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"Content*. Skinning Birds. Stuffing and Mounting Birds. Skinning and Stuffing Mammals.

"Content*. Skinning Birds. Stuffing and Mounting Birds. Skinning and Stuffing Mammals.
Mounting Animals' Horned Heads : Polishing and Mounting Horns. Skinning. Stuffing, and
Casting Fish. Preserving, '

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TAXIDERMY

COMPRISING THE SKINNING, STUFFING, AND

MOUNTING OF BIRDS, MAMMALS,

AND FISH

WITH NUMEROUS ENGRAVINGS AND DIAGRAMS

EDITED BY

PAUL 1ST. HASLUOK

EDITOR OK "WORK" AND "BUILDING WORLD,"
AUTHOR OK " HANDYBOOKS KOR HANDICRAFTS, " BTC. ETC.

CASSELL AND COMPANY, LIMITED

LONDON, PARIS, NEW YORK < MELBOURNE
1901

ALL 1UGHTS KESEKVEIJ

PREFACE,

THIS Handbook contains, in a form convenient for
everyday use, a comprehensive digest of the know-
ledge of Taxidermy, scattered over nearly twenty
thousand columns of WORK one of the weekly
journals it is my fortune to edit and supplies con-
cise information on the general principles of the
subjects on which it treats.

In preparing for publication in book form the
mass of relevant matter contained in the volumes
of WORK, some of it necessarily had to be re-
arranged and partly re-written. However, the prin-
cipal contents of this handbook consist substantially
of illustrated articles by Mr. J. Fielding - Cottrill
originally contributed to WORK.

Headers who may desire additional information
respecting special details of the matters dealt with in
this Handbook, or instructions on kindred subjects,
should address a question to WORK, so that it may
be answered in the columns of that journal.

P. N. HASLUCK.

La Belle Sauvage, London,
April, 1901.

2039954

CONTENTS.

CHAP. PAGE

I. Skinning Birds ...... 9

II. Stuffing and Mounting Birds . . . .24

III. Skinning and Stuffing Mammals ... 48

IV. Animals' Horned Heads : Polishing and Mount-
ing Horns .68

V. Skinning, Stuffing, and Casting Fish . . 94

VI. Preserving, Cleaning, and Dyeing Skins . . 107

VII. Preserving Insects and Birds' Eggs. . .132

VIII. Cases for Stuffed Specimens .... 149

Index 157

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

FIX

1. Skinning Knife .

2. Scissors

3. Round-nose Pliers

4. Cutting Nippers.

5. Side Cutters

6. Side Cutters

7. Flat-nose Pliers .

8. Bellhanger's Pliers

9. Brain-spoon and Hook
10. Feather Pliers .

11 Staffing-iron

12. Stuffing-iron
13. Bodkin
14. Suspending Hook
15. Chain and Hooks
16. Diagram of Bird.
17. Modelled Body for Bird
18. Method of Sewing Up Bird
19. Method of Bolting Leg Wire
20. Bird Bound with Threads .
21. Bird Bound with Threads .
22. Bird, Braced and Bound
23. Wiring for Soft Body of

Bird .
24. Cork Foundation for Body

of Bird .

25. Artificial Eyes .
26. Bird's Wings Spread Out
27. Section of Bird's Head on

Screen

28. Handle for Bird Screen
29. Diagram of Screen
30. Diagram of Screen
31. Turned Base for Screen
32. Screen with Stuffed Bird
33. Measurement of Waterbuck
St. Squirrel
35. Hand of Monkey
36. Bones of Animal's Hind Leg
37. Artificial Hind Leg

PAOB

10 38.

10 39.-

11

12

40.

12

12

41.

12

42.

12

13

4.3.-

13

44.

14

45.-

14

46.-

14

47.

15

15

48.

19

26

49.-

d

28

e

29

50.

30

31

51.-

32

52.-

of

53.-

33

54.-

y

65.-

35

37

56.-

42 57.-

n

! 58.-

43 59.-

45 60.-

46 61.-

46 62.-

46 03.-

47 (>!.-

k

49 r.:,.

51 !

57 66.-

g

60

61 j 67.-

PAGE

Body for Mammal . . 63
Wiring for Loose Stuffing

of Mammal . . .64
Wiring for Loose Stuffing

of Mammal . . .05
Veined Artificial Eye . . "66
Veined and Cornered Arti-
ficial Eye .... 66
Moleskin Purse . . .67
Back of Horned Head . 69
Turned Wood forjEar Block 73
Turned Wood for Ear Block 73
Skull with Centre Board

for Modelled Neck . . 74
Skull with Centre Board

for Loose Neck. . . 75
Neck Board for Horned

Head 76

Plaster Head with Tow

Neck 77

Skin Nailed on Neck Board 79
Ear, Blocked and Bound . 80
Ear, Blocked and Bound . 80
Finished Horned Head . 81
Shield Mount, showing

Position of Neck Board . 82
Shield Mount ... 82
Shield Mount . . .82
Shield Mount . . .83
-Shield Mount ... 83
Shield Mount ... 83
Oval Mount ... 83
Mounting Stag's Antlers . 84
Mounting Stag's Antlers . 84
-Mounting Stag's Antlers . 84
Front View of Elephant

Tusk Mount . . .86
Side View of Elephant Tusk

Mount .... 87
Perch Heady for Opening . 95

TAXIDERMY.

FIG. PAGE

68. Wire Shape of Fish . . 96
69. Fish embedded in Clay . 102
70. Clay - embedded Fish cov-
ered with Plaster . . 103
71. Section of Plaster Fish-
mould .... 104
72. Plaster Cast of Fish . . 105
73. Skin-stretching Frame . 108
74. Corner of Skin-stretching

Frame . . . .108
75. Shave-hook for Dressing

Skins . . . ,109
76. Serrated Blade of Shave.

hook . . . .109
77. Furrier's Double - edged

Knife . . . .110
78. Furrier's Single-edged Knife 110
79. Furrier's Horse or Beam . Ill
80. Sandpaper Block for Rub-
bing Skins . . .111
81, 82. Insect Envelope . . 133
83. Section of Setting Board . 135
84. Butterfly on Setting Board 135
85. Single Book Box for Insects 139

FK5. PAGE

86. Half of Double Book Box

for Insects . . .139
87. Double Book Box for Insects 140
88. Cork Lining of Insect

Cabinet . . . .140
89. Drawers with Hinged Pillar 141
90. Body of Cabinet . . .144
91. Drawer Section showing

Groove and Runner . . 144
92. Drawer with Grooved Side . 14 J
93, 94. Drawer Sections show-
ing Grooves and Runners 14u
95. Screw to Prevent Drawers

Coming Out . . . 14(5
96-100. Fixing Glass in Drawers 14ti
101. Fixing Glass in Drawers . 147
102 Partitions for Egg Cabinet. 147
103. Joint for Box Case . . 150
104. Section of Case Upright . 150
10.3. Section of Bamboo Case

Upright . . . .150
100. Canted Comer Case . .151
107, 108. Sections of Fish Cases

having Bent Glass Fronts 10:!

TAXIDERMY.

CHAPTER I.

SKINNING BIRDS.

TAXIDERMY has been defined as the art of preparing
and preserving the skins of animals, and also of
stuffing and mounting them so as to impart to them
as close a resemblance to. the living forms as possible.
The art is classified easily into three broad divisions :
(1) Birds, (2) Mammals, (3) Fish ; and, as may be
seen by a glance through the following pages, this
classification is adhered to in this book. Also,
taxidermy has been extended further so as to
include the preserving and setting of insects, a
subject really forming part of the science of en-
tomology ; brief instructions in this minor branch of
taxidermy are given, however, in order to make this
handbook complete. The skinning, stuffing, and
mounting of birds is the first part of the subject to
receive treatment.

Very few tools are required by the taxidermist, it
being possible to skin both birds and small mam-
mals with only a penknife and a pair of scissors, and
with the further aid of a pair of pliers to stuff and
set them up.

It is not, however, always well to work with
makeshift tools, and most, if not all, of the following
should be obtained ; but beginners are advised not
to purchase the " boxes of bird-stuffing tools," as
advertised, or they may find half of the tools useless
and the other half unnecessary.

The first indispensable article is a knife (Fig. 1).
A penknife, if it is capable of holding a good edge,

io TAXIDERMY.

will answer just as well as a case of lancets and
scalpels. A good knife for the purpose is an old
" skiving " knife, used by shoemakers, and this may
be kept keen on a strop covered with two different
grades of emery-cloth ; or an oilstone may be used
instead of the strop.

r\

Fig. 1. Skinning Knife.

Fig. 2. Scissors.

The next tool required is a pair of fine-pointed
scissors (Fig. 2) of the kind known as " grape scis-
sors," which are used for thinning grapes ; they have
long handles and short, straight, fine blades. It is
advisable, but not essential, to have a second and
stronger pair with blunt ends for cutting up tow,
and they should be large and strong.

SKINNING BIRDS. n

Hound-nose pliers (Fig. 3) are mainly used for
fine wire, so the finer they are the better. Cutting
nippers (Fig. 4) should be large and strong, as they
are for use in cutting wire ; they can have the cut-
ting planes either in front or at the sides. Side
cutters (Figs. 5 and 6), also, are useful ; they are the
kind used for opening champagne or soda-water

3. Round-nose Pliers.

bottles. They are similar in shape to the ordinary
nail nippers, but they have the jaws straight in-
stead of being curved. These are not used generally
by taxidermists, but they are almost invaluable,
serving as bone forceps for cutting legs, wings,
etc., and they will cut a muscle as well as will scis-
sors, besides being very useful for fine wires. Flat-
nose pliers (Fig. 7) are useful for heavier wires. Many

12

TAXIDERMY.

use the common shape of bellhanger's pliers (Fig. 8),
as these combine the cutting and the flat-nosed
pliers.

Fig. 4.

Fig. 5.

Fig. 7.

Fix

Fig. 4, Cutting Nippers ; Figs. 5 and 6, Side Cutters ;
Fig. 7, Flat-nose Pliers; Fig. 8, Bellhanger's Pliers.

The brain-spoon and hook are used by
some, but are not really necessary. To make a

SKINNING

useful tool, file a knitting needle into a gradually
tapering point, and while hot turn it into a small
hook as shown in Fig. 9. Hammer the other end
into the approximate shape of a spoon, and then
trim it up with a file.

An appliance is required with which to put the
feathers straight, and for this purpose some use a

Fig. 9.
Brain-spoon and Hook.

Fig. 10.
Feather Plier?

pair of watchmaker's pliers with rather long jaws.
But very little strength is necessary, so they may be
as fine as possible, and have rather broad "noses."
Scissor pliers (Fig. 10) seem to be a perfect tool for
the purpose when the bars at the end of both jaws
have been filed down. Next best to the scissor pliers
are straight or curved tweezers, G in. to 8 in. long.

14 TAXIDERMY.

The stuffing-iron is shown by Figs. 11 and 12 ; to
make it, hammer one end of a steel knitting needle
flat like a chisel, and file one or two nicks in the
flattened part; then fit it into a handle.

Two shoemaker's awls should be obtained, one

Fig. 12.

