Fig. 15.
Sew up the orifice neatly, taking care, as before described, only to take in the extreme outer edge of the skin; and, if the body be not too large, it will meet nicely. If the body has not been made quite large enough, especially on the breast, some cotton may be placed between the skin and body before sewing. This must be done neatly, with tweezers however, not so as to form a wad, but spread out so as to blend neatly with the curve of the body. Now place the wires which protrude from the feet in holes bored in the perch of the stand, which should be about as far apart as the bird naturally stands while perching. See that the feet come well down on the perch with the toes arranged properly, remembering that cuckoos, woodpeckers, etc., have two toes in front and two behind, while with hawks, owls, etc., the outer toe generally stands at right angles with the others, and should therefore grasp the end of the stand. Either twist the ends of the wire together or wind them around the stand very firmly. Now comes the most difficult part of the task of mounting. Hitherto all has been merely mechanical; certain rules had to be observed only. But now the instructor must pause for want of words wherewith to express his meaning, for who can tell an artist how to put in those bold and hasty strokes with which he maps out his picture? He knows just what he is about, however, for he has before his mental vision the complete picture, and strives to place on canvas that which appears before him. So must the artistic taxidermist have before him a vision of the bird he wishes to represent, with the combined mass of feathers now in hand. Whether lightly poised for flight or calmly sitting at rest, before he puts his hand to the work before him let him fully decide what he wishes to produce. Let him see it just as clearly as he sees the birds sporting in their natural element. The true artist does not copy what the imagination of others have produced, he invents for himself or takes nature as his guide. Let us then who aspire to the highest in taxidermal art, take infallible nature as our guide. Study carefully every poise of the birds, every uplifting of the wing, every turn of the head or motion of the eyelids. I have long made a practice of keeping birds in confinement in order to thoroughly impress on my mind the different attitudes which they assume. I have had nearly all species of our owls, hawks, and eagles, and have kept herons, gulls, terns, pelicans, auks, and almost countless numbers of smaller birds, and in this way I have become so familiar with them that I can tell at a glance whether a bird is mounted in an easy attitude. Well, there must be no hesitation in mounting birds, or the specimens will dry; and I will merely state in what order I arrange the different members, then leave the attitudes to my pupils. I first see that the bird stands correctly, that the legs are bent so that the bird will balance well in the position in which I wish it to be placed. As a rule, a perpendicular line drawn through the back of the head of a perching bird will fall through its feet (see [Fig. 16], a a). Now bring the bird into position, and fold the wings just as the bird does it. Note if the scapularies, tertiaries, and secondaries lie in their proper places, the first highest and the others under them, which will give the bird a good rounded back. Now place the bird in the proper attitude, with the neck properly bent, remembering that in nearly all birds this nearly assumes the form of the letter S, especially in long-necked species. I do not like to see a bird staring straight forward, but, as this is a mere matter of fancy, I will not presume to dictate regarding attitudes, only make the specimen look easy. Be artistic, even if the specimen is going into a public museum, where birds too often stare at the visitors in grotesque attitudes. One can be interesting and easy even in writing on the driest scientific subject,—why not then give ease and grace to our museum specimens? No more room need be occupied; a slight turn of the head, a twist of the neck, or an advance of a foot, will do this just as a bird would do it if it were alive. Now place the eyes in position, and these should be pushed well into the clay, and the lids arranged over them naturally with a needle. Do not have the eyes too large, as it gives the bird a staring expression, nor too small, but as near as possible to the natural ones removed. It would be well in ordering eyes from a dealer to give the measurements of the required eye in hundredths of an inch. A good colored eye should not, in my opinion, have too much clear or flint glass in front of the pupil. This should be thinner and thus flatter, as seen in eyes of German manufacture. In point of perfect coloring, French eyes are the best and most expressive, but they do not have the requisite flatness and the thinness of flint which the German eyes possess. English eyes may be mentioned as third in the catalogue of quality, while America must unfortunately come last. The above remarks, however, are true only as regards colored eyes, as black eyes are almost always good, no matter where manufactured.
Fig. 16.
After the bird is placed in the required attitude, smooth the feathers with the aid of small tweezers, noting that all lines and spots are in their proper places. The primary quills should be kept in position by clamping with fine wire; that is, a piece of wire should be bent on itself like a hairpin and slipped over the edge of the wing. Spread the tail by laying it on the cross-piece of wire under it, and clamp it down with a piece of very fine wire, which is wound around each end of the cross-piece. If the tail is to be spread very widely then run a wire through the two outer quills, thus keeping them apart; though even then the clamp should be used. If a convex or concave tail is desired, bind the cross-piece in a corresponding manner. I do not, as a rule, recommend binding freshly-skinned birds, nor do I consider it necessary excepting in instances where feathers are rough. If a bird be properly mounted a few more clamps on the wings will keep it in form; then the feathers can be made to stand out as they do in nature, not lie down close to the body as if the birds were badly frightened. This is particularly noticeable with owls; a perfectly happy and contented owl, who is pursuing his vocations, has apparently a body nearly or quite twice the diameter of one that is frightened.
Section III.: Crested Birds.—If a bird has a crest it should be raised by gently pulling forward the skin, where it will remain in position after it is neatly arranged; but in case of a dried skin, it may be necessary to prop the crest up with a piece of cotton, moulded on the head of a pin, the point of which is sunk into the head.
Section IV.: Mounting with Wings Spread.—In skinning for spread wings, leave in the humerus as well as the forearm, and do not detach the quills, as already mentioned. Wire the wing from the inside, and clench firmly in the body; wrap the humerus to the natural size with cotton, after fastening the supporting wire to the bone with fine wire or thread. Push both wires into the shoulders of the artificial body at once, at the same time pushing the neck-wire and body into position. This can be learned by practice. Proceed as before, but support the wings while setting on either side by long wire clamps. Be sure, however, that the supporting wire is strong enough to hold the wing in position without these, and thus when the wings are dry they will be very strong.