juices into plumage. A small sharpened twig will serve to place the
plugs. Slip the bird head first into a paper cone for carrying.

Mussed or blood-stained specimens should not necessarily be discarded.
Look them over first. Many such specimens may be cleaned very easily and
come out in the finish as nearly perfect as others that appeared much
better at the start.

[Illustration]

PREPARING AND MOUNTING A BIRD

CHAPTER II

PREPARING AND MOUNTING A BIRD

With tools and materials assembled and table in readiness, we come to
the real work and, in the order of things, will address the preparing
and mounting of a fresh bird specimen. To many people of long experience
in the art of taxidermy this task never ceases to be a delightful
operation, one of the pleasantest of many interesting bits of work that
may result from a day spent afield.

Figuratively, the specimen lies before us, upon the bench. Make it any
native bird your fancy desires. The following notes will be found to
cover the ground:

A pencil and a sheet of wrapping paper will first be brought into
service. With these make outlines of the specimen, top and side views,
laying the bird upon the paper and drawing the pencil around it while
looking straight down upon it.

After the skinning, outline the body, top, and side views, upon same
sheet, with position of shoulder joint, hip joint, knee, and tail
marked in black spots.

This system of wrapping paper sketches will be found of great value in
all work, from mounting a bird to setting up a deer head.

[Illustration: Fig. 1.]

To begin skinning, lay the bird upon a newspaper, head to left of you,
on the bench. Have cornmeal handy. Part the belly and breast feathers up
middle. With a scalpel make an incision (see Fig. 1) from within one
inch of front end of breast bone back to a quarter-inch forward of the
vent in large birds, and to the vent in small ones. Use care not to cut
through abdominal wall, which is usually very thin and may easily be
confused as a part of the skin, being closely bound to it. The two are
easily separated, however.

The primary incision made, lift an edge of the skin with finger and
thumb nail and carefully tear skin free from body, using scalpel when
necessary to help.

When thigh of a leg is exposed, take hold of leg outside of skin and
push knee forward so it is uncovered inside of skin. Sever knee joint
with scalpel or scissors, using care not to cut t