Fig. 13.
Figs. 11 and 12, Stuffing-iron ; Fig. 13, Bodkin.

fine and the other large ; they will come in for a lot
of useful work. One or two knitting needles will
be found useful.

A bodkin inserted into a handle is also useful ; it
can be made from a knitting needle, one end of
which is sharpened to a fine tapering point, the
other being put into a handle (see Fig. 13). A three-

SKINNING JliRDS. 15

cornered file for sharpening the wires is also re-
quired.

A small sharp hook is fastened to a cord sus-
pended from a hook fixed in the ceiling. On this
hook (Fig. 14) the bird is hung whilst being
skinned, and thus the left hand of the operator is at
liberty to keep the feathers away from the flesh.
Some use instead a chain and hooks, as shown by
Fig. 15.

With the tools enumerated above any bird can be

Fig. 14.

Fig:. 15.
Fig 1 . 14, Suspending Hook; Fig 1 . 15, Chain and Hook?.

stuffed, or, with the addition of a large stuffing-iron,
any animal at least up to a wolf, and but few
beginners will venture beyond this. Other requi-
sites are a packet of pins, a reel of cotton, a needle
(the ordinary kind will do, though many use the
triangular-pointed glover's needle), some tow, a
little cotton-wool, and some plaster-of-paris. This
plaster is extremely useful, and should always be
within reach. Instead of tow, a kind of fine shav-
ing, known as wood-wool, is coming into use as a
stuffing material.

The taxidermist will require some kind of pre-
servative. Those mentioned below are considered

1 6 TAXIDERMY.

specially suitable for birds, but in a later chapter
some additional recipes may be given for use in
stuffing mammals.

The preservative is put on to dry the skins, and
during this drying the fibres naturally contract,
drawing up the skin in every direction. To counter-
act this, it is usual to place inside the skin a false
body of tow or wool.

The preservative used by most taxidermists is the
arsenical soap invented by Becoeur in 1770, or a
modification of it. Its composition is camphor,

5 oz. ; white arsenic, 2 Ib. ; white soap, 2 Ib. ; salts
of tartar, 2 oz. ; chalk, 4 oz. Several modifications
of this soap used by some taxidermists are given
below :

(1) Corrosive sublimate, \ oz. ; arsenic, \ oz. ;
spirit of wine, 4 drams ; camphor, -i- oz. ; white soap,

6 oz.

(2) Arsenic, 1 oz. ; white soap, 1 oz. ; carbonate
potash, 1 dram ; water, 6 drams ; camphor, 2 drams.

(3) White soap, 4 Ib. ; arsenic, 1 Ib. ; camphor.
1 oz.

Most taxidermists have their own special recipe,
but the above are sufficient to show the proportions
in general use.

Preservatives are made something after this
manner. The soap is cut up into a vessel containing
water placed over or near a fire and left to dissolve.
When cooked, and while still hot, the arsenic in
all cases in the form of powder is gradually stirred
in, as are the chalk, tartar, sublimate, etc. Do not
hold the head over the pan, because disagreeable
fumes are given off. The camphor, in all cases, is
best dissolved in spirit of wine separately and added
to the cooling, but not yet cold, mixture, stirring
briskly all the time. Label the mixture " DEADLY
POISON," and be careful in using it. It should be of
the same consistency as thick dairy cream, and a
small brush should be kept solely for use with it. If

SKINNING BIRDS. 17

too dry, dilute it with warm water. Arsenical soap
is good in its way, but is very dangerous to use, and
the taxidermist cannot be too careful with it.
Do not be persuaded to use a powder compounded
with arsenic, or injury to the skin of the hands will
result.

Browne's non-poisonous preservative is perhaps
the most popular preserving soap, and consists of
whiting Ij lb., white curd soap ^ Ib. ; chloride of lime
i oz., tincture of musk oz., and water 1 pt. To
prepare it, cut the soap into thin pieces, and boil
it with the whiting and water. The boiling is simply
to dissolve the soap, and when that is done, and the
whiting mixed in, it should be removed from the
fire. The longer it is boiled, the more water is re-
quired. When it attains the consistence of thick
cream, take it off the fire, and stir in the chloride,
but keep the head away, because of the disagreeable
fumes which arise. When cold, add the musk,
which is used mainly to hide the objectionable smell.
Tincture of musk can be replaced by tincture of cam-
phor, made by dissolving camphor in spirit of wine,
though it is much less permanent. Be careful to
add the tincture to the mixture when cold, or much
of its strength will be lost. The mixture is perhaps
easier made by slightly increasing the amount of
water, though it is better to make it thick and then
for use thin it with methylated spirit. If placed in
small jars, securely fastened down, this preservative
will keep for an indefinite time. Of course, if it gets
too dry it may be diluted with water. It is superior
to any of the arsenical soaps, and is cheap, non-
poisonous, and has a pleasant smell. So cheap is it,
that it works out at less than a farthing for a starling
or blackbird ; by using the tincture of camphor in-
stead of musk it is a little cheaper but not so good.
This preservative is painted on the inside of the
skins, then the " stuffing " is done ; thus the pre-
servative is left on for all time. Of course, the pre-

1 8 TAXIDERMY.

servative applies to the skin alone, the hair or
feathers not requiring such treatment.

Having the tools, plaster-of-paris, tow, cotton-
wool, needle and cotton, preservative, etc., within
reach of the hands, a beginning can be made at
skinning the bird, which by preference should be a
starling, because it is of medium size and its skin
is tough.

Spread a piece of paper upon the table and upon
this place the bird, with its head pointing towards
the operator. See that the mouth is well filled with
wadding to prevent anything running out and stain-
ing the feathers. Then pass a needle and cotton
through the nostrils and tie the mandibles together ;
this is very important with white-fronted birds, and
also with woodpeckers ; but, though not quite so
imperative with a starling, it had better be done
in all cases.

Now break the bones of the wing as close to the
body as possible (see Fig. 16, D D). In cases where
the fingers or pliers are not able to do this, the wing
should be struck a smart blow with a piece of wood
(a round heavy ruler will do), the bird being held
with the wing resting against the edge of the table.
With the fingers and the point of the knife carefully
separate the feathers along the breast, leaving the
skin bare. Cut the skin along the full length of the
breast, cutting towards the tail, as shown at A B
(Fig. 16). Having done this, carefully lift up one
side of the shining edges of the skin and proceed to
separate the skin from the flesh by pushing, cutting,
or anything but pulling, and in doing this keep the
edge of the knife upon the flesh. Take time over this
or the skin may easily be stretched out of all pro-
portion. Continually sprinkle plaster-of-paris upon
the bare flesh to prevent the feathers getting soiled,
and frequently dip the fingers in the powdered
plaster for the same prnpose. Having gone as far
as possible on the one side, turn and repeat with

BIRDS* 19

the other. With a little care the neck may now be
exposed, and with the aid of the side cutters (Fig. 5,
p. 12), it must be cut off as near the body as possible,
as shown at c, Fig. 16. Use plenty of plaster now.
The cutting away of the neck considerably frees the
shoulders, and it will now, no doubt, be possible to
work to the wing sufficiently to cut it off (see D),
Here, again, the side cutters can be used ; in fact>
no difficulty will be met with in cutting through the

16. Diagram of Bird.

largest bird's wing with them, though in the present
case the scissors will be quite sufficient. Cut off the
other wing,and suspend the bird by the hanging-hook
(Fig. 14, p. 15). With great care release the skin from
the back, using the left hand to keep the feathers
away from the flesh. Sprinkle on plenty of plaster.
The legs will soon be reached. Seize the foot with
the right hand and push upwards, at the same time
pushing the skin down with the left hand. Daylight
is now seen between the flesh and the skin. Slip

20 TAXIDERMY.

in the scissors and cut the leg at the joint (see E E,
Fig. 16). Repeat with the other leg and proceed with
the skinning, but be careful, as the skin along the
back is very thin. The two oval-shaped bodies seen
presently are the oil glands on the tail (the " parson's
nose " known to the cook). The bone should be care-
fully cut through with the side cutters or scissors
(see F, Fig. 16). Skin upwards, instead of downwards,
as the corner is being turned now to get to the vent.
Careful work here will quickly leave the skin hang-
ing by the lower part of the bowel, which, being cut
through with the scissors, releases the whole skin.

Take the body off the hook, but do not throw it
away yet. Then fasten the hook into the neck,
and, with the fingers only, proceed to ease, not by
any means pull the skin from the neck. A little care
is wanted when the head is reached. Still the skin
slides off easily until a whitish piece of skin appears
on each side (H, Fig. 16). These pieces are the ears,
and the skin must come out entirely. This is much
easier done by putting the awl under and lifting up ;
take care that the awl goes under the bottom skin.
If done properly, the skin of the ear will stand out
like a little pocket until the air is pressed out of it.
Now carefully work on until progress is stopped
again by a darker part on each side. These are the
eyes (i, Fig. 16), and with the knife cut towards the
flesh very gently. An almost transparent skin near
the eye now is cut through, and the skin is found to
hang only by the corner nearest the beak. Now cut off
the neck at the base of the skull (G, Fig. 16). Lay
down the skin, take out the wadding from the mouth,
and lift out each eye with the awl. Next remove the
tongue by placing the knife under it and the thumb
over it, then pull steadily. Now enlarge the opening
at the back of the skull, cutting more towards the
mouth ; in fact, none of the top of the skull should
be removed. Now, with the point of the knife or
the brain-spoon, scoop out the brains. Then care-

SKINNING BIRDS. 21

fully scrape and cut away all the little pieces of flesh
which will be found at the bottom of the orbits and
along the sides of the head.

The legs and wings now require cleaning and free-
ing from flesh. It is immaterial which are done
first. The skin of the legs is easily turned back to
as far as the feathers go, and, by cutting the tendons
at the " knee " joint, the whole of the flesh may be
removed in one piece. Now paint the bone and the
skin with preservative. Wrap some fine tow round
the bone till it is about equal to the real leg, and
then draw the skin back. Repeat on the other side.
To clear the tail it is necessary to take away the oil
glands, but much care will be required to prevent
cutting the tail feathers, in which case they will fall
out and cannot be replaced.

Now turn to the wings. By holding the bone in
one hand the joint is soon reached, and no difficulty
is found in passing this joint. Here there are two
bones enclosing a small oval piece of flesh. As the
wing feathers are attached to the larger of these
bones, it cannot well be skinned, so the flesh is
removed by using the point of the knife and cutting
away the flesh in little pieces. In larger birds the
wing is opened on the underside, all flesh removed,
well painted with preservative, the space refilled
with tow, and then neatly sewn up. Tie a piece of
thread through this opening to the larger bone, and
leave one end long. Then repeat with the other
wing.

