Fig. 9.
Hold wire down to back of bone and wrap on cotton, tow, or excelsior, according to size of bird, to replace flesh. Tie this material loosely with a few turns of thread or cord. See that wing and leg wrapping is smooth and nicely tapering from elbow and heel.
It now remains to place the body, set wings and legs and tail, sew up the breast incision, and, if a large bird, the wings.
In preparing to place the body, take a turn of end of nape cord about tip of neck-wire and twist a wisp of cotton about them both to prevent wire catching in neck skin when passing through. Hold up the bird-skin by the head, shake it out loose and rattle neck-wire up through the neck. Run wire out of mouth, remove cotton and release free end of nape cord. Draw wire back to base of skull, leaving nape cord hanging from mouth. Now push wire through brain cavity, between eye sockets and forward out of roof of mouth inside until neck is seated in brain cavity. Tip of wire may have to be curved to accomplish this, in curve-billed birds.
When head is set take excelsior body in right hand, hold it with head up, and with left hand pull shoulder skin into place. Now lay the bird down, take a wing-wire and start it through the body at side of back, one-half to one and one-half inches, according to size of bird, to rear of actual position of shoulder joint.
Pull wire through on opposite side of breast. When head of wing-bone is drawn down to same distance as above, from body, bend wire sharply forward to lay upon body, thus setting shoulder joint so that it is flexible. Now turn over end of wire left protruding from side of breast and clinch it into body squarely. When wings are set shake skin down over body and set legs.
Having previously marked the hip joint with a spot of ink, run a leg-wire through at this point, quartering it out on opposite side where thigh will set. Pull wire through to a considerable length without drawing other end up into the foot.
Loop sharp end squarely, with long enough point to go clear through body again, push it back through, clinching tip down on other side. Now pull the knee to its proper distance from hip joint, thus leaving bare wire for thigh bone. Bend thigh into place flat against side of body, with knee at side of breast.
When legs are set shake and carefully pull skin of rump into place. Take tail-wire and push it through center of tail, under the bone, using care that it does not disturb tail quills. Push sharp end of wire into body above center and forward of end of body.
Consult notes for actual set of tail. See that wire supports tail without looseness. (For general details of wiring, see [Fig. 10].) Fill butt of tail and thighs with a little chopped tow.