stened down, and the whole placed in the cellar for so long a time
as is required to thoroughly soften the included skins.

This plan, though fairly efficient for the smaller skins, must give
place to that which I have ever adopted, and which is almost as
effective for a large as for a small skin. It is this: Procure a box
of suitable size, which, for greater efficiency, may be lined with
zinc. Into this put several quarts of clean silver sand well damped
with water, but not up to the point of actual wetness. Wrap each skin
separately in a clean rag or in a piece of unprinted paper ("cap
paper" will do for the smaller birds), pull back the sand to one end
of the box, leaving a thin layer, however, all over the remaining part
of the bottom, on which place the skins, covering them up as you go on
with the sand from the other end. When covered with the proper depth
of sand, lay a damp cloth over the top, and put the box away in the
cellar or in the shade.

In from three days to a week, according to the size of the skins, they
will be found more thoroughly relaxed by this than by any other
method, and will be kept--by their covering paper or linen rag--from
having their feathers soiled or disturbed by the sand.

In the first edition, I decried the practice of plunging birds' skins
into water in the manner pursued by Waterton and his followers, but I
had not at that time found anyone to please me in the subsequent
manipulation of skins after being taken out of water. I have now,
however, changed my views on the subject, and will proceed to describe
a plan, which, though entailing some little trouble, is yet so simple,
and so complete in its effects, as almost to supersede the previous
methods, when the operator has attained any degree of proficiency in
this.

The skin to be operated upon is, if small, simply placed in a pan or
bucket partly filled with water, and weighted own in such a manner
that it shall always be beneath the surface. If the taxidermist is in
a fair way of business, he will find a wooden tank, about 36 in. by 24
in. by 12 in. deep (inside measurement), sufficiently large for his
needs. This tank should be "tongued" and dressed with red lead, or
lined with zinc, to render it waterproof. Of course, the professional
will not find it large enough for anything but medium-sized skins; for
the larger ones, and for mammals, he will require other and larger
tanks. A petroleum cask (procurable from any oilman fo