Any lines of fat on the skin are now removed by
scraping, not cutting. The head, its skin, and the
skin of the neck are well anointed with preservative,
the skull filled with cut tow, the orbits with cotton-
wool, and the skin turned back again. This is rather
difficult to describe, as well as to perform. A cer-
tain amount of knack is necessary in this. Place the
thumb at the back of the skull and push, at the same
time drawing the skin over by a kind of scratching

22 TAXIDERMY.

motion. When once it starts to slide, all will go
right. Anoint the wing-bones and the skin with
preservative and pull them right. Do the same
with the tail. By this time the whole skin is right
side out, and the head, neck, wings, legs, and tail
have been covered with preservative, but the body
part has been neglected ; therefore, carefully paint
all this part, the left hand keeping the feathers from
being injured. Put right the feathers on the head
by using the knitting needle ; place this in the eye,
carefully pass it between the skin and the skull, and
gently draw it along the inside of the skin of the
head, etc., scratching it, as it were, with the end.

The wings must now be tied together by the
threads which were left for this purpose. Measure
the distance across the back of the real body, and
leave the wings that distance only apart.

Many taxidermists work upwards instead of
downwards. They cut an opening from the breast
to the vent, release the legs, then the tail, and work
round to the wings. A free course is thus gained to
the skull, where the separating cut is made, leaving
the body and neck in one piece.

Many white-fronted birds are quite spoilt by
being opened down the breast, for sooner or later
the fat is drawn from the interior by capillary attrac-
tion through the thread used in sewing up, and
makes its presence shown by an ugly line of rusty
brown, lying in relief against the snow-white feathers
of the breast. Even after removing, with much care,
patience, and trouble, the disfiguring line it will
reappear over and over again, and it is hopeless to
try to prevent it. For this reason white birds should
be opened on the back, where there are plenty of
feathers to conceal the cut, and the breast will be
left uninjured. Make a cut from the neck to above
the legs. Separate the wings and then the neck. Now
hang the bird by the hook and continue to the legs ;
separate at the tail. Be careful over the breast, as

SKINNING BIRDS. 23

if the skin is stretched at all the feathers will separate
in a straight line, forming a very disfiguring parting.
Another method is to skin from under the wing, a
cut being made reaching from under the wing to over
the leg. The wing is separated, and the bird is sus-
pended and finished as usual.

Some birds have heads larger than their necks,
the skin refusing to pass over the head. Among
these are ducks, geese, swans, some grebes, and
woodpeckers. With these skin as far up the neck as
possible, cut off the neck, and turn the skin right
side out. Cut the skin on the side of the face to
about as far as the remnant of the neck. The skull
is next skinned through this opening, cleaned,
anointed with preservative, stuffed, and returned.
When carefully sewn up, a cursory glance should not
ascertain that the side has been touched. If the
bird is crested, the cut may well be made by the side
of the crest.

In skinning; owls, take great care with the head
and tail. The skin is little thicker than tissue paper,
and any carelessness might cause injury. There
are many little points to be observed in the skinning
and mounting of owls. For instance, the orifices of
the ears are very large, and if they be skinned some
difficulty will be found in disposing of this skin.
If the skinning be continued to the beak, the charac-
ter of the face will be lost. The best plan is to skin
up to the ears, and leave this part alone as it is ;
then skin on the top of the head and the eye. With
the largest awl, lift out the eye between the bone
and the skin. If this is not understood, the tongue
and the greater part of the bottom of the skull (form-
ing the palate) may be cut out, the brain removed,
and the eyes taken out from this position with ease.
The full expression is left, and owls skinned in this
way will be very lifelike. A dirty and inferior plan
is to skin down to the beak and gouge out the con-
tents of_the eye, leaving the cup of the eye still in its place.

CHAPTER IT.

STUFFING AND MOUNTING BIRDS.

IF a bird skin has been kept unstuffed for a long
while, it will have become stiff, and must be softened
or relaxed before stuffing should be attempted. For
this purpose, a relaxing box is necessary. This is
a wooden box with a tightly-fitting cover, the whole
of the inside of which has. been covered to the depth
of 1 in. or 2 in. with plaster-of-paris mixed in the
usual way with water. This plaster, when dry, ad-
heres to the wood. Water is poured into the box
and allowed to stay until the plaster has absorbed
as much as it can. The rest is poured away, and the
box is ready for use. Place the skin in the box and
allow to remain until the feet and wings can be
opened and closed. The time varies with the size
of the birds, humming-birds taking a day or less,
while the eagle may require four days or more. All
the stuffing must be removed and the inside of the
skin well scraped to stretch the fibres ; the legs of
some birds require a drill, needle, or pricker forced
up to make a passage for the supporting wires.
Everything must be in readiness before the skin is
taken from the box, and the work finished without
delay, as relaxed skins dry quickly. In place of the
relaxing box an earthen pan half filled with damp
sand may be used. Wrap each skin in a clean rag
and place it on the damp sand ; then cover with
more damp sand, cover the whole with a damp cloth,
and place in a shady place. In the course of, say,
two or three days remove the top sand and examine
the skins. If the feet and wings can be spread out
by gently working them, they are ready for stuffing ;
if not, the skins are again covered and placed away
for another day or two. Practical taxidermists fre-

STUFFING AND MOUNTING THIRDS. 25

quently pour warm water into the skin, or some-
times immerse the whole of the skin in water, cover-
ing the feathers afterwards with plaster. The skins
of both birds and squirrels are certainly much easier
and better mounted fresh. Relaxed skins dry very
quickly, and many have a wooden and unnatural
appearance when stuffed.

There are many ways of stuffing birds, and many
ways of wiring them. Waterton perfected a neat but
troublesome method of setting up birds without
using wires, but this is hardly a practical method.
A good working method consists in modelling a firm
body of tow. A piece of wire about twice as long
as the bird has one end filed to a sharp point ; if for
a large bird it is left with a bayonet-shaped or tri-
angular point, so that each edge will cut. The other
end may or may not be pointed. Now commence
at about 1 in. from the blunt end to wrap some tow
round it until it approaches in size to the real body.
This end of the wire must now be hooked and
turned back into the tow ; then by pulling at the
other end, it will be firmly locked (see Fig. 17).
Measure carefully in every direction, binding
on more tow with cotton where wanted,
and if there are any hollows difficult to be
formed a long darning needle may be used
to sew through and through. Continue this
binding on and stitching through till the body is
an exact facsimile of the original. Practically this
takes but a few minutes to do. The only variation
which can be allowed is that the artificial body may
be a shade smaller than the real one, for then it is
easy by means of the stuffing-iron to stuff in more
tow. cut up into small pieces. If, however, it be
only a little larger the result will be anything but
pleasing. If the breast be too wide the feathers will
never sit right, and in many birds an ugly parting
will be shown all down the breast, while the wings
will not lie properly. Having done this, two wires,

26 TAXIDERMY.

at least a size larger than the body wire, and about
twice as long as the leg, must be cut. These require
pointing with the file, and are then to be entered in
at the ball of the foot and gradually pushed up. Be
careful how the " knee " joint (really the heel) is
passed ; push it on through the artificial leg already

Fig-. 17. Modelled Body for Bird.

made. Repeat with the other leg. In practice, it
will be found better to leave this artificial leg until
the wire is in, and then wrap the tow round both
wire and bone.

The wings are already tied together at the original
distance, and nothing more is required here. The
head, too, is already stuffed with tow, and the orbits

STUFFING AND MOUNTING BIRDS, 27

with cotton-wool ; but be careful that the cotton-
wool is confined to the orbits, for, though a pointed
wire will readily pass through tow, if only a little
cotton-wool be present the wire will not pass.

Now gently pass some pieces of tow up the neck,
using the feather pliers (Fig. 10, p. 13), making sure
that they rest well against the base of the skull ;
one piece may be forced into the skull and another
into the mouth, so that they form a connection be-
tween the head and neck. The only thing to guard
against here is making the neck too long. In some
positions the artificial neck is almost absent. Take
the artificial body in the hands, and gently force the
pointed wire up the neck and through the skull,
allowing the point to come out of the centre, level
with the middle of the eyes, but rather further back.
Now gradually pull the skin over, using more persua-
sion than force. It may, perhaps, make matters
somewhat easier if the neck wire be bent at right
angles before putting the artificial body into the skin,
and then to straighten it again.

Having placed the body in nicely, the next thing
is bolting the leg wires. To do this, the foot must
be taken in the left hand and lifted up. Then the
wire is taken in the right hand and forced through
the body for some distance, the skin being pushed
downwards out of the way. With the round-nose
pliers (Fig. 3, p. 11) the pointed end is bent at
right angles, and then bent again so that the
point enters the body. A strong, steady pull is
now given to this wire, the body being held firmly
with the left hand, until the whole of the
returning piece is fixed tightly. A reference
to Fig. 17, p. 26, should make this clear.
Now lift up the bird by this leg and see if
all is firm. There should not be the slightest sign
of a shake. Nothing more must be done until this
is quite firm. Now attend to the other leg, and again
test it. Lift up the skin into place again, and pro-

28

TAXIDERMY.

ceed with the finishing. The legs must be bent
downwards and forwards. In many stuffed birds it
will be seen that the legs are too far back. This is
a very great, but a very common, fault. The op-
posite fault, having the legs too far forward, is very
rarely seen, and beginners will do well to aim for it
t first. The body should be closely examined to
ee if any improvements can be made. If any part
is too full, probably pressing with the fingers will

Fig. 18. Method of Sewing Up Bird.

put matters right ; if any parb is not full enough, a
piece of cut tow must be put in, and pushed into
place with the stuffing-iron. Notice these three
points : (a) that the back is nicely sloped ; (6) that
the breast is well filled and rounded ; (c) that be-
tween the legs is narrow.

All being satisfactory, the skin must be sewn up
by an under and over stitch (Fig. 18), drawn tightly
after every two or three stitches. Take care that
feathers are not caught in. Now the eyes (see p. 36)
can.be put in, though perhaps it is preferable to do
this directly the head is stuffed. Others finish the

STUFFING AND MOUNTING BIRDS.

29

body without the eyes, and put them in when the
bird is dry.

The method of inserting the artificial eye is first
to put a small quantity of putty into the orbit and
then put in the eye, which should not be nearly as
large as the real eye, but just a shade larger than
the iris. Now with a needle gently pull the lid over,
and do not leave it till it is perfectly round.

Fig. 19. Method of Bolting Leg Wire.

also, against leaving them too staring. Dealers in
taxidermists' requisites supply a gross of artificial
eyes, assorted, for a few shillings.

Birds with white or light feathers may be stained
if putty is used in them, so this may be replaced by
pipeclay. Some do not use anything, but this is not
a wise course. Cut off the head wire, leaving a small
piece still projecting from the skull. As one end of
this wire is pointed, it comes in well to support the
tail. Push it through the butt of the tail firmly into

30 TAXIDERMY.

the body so that there will be no fear of its giving
way.

Birds that have wattles will require these fleshy
lobes to be produced artificially, as the wattles will
be found to have shrunk to mere scraps of skin.
They are treated so that the original shape and colour
is restored, by adding an external composition
wax or, better, papier-mache. Apply the wax when
hot with a brush, or the papier-mache with the
fingers and a penknife. Model with awls and the

Fig. 20. Bird Bound with Threads.

knife (failing modelling tools), and then colour.
Wattles vary in colour, but usually are of some bright
tint, such as red, blue, or yellow.

