condition, the hair, when the skin is relaxed, sweats off,
particularly at the very places it should not, around the eyes, lips,
nose, and ears, and the labour of, perhaps, years of anxious
collecting and dangerous hunting is nullified.

Fig. 26--SKULL OF HORNED HEAD, BLOCKED READY FOR MOUNTING.

I will now take a bull's head as our subject, to illustrate the method
of mounting such heads. I will assume that a fair piece of neck is
attached to the head, and having skinned the head completely off the
skull and preserved it, proceed as follows: When the bone is
sufficiently trimmed, should the meat have been cut off, or dry, if
the head has been previously boiled, tie together the upper and the
lower jaws at their points of articulation behind the eye, by the aid
of wire or string; tie also the tip of the lower jaw to the nose in
any manner that allows the teeth to come in their proper position as
in nature.

Attention to this point will give you a guide as to the length of the
model. The jaws being now rigidly fixed, lay the head down for a
while, and getting a piece of inch deal of suitable length, saw it to
the shape shown in Fig. 26, which also shows the method of attachment.

Insert the part marked A inside the head up to the return B; this
being inserted exactly in the middle of the skull, bore two or more
holes through the latter at the forehead, and make fast the bone to
the wood by strong screws. Block on each side of this board and inside
the jaws with pieces of peat nailed on with "French nails"
(Points-de-Paris) or pieces of pointed wire. At the place marked B (A
to B being now hidden) make up with wet plaster of Paris, which, while
filling up, serves also to steady the prop. Fill up the orbits with
any pieces of loose peat, paper, etc. Now carve a large piece of peat
for each side, cut to the shape of the cheeks, and attach them to the
jaw bones in their proper positions with wires driven right through
into the board, fill also the bone of the nose with peat roughly cut
to shape. Cut another piece of peat for the swelling of the under jaw,
and entirely model up with peat the front and sides of the neck.

Next mix some plaster of Paris, and go over the whole of the peat with
it, bringing it up level to the bones, nicely smoothing it over with a
knife, and, as it sets, adding more where required, or shaving it off
if in excess--in short, replacing the flesh, where it has been
removed, with peat and plaste