guide,
finally inserting it in the bird.

My objection to the use of peat for this purpose is, first, the dust
and dirt caused by the waste pieces; and, secondly, the fact that
birds mounted on this system have a tendency to look "wooden," as,
unlike a body formed of tow, that made of peat is stiff and
unyielding, and, therefore, after it is once in the skin, it cannot be
pressed into shape where defects appear, and is of course not so
easily altered. After a long and patient trial of the peat body, I
have become convinced of its many disadvantages, and have of late
years returned to my first plan--the body made of well wrapped
tow--nor do I think anything will compare with it, for the reasons
above stated. Peat in the case of very large birds (ostriches, etc.)
and mammals is useful, but for the ordinary run of birds I decidedly
veto its application.

Birds with larger heads than necks, such as ducks, etc, must be treated
in one of three ways. First, after skinning