The bird is now ready for fixing to its stand. The
leg wires must go quite through and be firmly bolted
in (see Fig. 19). Of course, if fixed on a temporary
branch or perch, they will not be so bolted, but can
be made sufficiently secure by slightly twisting the
wire. Bend the head downwards and then upwards
to imitate nature, and the bird will look rather more
lifelike. The wings now drop, and they should be

STUFFING AND MOUNTING BIRDS. 31

lifted up into their places and pinned into position
by one or more pins or pointed wires. Now, with
the feather pliers, every feather must very carefully
be coaxed into place, using only a very gentle hand
indeed, though many use a camel-hair mop or brush
to assist in this work, which will require much
patience. After all, probably a few feathers will
persist in rising, and these must be bound down,
and whatever position is given to them when wet will
be retained when dry. Several pins or wires are

Fig. 21. Bird Bound with Threads.

standing part of their distance out of the wings.
Another pin or two should be put into the middle of
the back and another into the breast, and then,
starting from one of these, that on the back for
preference, a piece of cotton or wool is wound in a
zigzag fashion from one to the other, pressing rather
heavier where the feathers rise, and lighter where
all appears right (see Fig. 20). Probably some
regular method of proceeding will be preferred, so
make it a rule to bind down the back first, then the
breast, etc. , or begin at the head and gradually wind
the cotton down the neck and round the body
(see Fig. 21). Tapes or strips of paper may be used

32 TAXIDERMY.

instead of the cotton. No two taxidermists work
exactly the same, and one man rarely binds two
birds alike, because ifc is not always the same feathers
which require this treatment, although the upper
wing-coverts will generally be found the troublesome
ones.

If the tail was not attended to before the bird
was bound, it must now be seen to. A fine ento-
mological pin (see p. 136) may be forced through the
quills of the tail feathers, and the feathers may be
spread or closed upon this pin as desired. A simpler

Fig. 22. Bird Braced and Bound.

and commoner plan is to spread the tail as desired,
and then pin the feathers between slips of thin card.
When dry the paper or card can be removed, and the
feathers will retain their position (see Figs. 20, 21,
and 22). This latter method is largely used upon
the wings, when they are raised or extended, as in
Fig 22. Now cut off the head wire close to the
head, for if left till the bird is dry the feathers will
be permanently ruffled.

Another plan of making a body is sometimes
known as the soft body process. In this case a loop
is formed about two-thirds down the body wire,

STUFFING AND MOUNTING BIRDS.

33

both ends of which are pointed. The longer end is
pushed up into the neck and out of the skull, so
that the other end can enter the body, and then the

Fig. 23. Wiring for Soft Body of Bird.

34 TAXIDERMY.

whole is pulled backwards till the shorter end goes
into the tail, leaving the loop in the middle of the
body, where it lies upon a piece of tow reaching from
the neck to the tail. Two other pointed wires are
pushed up the legs and fastened to the loops of the
body wire by being twisted firmly through it. The
last wire is bent at right angles at each end, the bent
parts going into the broken wing-bones, and thus
the wings are supported. When the wings are tied,
as already described, this last wire is not used. The
body is now stuffed by putting in pieces of tow,
about 2 in. long, and pushing each into its place with
the stuffer. In this way the body is gradually
formed, but the risk of over-stuffing the bird and
the difficulty of giving it true form are so great, that
this method is rarely used now, and only by men
of experience. It is illustrated by Fig 23, where A
is the body wire ; B, wing-bearers ; o, leg and body
wires joined. Sometimes a cork is used on the body
wire (as shown in Fig 24) instead of the loop, and
the other wires are bolted into this. In fact, the
variations in form of the wirework are many, but
they all have this in common that they are fastened
as firmly together as possible, so that any one wire
should be able to support the whole without allowing
any shake. It is possible to carve the body out of
peat and insert this into the skin, but this method
is not desirable, because the bird is sure to look
wooden when done, and there is no possibility of al-
teration. Besides, peat is a dirty thing to work with,
and there is a risk of introducing some injurious in-
sect or larva into the skin, which may sooner or later
destroy it. Because of this risk it is not advisable
to use peat either in stuffing or in the fitting up of
the case.

Now the stuffing of the bird is complete ; but be-
fore it can be put in a case it must be placed some-
where out of the way of dust and insects in order to
dry, which may take a fortnight or more. If put

STUFFING AND MOUNTING BIRDS.

35

in a case before it is thoroughly dry it will slowly
rot. Before the bird is put away, notice should be
taken of the colour of the feet, cere (base of man-
dibles), or round the eyes, for, though in the bird,
now being mounted, touching up is not needed, it
must be remembered that the bright colours of some
birds disappear, and then the colours as the birds

Fig. 24. Cork Foundation for Body of Bird.

dry have to be restored with oil paint. Perhaps it
is better to paint these parts before the colours fade,
as they serve as good guides which prevent mistake.
Best tube colours are used for the purpose, but in
minute quantities, and they should be thinned with
turpentine only, and applied with a small brush
thinly and evenly so as not to hide the scales or
scutellae on the legs ; the colours should not be
glossy, for a glance at a live duck or other bird will

36 TAXIDERMY.

show that the legs are not polished. Five minutes'
study of a live bird will give more instruction than
can possibly be given here ; strive to avoid conven-
tionality in colouring and mounting birds, and aim
at imitating nature. Do not, on any account, copy
stuffed specimens, for such a course is merely to
perpetuate mistakes already committed.

Following are a few points to be observed in the
work of stuffing birds.

As regards eyes, most little birds, up to starlings
or thrushes, are very well suited with black eyes,
but above that size the real iris should be matched
in colour. In buying eyes, it is far better to procure
uncoloured ones, known as flints, as it is a simple
matter to colour them as required. The most useful
sizes are : No. 3, finches ; No. 5, blackbirds ; Nos. 8
and 9, ducks ; No. 9, crows, partridges, and jays ;
No. 11, gulls (small) and pheasants ; Nos. 12 and 13,
owls, geese, and gulls ; Nos. 13 and 14, herons and
hawks ; Nos. 15 and 16, eagles and owls. Fig. 25
shows a few of the eyes that are usually employed
for birds and mammals.

The wire used in the bodies of the birds is gal-
vanised iron generally, and it will be found safer to
err on the side of stoutness, for nothing is more
annoying than to find the bird all shaking and trem-
bling when set up. The body wire is always thinner
than the leg wires. The following may be a rough
guide for a commencement : No. 23, small finches ;
No. 21, large finches ; No. 19, starlings ; Nos. 16 and
17, pigeons ; No. 13, crows ; No. 12, owls, ducks, and
hawks ; No. 10, herons ; Nos. 7 and 8, eagles and
geese.

The positions and attitudes of birds can be learnt
only from nature. It is in most cases worse than
useless to go to taxidermists and copy their work.
Good photographs and pictures by competent artists
should be relied on in preference to the work of a
taxidermist, if it is impossible to see the birds in the

STUFFING AND MOUNTING BIRDS. 37

^ -*.

Fig. 2o. Artificial Eyes.

38 TAXIDERMY.

midst of their natural surroundings. Taxidermists,
other than trained and observant naturalists, should
procure some good standard work on natural history,
and study the illustrations. A caged song-bird, if
carefully studied, will give all necessary information
with respect to small birds, and in the course of
half an hour will present dozens of new attitudes
which have never yet appeared in a case of stuffed
birds. Notice that the legs are not as straight as
drumsticks, but the heels are closer together than
the feet. Five minutes spent in watching a few
ducks will teach more than weeks spent in gazing
into glazed cases. Ducks walk pen-toed, that is,
with the toes turned inward. Their beaks are not
so highly polished as those of some specimens in
show-cases.

A day in the country when snow is on the ground
will give an intelligent person who cares to take
measurements and make drawings of footprints more
object lessons in setting up birds correctly than
years of haphazard work. Footprints on the mud
are nature's guide for the distance and position of
the feet of wading birds.

The following notes are on special subjects that
reasonably may not be supposed to come under the
ordinary notice of individuals.

Hawks seizing their prey have their wings raised ;
tail spread downwards (fanlike) ; body inclined to
the prey ; head and neck also bent towards the
prey ; eyes glaring, and feathers round head raised ;
and claws extended.

Birds when flying have their wings extended ; tail
spread in a line with the body ; claws shut ; and feet
close to the breast.

Woodpeckers are best shown climbing a tree,
with the tail resting upon the bark.

Nightjars generally sit lengthways upon a branch,
and not, as most birds, at right angles to it.

Gulls look most unnatural if their legs are bent

STUFFING AND MOUNTING HIRDS. 39

like those of most other birds. Only a very small
portion of the feathered part should be seen, and
their legs should be quite straight.

When a bird is surprised or alarmed, the wing on
the side from which the alarm has come will be
slightly raised, as will that side of the drooping tail,
and the head will be turned in that direction.

The webs of ducks, gulls, etc., can be kept from
shrivelling by fitting a piece of stiff card, cut to the
exact shape, between each two toes, and then fasten-
ing it to the board by tin tacks or gimp pins.

Birds in flight, as mentioned on p. 38, have their
wings extended. To extend the wings, insert a
pointed wire below the wrist joint (K, Fig. 16, p. 19),
and let it pass along the underside of this bone (really
there are two bones together). Be careful about the
next joint. Now let it pass along the two bones
that were met when skinning the wing ; lift up the
wing at the angle desired, and force the wire into
the body. This will be found sufficient to support
the wing. Several other wires may pass under the
larger feathers into the body if thought necessary,
but these are only temporary, and will afterwards
be removed. The wire to support the bird will be
entered under the wing on one side, pushed right
through the bird and firmly bolted into the body
under the other wing. There are plenty of feathers
here to hide it. Sometimes this supporting wire is
put under the tail.

Frequently birds require cleaning in some part.
Benzoline should be used for this purpose. It should
be applied by means of cotton-wool, frequently
changed, in the same direction as the feathers lie.
When all appears clean, plenty of plaster-of-paris
should be applied, and when this is caked together,
it should be shaken off and more applied. When
all is dry, a few taps should make the feathers spring
up ; if not, arrange them with the feather pliers.
Blood is best removed with water, followed by

40 TAXIDERMY.

benzoline and plaster. The most obstinate cases
will yield to water ; then apply turpentine, next
benzoline, and then plaster. If all is not satisfactory
when quite dry, repeat the cleaning.

To restore the head of a bird to its original white
colour, perhaps years after it was mounted, first
well dust it with feathers and then adopt the method
just explained. Or try the following American plan :
Dissolve a piece of pipeclay the size of a walnut in
rather less than 1 pt. of warm water ; well wash the
bird with a soft flannel dipped in the liquid and well
soaped with Sunlight soap. When clean, wash
again in clean water, and roll in a cloth to dry. Then
hold in front of a fire and beat briskly with a folded
towel. Do not adopt this method with a valuable
skin, but after the washing apply benzoline, then
plaster, and beat with feathers in preference to a
towel. Otherwise, the bird will probably dry rough.

