The skin is now removed over the rump, and the tail unjointed, taking care not to injure the tail feathers. Now for convenience, take a cord and fasten it to a nail on the wall or ceiling, put a wire hook on the other end, and fasten in the bird so you can suspend it high enough above the table to work on it easily. Now pull the skin downwards until you get to the wings, which are to be unjointed at the shoulder joint. It is then pulled down over the skull until the ears are reached. Here many valuable specimens are spoiled by cutting the ears too close to the skin, so be sure to cut the ears close to the skull.
The eyelids are often spoiled also by inexperienced hands. Be sure and cut them well back and, if necessary, trim them afterwards. Now remove the eyeballs and unjoint the skull from the neck, enlarge the opening at the base of skull, where the neck came off, and remove the brain with spoon made for that purpose. Now remove the flesh from the thigh bone down to knee joint, and turn them back in place; then skin the wings out to first joint and remove the flesh. There is yet one job and the skinning process is completed. Divide the feathers on the under side of the wing between the second and third joints, cut the skin, and with a sharp knife cut out all flesh from the bone, and put in some of the preserving powder; cover it with a little cotton and sew it up, being careful not to draw any of the feathers in; press the feathers down smooth, and see that each is in its proper place.
There are some birds with large heads and small necks. With these we cannot draw the skin over the head, but have to push the skin as near the head as it is possible, and cut off the neck bone; then make an opening under the throat large enough to turn out the skull and the remaining part of the neck bone, and proceed to skin the skull, take out brain, etc., as directed heretofore. The flesh must be carefully removed from all parts of the skin, and the preserving powder applied, being very careful that all parts are well powdered.
If you now wish to mount the bird it can be done immediately.
STUFFING BIRDS.
In the first place take some plaster paris, mix it with water to a stiff paste, and fill the eye-sockets with it, then press the glass eye in the paris, using great care to set them in as near a natural position as possible. When the plaster has hardened, which it does very quickly, if the skin has become dry, dampen it with a damp sponge, and turn it back over the skull, then lay the bird on the table and proceed to put in the frame, stuff and sew up.
I give three kinds of frames. One is the wire and wood frame, which you see on page [78], Figs. 9 and 10. The others, wire frames, on page [80], Fig. 3, for birds; also Fig. 11, for humming birds and other small birds, on page [78].
Take frame described Nos. 9 and 10, having the leg wire AA detached from body board, fill the neck with tow, being careful not to fill it too full; run neck wire E through the center of the neck and pass it out at the top of head, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, or through one of the nostrils. I prefer the latter, because it does not break the skin and holds the head more steady. Then put the tail support E through the center or heavy part of the tail, raise the body board and place under it some tow or cotton; or pad the board by placing some cotton on it and tacking some cloth over it to keep the frame off from the back; then take the leg wires, Fig. 13, AA and put them in the legs, as shown in cut No. 3, and fasten on to the body board with blind staples, as represented in cut No. 3; proceed with the stuffing; finish filling out the neck and breast, shaping it while filling, using care not to get it too full, as that is a fault of most beginners; after filling it down to the opening, the next should be the legs; if the leg bone is left in from the knee up, wrap it to the leg wire with a strip of muslin and tie it; then stuff the leg up to the body, fill the body and sew up; in sewing be careful not to draw any of the feathers down with the thread. After it is all sewed up, place all the feathers down smooth and in their proper place, as much depends on this.
Next place the specimen on a board or perch; if on a board, procure a suitable one, bore two holes the size of the leg wires through it, then make a groove on the under side of board running off from each hole to lay wire down in; place the specimen on the board, running the leg wires through it, and draw the wires down until the legs set in proper position, bend the wires down into the grooves and fasten them with small blind staples. In this connection one should use his own judgment in placing the bird on the board; one leg should generally be placed a little in advance of the other. If the bird is to be placed on a limb perch, bore the holes through the limb, place the bird on, and draw the wires tight, and drive a wooden wedge in beside the wire to hold it, then file the wire off close to the under side of the perch. Pose the bird in as natural a position as you can, imitating nature as near as possible. Place the wings in position, then take a piece of wire heavy enough to hold the wings in place. Sharpen one end, and make a square turn about one-fourth of an inch from the other end to keep it from pulling through the wing. Now place the wings in proper shape. Pass the wire through the wings and body in a way to hold them in shape. Pull the wire until the turn on the one end presses against the wing. Cut the wire on other side of bird and turn it back, as on the other side, so that the wire cannot be pulled either way; then arrange the whole body—wings, neck, tail, head, etc. In case the specimen is a web-footed bird, take a thin piece of board, say from a cigar box, cut it to fit in between the toes, and tack them in to hold the web in shape while drying. This should be removed when dry. After all is completed bathe the buts of wings, the feet, legs and beak, with the preserving fluid; this should be repeated for three or four days. Then let the specimen dry in a shady place. It can then be placed on another board or perch and set in the cabinet.