How to stuff birds and animals

by Aaron A. Warford

When the skins are merely wished preserved, the bones of the legs and wings should be wrapped round with cotton or tow, so as to supply the place of the flesh; the skin is then inverted and hung up to dry, after using the arsenical soap, as above directed; before doing which, in larger birds, a thread or small string may be drawn through the rump, and passed up to the inside of the neck, and drawn through the bill, to prevent the head from stretching too much by its own weight. In larger specimens, where cotton or tow is not easily to be met with, well-dried hay may be used.

The incision for removing the skin is frequently made under the wings. This may be done with marine birds to advantage. The Penguins and Divers may be skinned by making the incision in the back.

The tongue should either be kept in the mouth, or sent home separately with the birds.

The greatest care must be taken to prevent the fat and oily matter, so common to sea-birds, from getting on the feathers; pounded chalk will be found an excellent absorbent for applying to these birds.

In sending home specimens of birds, they should be each wrapped in paper, and closely packed in a box; and camphor, preserving powder, and strong aromatics, strewn amongst them, to prevent them from being attacked by insects; and they ought to be kept in a very dry part of the vessel.

It is of the utmost consequence to know the color of the eyes and legs of birds, and these things should be carefully noted the moment they are killed; and it should also be mentioned whether they are male or female; such a memorandum ought to be attached to the birds by a ticket. The season of the year in which the bird is killed, must also be mentioned. It is also of much consequence to have good skeletons, and, for this purpose, the carcasses may be sent home in a barrel, either in spirits or a strong solution of salt and water.

Mr. Salt, while in Abyssinia, packed his bird-skins between sheets of paper, and in the same manner as a hortus siccus, or herbarium, and they reached England in perfect safety, and made excellent specimens when set up. In warm climates, the boxes should be well closed, and the seams filled with warm pitch on the outside, to prevent the intrusion of insects; and the inside should be supplied with camphor, musk, or tobacco-dust, which will prevent the attacks of the smaller insects.

Till practice has given facility to the operator, it will assist in keeping the feathers clean, if, as he opens the skin of the breast, he pins pieces of paper or linen cloth on the outside, but after a few trials this will be unnecessary.

Some of the marine fowls are so fat that there is much trouble in separating it from the skin, and in warm weather, great attention will be required to prevent it from running on the feathers. As much as possible should be scraped off, in the first place, with a blunt table-knife or palate-knife, and a quantity of powdered chalk applied, to absorb what remains, which, when saturated with the oily matter, should be scraped off and a fresh supply used, after which a much larger proportion of the preserving powder should be applied than in other birds which are not fat.