Covering the birds with pure benzoline will kill
all insects, and directly it has evaporated the speci-
mens should be put in a case, where they will last
indefinitely. The benzolines of the oilshops gener-
ally contain paraffin, and this will do more harm than
good. The specimen is then enclosed till dry in a
frame covered with muslin, something like a meat
safe. This allows the air to enter freely, but keeps
away the moths. When dry the specimen should
be cased. A solution in alcohol or methylated spirit
of corrosive sublimate (bichloride of mercury) is
good both for birds and mammals, and poured over
the feathers or fur prevents further attacks of in-
sects. The spirit soon evaporates, leaving the
poison behind, and no insect will touch a specimen
thus treated. To make the solution of corrosive sub-
limate, agitate this in the solvent to form a saturated
solution, and then reduce it by adding more alcohol
until a black feather dipped in and allowed to dry
shows no white deposit upon its filaments. This,
poured over the specimen, will defy the attacks of

STUFFING AND MOUNTING BIRDS. 41

both insects and mildew. But it is too dangerous
to be used on uncased specimens. Turpentine may
be used for animals, and if these are to be uncased,
a good brushing to remove the dust, followed by a
thorough covering with turpentine, once, or at most
twice, a year, will keep them right for many years.
The method of making the corrosive sublimate
solution recommended by Dr. Oliver Davie (an
American) is as follows : To make 2 qt. of the
solution place 1^ oz. of corrosive sublimate in 1 qt.
of alcohol. Allow the mixture to stand for a short
time, and then (as the alcohol does not take up all
the sublimate) pour off the liquid from that which
settles at the bottom. Now add 1 qt. of water to
that which has been poured off, and the solution is
ready for use. The solution may be poured over
sufficient clean white sand in which the bird skin is
buried for from twelve to twenty -four hours. For
skins of animals the solution may be made somewhat
stronger, and applied by pouring, it through an
earthenware teapot. Smaller or larger quantities
can, of course, be made by decreasing or increasing
the ingredients. A black feather, as noted 0:1 p. 40,
may be used for testing the strength of the solu-
tion.

Stuffed birds are not, as a general rule, dyed.
The less the feathers are disturbed, and the less arti-
ficial cleaning that is done, the greater will be the
gloss. The natural gloss of the feathers depends
upon the arrangement of the barbules and plumules
of the feather. During cleaning, it is impossible to
avoid unfastening the small booklets on these
plumules, and thus destroying the natural gloss of
the feather.

Instructions on mounting stuffed birds in cases,
and also on constructing the cases, are given in
Chapter VIII., pp. 149 to 156.

Specimens of apparently animated nature, pre-
served and arranged mainly as ornaments by the art

42 TAXIDERMY.

of the taxidermist, take so many and such varied
forms that it would be almost impossible to
enumerate them, much less to describe them ; of
course, the usual plan is to enclose stuffed birds in
glass cases, but they lend themselves to more than
one form of ornament. One of their most tasteful
applications is in the decoration of screens. All
such screens are more or less useful as well as being
ornamental ; the one most commonly seen is the
hand screen, and this will be described first. The

Fig.' 26. Bird's Wings Spread Out.

birds most suitable for these are gulls, hooded crows,
carrion crows, owls, and hawks.

Procure one of these birds with unbroken wings
if possible and proceed to skin it by an opening on
the back, according to the instructions given in
Chapter I. Having cleaned the bones satisfactorily,
cut off the wings and tail, and fasten them tempor-
arily to a piece of wood or the back of a door by
means of pointed wires, pins, etc. Arrange them so
that they form a symmetrical pattern. Sometimes
their inner parts are made to meet all the way
down, as in Fig. 26. Fine needles or entomological

STUFFING AND MOUNTING BIRDS.

43

pins (see p. 136) passing through the webs may be
used to spread the quill feathers into the form of an
oval, and card braces or binding cotton may sup-
plement these to ensure all the feathers lying down
in their places.

Wiring is not absolutely necessary, though it is
a good plan to use a wire for each wing, entering it
as near the tip as possible, and letting it pass inside
the skin down through the butt. This, besides
giving more rigidity, is of assistance in fastening the
wing to its final block. The tail is also spread in a

Fig. 27. Section of Bird's Head on Screen.

similar manner. The head and breast are now
stuffed either by loose stuffing, or, preferably, by
binding tow round a piece of wire, in which has been
formed a ring, to prevent the wire drawing through.
This is made sufficiently clear by the section (Fig. 27).
The wrapped end, of course, enters the skin, and the
naked end of the wire which projects from the tow
is forced through the skull, which necessitates its
being pointed ; or it may lie in the mouth, as shown
by the dotted line in Fig. 27, when it need not be
pointed. By means of the other end of the wire the
bird is fastened to a flat piece of wood. Bore a hole
in this wood, pass the wire through, and pull it until

44 TAXIDERMY.

the skin rests upon the board. Then bend the wire
and bolt it into the back of the wood to hold the
whole securely. Now pass a knitting needle or
pricker under the feathers resting upon the wood
whilst arranging them in Older. Bend the head side-
ways, if preferred, and, should any feathers rise,
which is rather improbable, bind cotton around
them. The wire projecting from the top of the head
should next be cut off, and the beak closed, after
which the work should be placed away, out of the
dust, to dry. The eyes should be inserted before the
stuffing is done ; for instructions on this and other
points, see the earlier part of this chapter. Some
taxidermists, instead of leaving the breast open,
and merely resting upon the board, stitch it up
after stuffing it, but the final results are not so satis-
factory, as the outside feathers do not spread out
so well to hide the junction of the breast and wings.
While the wings, etc., are drying, procure the
screen handle, which should be turned from a piece
of wood about 10 in. long and f in. square, and
should have its top left square and unturned for from
1 in. to 1^ in. This square piece has a slit cut in it
for its full length to take a flat piece of wood to
which the wings, tail, and head are fastened finally,
and has two holes drilled through it, as shown by
Fig. 28, by means of which to secure the flat piece
or block. The block, about j in. thick, will vary in
length and breadth with the size of the bird, and
may be left rectangular, or, preferably, be cut to an
oval. Fit the handle and block together by glue and
pegs, driven through the two holes drilled for this
purpose. Then finish the handle by staining and
polishing, or enamelling, or gilding, and, when quite
dry and hard, cover it with paper to keep it clean.
Information on the points just mentioned, namely,
the finishing of the woodwork, is hardly within the
scope of this book ; but these subjects are treated
fully in a companion WORK handbook.

STUFFING AND MOUNTING BIRDS,

45

When the wings, etc., are quite set and dry, they
are placed upon the block attached to the handle
and secured to it by glue, wires, tacks, etc. The
wings are fastened first, and attention must be paid
to their position with regard to the handle that is

Fig-. 28. Handle for Bird Screen.

to say, if one forms an angle with the handle the
other must form a similar angle.

Glue the tail, place it upon the wings, and secure
with wires, pins, or tacks, the feathers thus radiating

30.

Diagram of Screen.

round the bottom of the wings. The breast, etc.,
is glued upon these, and the head wire, which is
passed through the block, pulled well home and
bolted securely into the back of the block. Over
the back of the block glue silk, satin, 'or velvet, in
order to hide the wires and to provide a finish ; but

46 TAXIDERMY.

a much better plan is to cut an oval piece of thin
wood or card and upon it place two thicknesses of
cotton- wool. This is then covered with silk, etc.,

Fig. 31. Turned Base for Screen.

the edges of which are pulled over and fixed down.
The block is covered with glue, the prepared back

Fig. 32. Screen with Stuffed Bird.

placed upon it, and an ornamental brass pin as used
in upholstery forced through the silk, wadding, and
board into the block, thus pressing the wadding

STUFFING AND MOUNTING BIRDS. 47

down in the centre and making the padding ap-
parent. In Figs. 29 and 30, A A represent the wings,
B B denote the tail, c the position of the breast, D
the block, E E the padded back, F the fancy brass
pin, and G the handle.

Larger birds, such as herons and large gulls, may
be treated in a similar manner, but, instead of being
fixed to a handle, may be provided at the back with
two wires, by means of which they are hung to the
bars of an unused fire-grate in summer, thus forming
a much more effective grate screen than the common
pictorial card or paper screens.

For a useful as well as an ornamental fire-screen,
the back may be of polished wood, upon which is
fixed a fancy brass ring, to enable it to be moved up
or down a turned and polished upright rod rising
from a turned base (Fig. 31), or from carved legs
(Fig. 32). The latter figure shows the fire-screen
complete.

Other screens are sometimes seen resembling
cases with glass fronts and backs, and filled with
brightly-coloured foreign birds. These may be made
to slide along a rod at each side, and may be fixed
at any height by thumbscrews, or they may have fixed
feet provided with casters. Bamboo does admirably
for these cases, the bright markings of the bamboo
harmonising well with the brilliant colours of the
birds. A handle is usually fixed at the top of the
screens, by which they can be moved as required.

CHAPTER III.

SKINNING AND STUFFING MAMMALS.

HAVING followed the directions given in the previous
chapters on skinning, stuffing, and mounting birds,
slightly more difficult work may be attempted,
namely, the setting up of mammals. The tools for
this purpose are the same as those mentioned on
pp. 9-15 for the treatment of birds. In fact, with
the addition of a larger stuffing-iron (see Figs. 11 and
12, p. 14), made from a broken fencing foil, or from
boxwood, about 18 in. or 2 ft. long, the tools used
in skinning and mounting a humming-bird answer
equally well with a wolf or a larger mammal.

The preservatives recommended for birds (pp.
16 and 17) will also be found quite as applicable to
mammals as large as a cat ; but beyond this, some-
thing of a rather different character may well be
used. The best composition is simply a mixture of
4 parts of powdered burnt alum with 1 part of pow-
dered saltpetre. The experience of years guarantees
this to give complete satisfaction, being thoroughly
effective in its action and harmless to the user.

Many taxidermists still use nothing but powdered
alum (known as " hards "), but alum readily absorbs
moisture and becomes liquid ; therefore, if the speci-
men on which it has been used is placed in a damp
situation, it naturally follows that the alum, owing
to its affinity for water, will soon render the specimen
damp, and thus quickly destroy its beauty.

Ordinary table salt is used, either alone or mixed
with alum, by some foreign taxidermists, especially
Americans. Carbolic acid may be used with good
results, but for all-round excellence nothing can
equal the mixture of burnt alum and saltpetre.

AND STUFFING MAMMALS.

49

Probably the first attempt will be made upon
some small and easily obtained mammal, and for
this reason the squirrel will be taken as an example.
Having the tools well within reach, the first thing
is to take measurements. It is easy to stretch a
fresh skin, during the process of stuffing, out of all
proportion and resemblance, and therefore the

Pig. 33. Measurement of Waterbuck.

measurements must on no account be omitted. It
is not necessary to make the full series of measure-
ments on a squirrel, so, for future reference, the
measurement of a waterbuck (Fig. 33) will be con-
sidered. The measurements are : 1. Head to tail,
made by a tape measure close to the skin. 2. Height
at shoulders, most easily made by a straight rule.
3. Height at back legs, made by a straight rule.

50 TAXIDERMY.

4. Length of neck, from ear to collar, made by tape
measure. 5. Length of body, from chest to rump.
6. Femur to humerus. 7. Femur to rump. 8. Cir-
cumference of neck, near the head. 9. Circum-
ference of neck, near the chest. 10. Circumference
of body near the fore legs. 11. Circumference of
body, near the hind legs. 12. Humerus to humerus,
over the back. 13, 14, 15. Circumference of fore
legs. 16, 17, 18. Circumference of hind legs. The
distance from ear to ear must also be taken.

The circumference of the head should be taken
in several places, also the distance between the fore
legs and between the hind legs. Any particular
curves desired may easily be obtained by bending
thin strips of lead along the mammal before skinning,
and applying these to the outside of the specimen
as the stuffing is progressing.

It will be found a good plan to make a rough
sketch of the animal, and insert these measurements,
placing below any remarks, notes, etc. Then, if
necessary, the skin may be put away and stuffed
accurately years afterwards. Of use, also, in mount-
ing the specimen is a photograph of the animal be-
fore skinning, and, if possible, whilst it was alive ;
this, of course, is not always convenient.

In the case of the squirrel,* it may be sufficient
to measure : 1. From the nose to the tail. 2. Length
of the tail. 3. Circumference of the body.

The skinning now may be commenced. A piece
of paper is spread upon the table, and upon this the
squirrel is placed, belly upwards, with its head to-
wards the skinner. Enter the point of the knife
between the fore legs, and cut in a straight line to
near the vent. The dotted line in Fig. 34 shows the
cut. Be careful when past the ribs that the knife
does not cut through the thin walls of the abdomen,
or the bowels will protrude and cause trouble. Pro-
ceed to separate the skin on each side, and be careful
about pulling for fear of stretching the skin, keeping

SKINNING AND STUFFING MAMMALS. 51

the edge of the knife inclined more to the flesh than
to the skin. Freely use the plaster-of-paris as ad-
vised on p. 18 when skinning birds. There are two

Fig. 34. Squirrel.

modes of procedure, one being to release the hind
legs and tail, to hang the body upon the hook
(Figs. 14 and 15, p. 15), and go in a straight course to
the head, and there sever, returning thence to the
tail ; the other is by releasing the fore legs and

52 TAXIDERMY.

cutting through the neck, to suspend the body from
the shoulder, etc. , and then skin downwards, return-
ing to the neck and skinning to the head, and then
severing. There is little to choose between the
methods. Remember, there must be no pulling, as
when skinning a rabbit for culinary purposes, but
the knife must be used constantly, cutting and scrap-
ing all the time. The legs must be cut at the joints
(see Fig. 34) either by using the point of the knife,
or, far more easily, by the side cutters (Figs. 5 and
6, p. 12).

The tail in most small mammals can be skinned
without cutting the skin by holding one end firmly
and pushing (not pulling) the skin completely off.
In the case of the squirrel, if the thickest part of the
tail be held firmly with the flat pliers (Fig. 7, p. 12),
and the following part be placed in the bellhangers'
pliers (Fig. 8, p. 12), which are closed with just
sufficient firmness to prevent the skin doubling in,
it will be found that when the two tools are separated
with some force the tail will slide quite out to the tip
without turning the skin. The bell-hangers' pliers are
a great convenience here, but not a necessity, as the
fingers and thumb of the right hand will answer in-
stead, while the butt of the tail is held by the other
hand or by the flat-nosed pliers. In the case of the
fox, the butt of the tail is best held by being placed
in a vice, and then, by encircling the next part by the
hollows of a pair of carpenters' nail pincers, a sharp
pull or a series of jerks with these pincers will cause
it to slide. Or the tail may be held between the door
and its jamb instead of the vice, and be made to slide
by holding the next part between the thumb and two
fingers of both hands, and then pulling or jerking.
It is only necessary to see that the skin does not
turn inside out. Still, it is trying to some fingers,
as at times the tail holds firmly and some strength
is required.

It is necessary to free the limbs and head from

SKINNING AND STUFFING MAMMALS, 53

flesh. Starting, then, to skin the skull, very little
progress will be made before two gristly or cartilag-
inous bodies will be met with, one on each side.
These are the ears, and should be freed by cutting
into the flesh towards the bone. By carefully cutting
all round, about J in. more progress is made when
two more stoppages are met with, one on each side
again. These are the eyes, and the greatest care
must be taken now. The cuts must be very minute
and the hand very light. Very soon the skin ap-
pears almost transparent, and the dark eye is seen
beneath. This skin should be carefully cut through,
keeping close to the eye. Now the most difficult
part is reached. The lips, upper and lower, must
be skinned quite to their very edges. This is a
tedious affair, for the cuts must be by hair-breadths
only at a time. This is called " pocketing " the
lips. It may simplify matters to cut through the
cartilage of the nose down to the bone, as then
more freedom is gained in pocketing the lips and
skinning the nose. Much care must be taken, for
the skin of the nose is extremely thin, and is the
worst place possible for a slip to be made. If the
hand holding the skin has the forefinger inside and
against the lips, the cuts can be much better di-
rected. Doubtless, before reaching quite so far,
several small oval-shaped bodies will be met with
on the sides of the upper lip. These are the roots
of the whiskers, and, if the cuts are carelessly made,
and these roots cut through, the whiskers will fall
out and cannot easily be replaced. However,
assuming that the lip has been skinned quite to the
edge, and the cartilage of the nose separated from
the skin, the next thing is to pocket the lower lip.
This is more difficult in a squirrel because the place
is so confined ; but by proceeding slowly, by minute
cuts, and feeling and directing with the finger in-
side the skin, it is quite possible to get quite to the
edge. The result of not separating the cartilage

54 TAXIDERMY.

of the nose from the skin, or only partially doing
so, will be shown by an unsightly shrivelling when
the squirrel dries, instead of the plumpness and
fulness seen in a live squirrel's nose.

The head is now quite skinned and requires
cleaning, but measurements must again be made
before the flesh is removed. Measure the circum-
ference in several places, notice where the swelling
of the cheeks begins, the gradual slope towards the
eyes, and the shape of the cheeks not bulging out
like half apples. Having made a rough sketch and
put in the measurements and anything else noticed,
the flesh should now be all removed. The tongue
and neighbouring flesh is quickly removed in one
piece by a cut along each side of the lower jaw, and
quite close to the bone. If this were a fox's tongue,
or the tongue of an animal to be represented with
open mouth, it might be required for subsequent
operations, such as casting from it, or modelling
from it, etc., and would therefore have to be saved
for a time, probably in salt and water, or by cover-
ing it with plenty of the preservative. On the top
of many skulls is a ridge of bone, on each side of
which is a thick pad of flesh. By starting at this
ridge and keeping close to the bone it is possible to
remove -most of this in one piece. The eyes are
readily removed with the awl or with the brain-
spoon- (Fig. 9, p. 13). Beneath the eye is a bony
ridge, and below this the fleshy pad forming the
cheek. By cutting with the point of the knife along
this ridge quite to the lower jaw and then com-
mencing at the lower edge of the jawbone, most of
the cheek comes away in one piece. Now the top
of the palate must be removed, for between this and
the skull lie the brains. In the squii'rel the knife or
scissors will do this, but in a larger animal a small
saw or a hatchet, or at least a chisel and a mallet,
will be called into play. The brains are now easily
removed, very probably almost unbroken. There

SKINNING AND STUFFING MAMMALS. 55

still remain some small pieces of flesh, which these
cuts have missed, and every bit that is possible
must come away. The cleaner fche skull is the
better the finish will be. Now the fore legs must be
freed from flesh. No difficulty will be met with in
skinning quite down past the wrist until the toes
are seen. Nothing will be gained by going any
farther, but in the case of a dog or fox further work
would be required as described subsequently.
There is but little flesh about the wrist, so nothing
need be done here, but about the two upper bones
(ulna and radius, corresponding to the part of the
human arms between the wrist and elbow) some
masses of flesh will be seen, and these can all be
removed by two or three cuts. Repeat with all the
legs, and now give all, both skin and bone, a dress-
ing with the preservative. Do not neglect the in-
side of the skull nor the tail, using the knitting
needle, a piece of wire, or some similar thing to get
the preservative well down.

The squirrel is now ready for stuffing. Before,
however, describing this process there are several
things necessary to be noticed, which may now be
mentioned.

Most of the carnivora (flesh- eating animals) give
out a rather strong effluvium when their bodies are
disturbed, and for this reason it is always the better
plan to plug up the orifices (throat, nostrils, vent,
etc.) of the animal with cotton-wool before skinning.
This is especially the case with the weasel family
(weasels, stoats, polecats, ferrets, etc.), because
near the root of the tails of the members of this
family are yellowish glands for the secretion of a
most pungent fluid, the disgusting odour of which
will cling to the room for a long while if this simple
precaution be neglected and the knife should hap-
pen to pierce them.

Insectivora (insect- and fruit-eating animals) and
graminivora (grass-eating animals) decompose more

56 TAXIDERMY.

quickly than carnivora, and this is shown by the
skin along the abdomen turning green and the hair
or fur " slipping " or coming away in large quanti-
ties.

When skinning, keep as much as possible of the
flesh and fat upon the body, and as little as possible
upon the skin, or in subsequently removing these
the skin may be stretched ; but guard against cut-
ting the skin.

Males and pouched animals should be opened on
the side of the organ if it is necessary to retain these
characteristics.

As regards the feet of dogs and foxes, it will be
found almost impossible to skin the leg and foot to
the toes from the inside. Therefore, upon reaching
the wrist from the inside a stop must be made, and
the bone cleaned and preserved. Then the skin is
returned to its original position, and a cut made
from the outside, beginning at the back of the wrist
and going across the pad, the inside of which will
be found to be a mass of firm fat. This must all be
cut away, and with a little care the knife can easily
be made to pass almost to the tips of the toes and
upwards to the wrist. Although little flesh may be
removed, this separation must not be omitted nor
done carelessly, or the part neglected will eventu-
ally shrivel. The skin and bones are then well
dressed with preservative, and the removed fat,
etc., are replaced with chopped tow, or with clay or
putty. When neatly sewn up with strong thread,
close inspection should not be able to ascertain that
it has been opened.

Monkeys are difficult subjects, for the hands and
feet must be opened on the undersides, as shown
by dotted lines in Fig. 35. They are then skinned
quite to the tips of their fingers and toes through
these cuts, and all the flesh noticed must be care-
fully removed. Their bodies are best opened along
the back, because most of the hair lies there, and

SKINNING AND STUFFING MAMMALS.

57

also because their front is generally made the show-
piece of the specimen.

Having turned the skin to its normal position, by
returning the legs and head into their skins, the
flesh which has been taken away must be replaced
by tow. Here again many methods are in vogue.
The usual plan is to place putty or clay into the
pockets of the lips, and then with the stuffing-iron
to'force pieces of tow up into the skull, by the sides

Fig. 35. Hand of Monkey.

of the face and into the mouth, modelling this into
shape as well as possible. This method, however
common it may be, must be strongly condemned,
for it is impossible to make a really artistic piece of
work thus. If the modelling appears perfect at one
time, during the subsequent drying a certain amount
of shrinkage must take place, and this, to an observ-
ant naturalist, is at once apparent by the unequal
appearance of the two sides of the face. The
method which can be recommended on all grounds
is to replace the flesh of the head with an unyielding
substance such as plaster of-paris, stuffing the rest

58 TAXIDERMY.

of the body with tow. In the larger animals it is
the practice of the best workmen to form a frame-
work of wood and iron, and on this skeleton to make
a body of tow, wood-wool, etc., then over this body
to place a layer of clay, plaster, pulped paper, or a
mixture of the three, and in this to carefully model
the various superficial muscles. When this model,
or manikin, is complete, the skin is stretched over
and finished by sewing, nailing, etc.

It may be advantageous to return to the squirrel
rather more in detail. An excellent method of
treating the head, large or small, is the following :
In the orbits and the places where large masses of
flesh have been taken away, pieces of tow for small
mammals, or of peat (treated with corrosive sub-
limate to kill insects) carved roughly into shape,
for larger ones, are fixed, being kept in place by
thread, string, or wire. Some tow, in long pieces,
is forced into the hollow of the skull, and made equal
in diameter to the neck. Some more is now wrapped
round this, special attention being paid to the junc-
tion of the head and neck. This artificial neck
serves to hold the head, in the case of the squirrel,
during the next process. Some plaster-of-paris is
now prepared by sprinkling the plaster into water
and stirring into a cream-like mass. With this the
whole head is covered and quickly smoothed into
shape with an ordinary table knife or putty knife.
A sketch of the head was made previously to the
flesh being removed, and upon this various measure-
ments, notes, etc., were recorded. These are ap-
plied to the head now in hand, more plaster being
put on or smoothed away until the whole is an exact
reproduction of the head as it came from the skin.
In a very few minutes the plaster sets, but even
then any alteration may be made, if necessary, by
scraping with a knife, or, in larger cases, by using a
rasp. Some putty is put into the " pockets " of the
lips and round the nose, and then the whole is

SKINNING AND STUFFING MAMMALS. 59

forced into the skin. Two small wires may be
pushed up the nostrils and into the skull, to keep the
nose in position, leaving, of course, enough to with-
draw them by when the squirrel is dry. The putty
may be pushed to the edge of the skin, if out of
place, by putting the knitting needle or stuffing-
iron through the eyelids, and it may again be
modelled into shape by the fingers from the outside.
The great advantage of this method is that, the
plaster being unyielding, shrinkage cannot possibly
take place. And complex though the process ap-
pears in print, it will probably be found, in practice,
to take but five or ten minutes at the outside very
little longer, in fact, than when using tow alone
while satisfaction is assured. The eyes may now
be inserted and fixed upon a bed of putty, or may be
left until later. Guard against leaving the eyes too
staring. It is advisable here to refer to the informa-
tion given on these points with reference to birds
(see Chapter II.).

If it is found very difficult to close the mouth of
the specimen, one, or perhaps two, faults have been
committed. Either the lips have not been pocketed
to their edges, or the putty has not been pressed to
the extreme edge of the lips. The lips must be
skinned quite to their edges, as advised above.
Then the putty can be worked to these edges, and
when the skin, etc., dries and contracts, this putty
will keep the external and internal skins apart. An
extra means of keeping the lips together is to pin
them through. In the case of larger animals the
lips are sometimes sewn together, and the stitches
removed when the specimens are dry.

Before the skull is returned to the skin, and while
the plaster is setting, the six wires can be got ready
four for the limbs, one for the body, and a thin
one for the tail. A list of suitable wires scarcely
can be given, because they will vary very much in-
deed with the age and position of the mammal.

60 TAXIDERMY.

However, an examination of a number of finished
mammals discloses the following :
No. 18 Gauge suitable for weasels.
17 ., ,, ,, squirrels and stoats.

>. 15 ,, ,, ,, ferrets and polecats.

,, 12 & 13 ,, ,, ,, cats and small dogs.

.. 9&10,, ,, ,, foxes and larger

dogs.
> 7&8 ,, ,, ,, still larger dogs and

wolves.

It is much better to err on the side of stoutness, if
at all ; for nothing is worse than to find the specimen

Fig. 36. Bones of Animal's Hind Leg.

wobbling and trembling when finished and set up.
The body wire will be about 12 in. long, the tail wire,
thinner, about the same length, and the leg wires
8 in. or 9 in. long. Point one end of the body and
leg wires and both ends of the tail wire with a file,
giving them triangular or bayonet-shaped points.
Now take the body wire and, at about an inch
from the blunt end, commence to wr*ap pieces of tow
firmly round it to form an artificial body. Continue
this wrapping till the false body is about as long and
rather less in diameter than the real body was-
remember the neck is already formed. Turn up the
blunt end of the wire as advised when making the
body for the bird (Fig. 17, p. 26). Push the pointed

SKINNING AND STUFFING MAMMALS. 61

ends of the leg wires into the soles or pads of the feet,
and let them travel along the back of the bones ;
wrap some tow round bones and wires, binding both
together to represent the flesh. The hind leg has
the most character in it, and requires careful work.
In it the wrapping on the front side of the bone
(tibia) is very thin. Remember that this part corre-
sponds to the part of the human leg from the knee
to the ankle, and that the human " shin " lies close
to the skin. The muscles lie mainly at the back, and
consequently most of the tow must be there. The
thigh is flat inside and rounded outside.

In a larger mammal it will be particularly neces-

Fig. 37. Artificial Hind Leg-

sary to notice the tendon of Achilles the thick
strong cord which, at its lower extremity, is joined
to the calcaneum in other words, the " ham string,"
which rises upwards from " the point of the hock."
This tendon is most easily represented in a large
subject by drilling a hole through the calcaneum
and through this passing a piece of copper wire.
This wire is then wrapped with tow to the diameter
of the original cord, and the free end is fastened to
the tibia. When the skin is returned to its normal
position, a stitch or two through the hollow space
left between the tendon and the bone will draw both
sides of the skin together and give a realistic appear-
ance to this part which mere stuffing cannot give (see
Figs. 36 and 37).

62 TAXIDERMY.

The false body now is placed in the skin, the
pointed end of the wire being forced through the
centre of the skull. Pass the sharp ends of the leg
wires through the artificial body and secure them
exactly as the leg wires of the bird were secured.
Now take the tail wire and force it through the rear
end of the body, letting it come out at the back
against the tail, which may have had a little tow
put in previously. It is an easy matter to pass it
up to the end of the tail and then quite through the
skin. The internal end, which was purposely
pointed, is to be bent downwards into the body, and
will thus hold firmly (see Fig 38). The body has been
made rather thinner than the natural body to enable
tow, cut up in small pieces, to be pushed, by means
of the stuffing-iron, between the body and the skin.
Begin at the chest and make the shoulders and chest
right. Examine the work frequently to see if the
proper shape and curves are obtained. Having bent
the legs, etc., into the required position, and being
satisfied that all is correct here, this part may be
left and the hind quarters attended to. Then the
body is modelled in the same manner, the circumfer-
ence compared with the preliminary measurements,
and finally sewn up by the stitch already described
and illustrated (Fig 18, p. 28).

For stitching anything larger than the squirrel
probably the triangular-pointed glover's needle will
be preferred ; this may be forced through a thick
skin by a " sailmaker's palm," or something similar.

Now obtain a piece of wood or branch and fix
the squirrel in the chosen position by bolting the
wires as illustrated in Fig 19, p. 29. Notice that
the heels of most mammals go closer together than
their toes. If possible, obtain two squirrels, re-
taining one as a copy from which to model
the other. Especially about the mouth, lips,
and nose will this be useful, for more will be
learnt in finishing one in this way than in

SKINNING AND STUFFING MAMMALS. 63

trying a dozen times without a copy to get the
correct expression. These directions will serve
perfectly for any mammal up to the size of a collie
dog or wolf.

Figs 39 and 40 illustrate two other methods of
wiring mammals which are used by those who prefer

Fig. 38. Body for Mammal.

loose stuffing. In Fig 39 the wires are formed on a
similar plan to those given for loose-stuffing a bird
(see pp. 32 to 34). The body and tail wires are in
one, and towards the end of the part intended for the
head a loop is formed. This loop will lie, when in the
skin, at the shoulders, and through it the wires from
the fore legs will pass and be firmly twisted round.
Lower down another loop will be formed to lie in

64 TAXIDERMY.

the neighbourhood of the hips. Through this the
wires from the hind legs will pass and be fastened
by twisting. In Fig. 40 another variation is shown.
Two ordinary bottle corks are obtained and cut to
correspond in length with the width of the shoulders
and hips respectively. They are then fastened to-
gether at the same distance as the hips are from the
shoulders, measuring from the carcase of the squir-
rel. The figure clearly shows how the ends of this
wire are bolted into the corks. All four leg wires

Fig. 39. Wiring for Loose Stuffing of Mammal.

pass completely through the corks, and have the
pointed ends bent back again to make them firm.
Two other wires for the head and tail (both ends of
these require pointing) pass through the corks, and
are also made fast by bolting the ends into the corks.
A reference to the figure will make this plain. This
is certainly an improvement upon Fig. 39, though it
entails much more work. Neither, however, can
compare with the method illustrated by Fig. 38,
either for ease, quickness, or accuracy.

Mammals with open mouths (snarling) have the
lips raised, showing the gums and inside of the lips.

SKINNING AND STUFFING MAMMALS. 65

These will require to be painted (see the notes on p.
35), but the colours must not be made too deep.
The teeth may be cleaned with weak muriatic acid.
The teeth of foxes, dogs, etc., can be bleached by
washing well in warm soda and water, rinsing, and
applying a mixture of 1 oz. of hydrogen peroxide
and twenty to thirty drops of strong ammonia ;
apply this often during a period of ten hours, and
then wash. If required, polish with a wet cloth
dipped in finely powdered pumice-stone, and lastly

Fig. 40. Wiring for Loose Stuffing of Mammal.

with whiting and a little warm soapsuds. Allow to
dry very slowly.

Very little information can be given about the at-
titudes of mammals, but notice that an animal rarely
shows its emotions in its face without a correspond-
ing action of its limbs and body, and, as these actions
vary with different species, it is impossible to give
a general rule ; but much may be learnt by watch-
ing a dog or a cat. When the cat is angry its ears
are almost level with the skin of the head ; its back
is arched as highly as possible ; its hair is slightly
raised, mouth open, showing teeth. Probably one
foot is half raised ready to strike, the other legs being

66 TAXIDERMY.

almost straight, and its tail has a peculiar curve
upwards for about a quarter of its length, the re-
mainder hanging vertically downwards or the tail
is perhaps more commonly seen lashing from side
to side. If a cat is frightened its back and ears may
be as above, but its hair will be standing on end. If
it is pleased its back will be arched, but not so highly
as when angry, its ears will be raised, and the tail
will be upright, and at the same time it may be rub-
bing its head and body in a peculiar manner against
the object it desires to caress. In the dog nearly
every action is different. Wagging the tail is ex-

Fig. 42.

Artificial Eyes.

pressive of joy, while a stiff, erect tail may mean
attention ; but if its hair is on end at the same time
it certainly shows anger. If attacking, every muscle
is drawn tight, its hair is like bristles, tail stiff and
erect, limbs are straight, ears lie down, and the lips
are drawn back well out of reach of its own teeth.
The ears are raised at attention or when challenging.
The above is given simply to show that nature, not
taxidermists, must be used as a guide. In the
last paragraph on p. 36 some points are emphasised
that are equally applicable here.

Fig. 41 shows a veined eye, and Fig. 42 a veined
and cornered eye suitable for the larger mammals.

SKINNING AND STUFFING MAMMALS.

67

Other and smaller eyes are illustrated by Fig. 25,
p. 37.

From the "body of a mole a pretty little purse may
be made. Make a cut along the belly from the front
legs to the hind ones ; then separate the skin along
each side as far as possible. Cut the hind legs from
the body, then the tail, and skin the body up to the
fore legs. Cut these free, and skin up to the tip of
the nose. Separate the whole body by cutting at
the base of the skull. Remove the brain, and clean
all the flesh from the skull and feet. The tail is as
well left alone. Then dress with Browne's preserva-
tive (p. 17), and put some putty round the nose and

Fig. 43. Moleskin Purse.

mouth, and well fill the skull with tow, leaving some
protruding to form a neck ; also put some tow along
the cheeks and in the mouth to replace the flesh and
tongue. Return the skin to its original position, and
properly shape the head by modelling the putty with
the fingers from- the outside. Eyes need not be put
in. Now form a bag of chamois leather to fit inside
the body, and finish as is shown by Fig 43.

68

CHAPTER IV.

ANIMALS' HORNED HEADS : POLISHING AND
MOUNTING HOENS.

ANIMALS' horned heads are among the most favourite
specimens of the taxidermist's art. The possibility
of making a good job of any head depends greatly on
the length of neck skin that has been left.

Gamekeepers and others, who should know
better, when dealing with a deer, frequently slit the
skin up the throat. Then it is impossible to sew up
the skin without showing an ugly line of stitches in
the most prominent part. Another fault is, that
even those who are anxious to send the specimen
correctly leave a long piece of skin attached to the
back of the head only, whereas a little thought might
have convinced them that not only must the neck
skin be long at the back, but the front should be even
longer.

Upon receiving the head, unless it can be taken
in hand at once, it is much safer to place it without
delay in a pail of strong brine. Unless this simple
precaution be taken, it will most likely be found that
the hair will " slide " when the work is begun, and
then it will be impossible to make a satisfactory piece
of work of it.

When about to begin, take out the head, wash
it in clean water to remove the salt, and as it is
presumed that a deer's head is to be mounted, at
the same time with soap and water scrub and
clean the antlers or horns.

The necessary tools and materials are : Knife,
strong scissors, tenon saw, chisel, mallet, awls,
hammer, long screws or French nails, a piece of 1-in.
or Ij-in. deal, putty, tow, thread, eyes, cardboard or
sheet zinc or copper, peat, and plaster-of-paris.

ANIMALS' HORNED HEADS. 69

Commence with pencil and paper. Make a few
rough sketches, and on them place the measm-e-
ments. Notice the shape and size of the nostrils,
the formation of the lips, and the way in which the
eyelids lie when the eye is open. It is mainly, if not
altogether, upon these points that the character of
the animal depends, and it is upon these points that
so many so-called naturalists fail, for a sheep, goat,

44. Back of Horned Head.

or deer, although possessing so many characteristics
in common, has each its own peculiarities, and to
miss these special points and treat them all the same
is to perpetrate some of the glaring mistakes which
have brought on taxidermy the ridicule of those who
are real naturalists.

The head is placed with its back towards the
operator, and cut midway up the back to within 2 in.
of the base of the antlers, and from this point take
two other cuts to the antlers, and cut up the back of

70 TAXIDERMY.

these (see Fig. 44). Some carry this cut up to a point
midway between the antlers, and then make a cross
cut to the antlers, forming in this way a long-
legged T, but this is not nearly so good as the method
indicated in Fig. 44, where the cuts form a Y with a
long leg.

Lifting up one of these pieces of skin, quickly skin
along until stopped by a piece of flesh, which appears
to project outwards from the head this is, of course,
the ear and at once cut well into the flesh so as to
sever the ear quite close to the skull. This leaves a
lot of flesh inside the ear ; but do not mind this, as
it can be attended to later. Repeating this on the
other side, the antlers may be reached, but here
caution is necessary. The skin should be removed
from the antler without leaving a particle of hair
behind. This is one test of a good hand. But this
skin is so intimately attached that it cannot be got
to move very easily, so proceed to work by a kind of
digging action, more difficult to describe than per-
form. However, dig the knife in at the burr of the
antlers and gradually work it round by digging, so
as to separate the hair from the antler. By merely
cutting round with the knife instead of digging, pro-
bably some small pieces of skin and hair will be left
attached.

Rapidly skin along until the eyes are reached,
where great care is required because the eyelids have
to be split, and this is most easily accomplished by
placing the left forefinger inside the eyelid and feel-
ing, as it were, how the edge of the knife is going,
directing it with gentle movements, and making the
cuts of little more than hair breadths. When an
inch has been done a stop must be made at a dark
line, for this is the junction of the internal and ex-
ternal skins, and from this part the eyelashes pro-
ceed. Now the eyelid is like an empty pocket turned
inside out. Cut this loose, close to the eye. The
use of this pocket will be seen shortly.

ANIMALS' HORNED HEADS. 71

Leading from the corner of the eye nearest the
nose will be found a hollow channel running down-
wards towards the nose. This is the lachrymal sinus
or tear channel. Cut well into this, rather than to-
wards the skin, or daylight will certainly be shown,
especially towards the lowest part, and this is not
desired. Before this, however, the inner angle of
the skin of the mouth will be met, but as this is large,
thick, and roomy, no difficulty will be found in split-
ting this from the teeth to the edge of the lips. It
will be found advantageous to cut away a good part
of the return of this skin, namely the " prickly " or
papillated part that lies along the cheek inside the
mouth. Rapidly pass on to the nose, and, as there
is plenty of room, this will not be difficult. It is
quicker and easier to skin if the cartilage of the nose
is cut through. Take care that plenty of the mucous
membrane, or skin inside the nostrils, is left.

The head has now been skinned, and the internal
and external skins of the eyelids, the lips, and the
nostrils have been separated to their tips.

Now the ears must receive attention. They must
be split as near to the tips as possible, but if the
worker goes to the very edge he is likely to cut the
skin, which at the edge is very thin indeed. The
fingers alone can do most of this, the knife being
called into play only to cut through the connecting
strings or fibres as they are found impeding pro-
gress. Thus the ear is turned inside out, and formed
into a large pocket. The cartilage is to be left, but
all the adhering flesh should next be removed. A
few rough sketches and measurements may be made
of the skinned head. Note that the cheeks are not
protruding like hemispheres, but lying nearly flat,
with an almost imperceptible swelling outwards, and
filling up all the space between the jaws, coming
nearly, but not quite, flush with the bony ridge under
the eye (the orbital ridge or process).

There are two ways of proceeding now : 1. To

72 TAXIDERMY.

remove the skin completely from the head by cutting
the skin from the teeth. The skin is then dressed
with a preservative of some kind, or plunged into
brine while the skull is next operated upon. This
method has many advantages, and is best in the case
of a large head, where the skull cleaning is likely to
be a long affair, for it can then be boiled and got
beautifully clean and free from flesh and fat, while
the skin is being penetrated by the preservative.
But the subsequent arrangement of the mouth is
perhaps not quite so easy in all respects ; therefore,
for a first trial, the adoption of the second method
is recommended. 2. The second method is to leave
the skin joined to the head.

The skull may be cleaned now. By cutting down-
wards along the orbital process and then keeping
along the flat bone underneath, it is quite possible
to take away the cheek in one huge piece. By cut-
ting down at the centre of the back of the skull and
scraping downwards, as it were, towards the ear,
most likely nearly all the flesh in this part will come
away in a piece. Now attend to the eye. By cut-
ting along the edge of the orbit, the whole of the
eye, fat, etc., can be gently pushed inwards from the
bone, showing how loosely attached they are. Then
with a knife to cut through the connecting nerves,
fibres, etc., and a steel or other lever to force or lift
the whole upwards, the whole contents of the orbit
may be brought away in a piece. By turning the
head so that the lower jaw is uppermost, and cutting
along the inside of the jaw, grazing the bone all
along, the tongue and most of the adhering flesh
will come away in a piece. Thus most of the flesh,
etc., has been cleared from the skull in seven
large pieces, viz., two cheeks, two eyes, two round
the ears, and the tongue. With the saw make two
sloping cuts into the floor of the skull, letting the
cuts enter as near the sides as the jaws will allow,
and the termination of the triangular prism thus

ANIMALS' HORNED HEADS.

73

formed will be in the hole at the back through which
the spinal cord proceeds. With the chisel, cut down
through the palate between the eyes, and the whole
of the bone will come away in a piece, leaving ex-
posed the base of the brain. With a little care, it
is easy to separate the skin surrounding the brain
from that lining the inside of the skull, for the two
are quite distinct, and then the brain will come away
unbroken. This is far less messy and disgusting
than using a brain spoon and bringing away the
brain in small quantities.

Look over the whole, removing any piece of

Fig. 45. Fig. 46.

Turned Wood for Ear Block.

flesh which has been omitted ; some will be found
round the articulations of the jaws. The thick skin
inside the skull should come away ; the interior of
the nose should also be cleaned and scraped ; part
of the papillated mucous membrane lying along the
molar teeth may well be removed now, if not done
previously.

Remove any bits of flesh, skin, etc., adhering to
the skin ; in fact, in order to model a head properly,
it is necessary to thin the skin all over. The whole
of the skin must be preserved, and for this purpose
there is no better preparation than Browne's pre-
servative, made by mixing together 1 part of salt-
petre and 4 parts of burnt alum. This must be well

74

TAXIDERMY.

rubbed on in every part of the skin ; the hair will
slide at any part that is missed. This mixture is
very much quicker in its action, as well as more
thorough, when made into a paste with water. Well
cover every particle of the inside of the skin, being
careful not to omit the eyes and ears. Well dress the

Fig. 47. Skull with Centre Board for Modelled Neck.

bone and leave it for a time, twenty-four hours if
possible, for the preservative to penetrate. During
this time it will be advisable to procure a turned
piece of wood shaped like Fig. 45. This, when sawn
down the centre, will give two pieces of the shape
of Fig. 46. On these pieces the ears are blocked,
and down the centre of the flat surface of each about

ANIMALS' HORNED HEADS.

75

half a dozen or more tacks may be driven in to sup-
port the threads used in binding the ear to the block.
Procure also some putty and a piece of cardboard.
Out of the cardboard cut a piece of the same shape
and size as the cartilage of the ear. Many use thin
sheet zinc or copper for this purpose.

Fig 1 . 48. Skull with Centre Board for Loose Xeck.

The second part of the work, namely modelling,
may be begun now. First cut a piece of l^-in. deal
upon which to fix the skull. The length of this will
depend upon the length of the neck skin attached
to the head, and this should have been determined
before the work began. By referring to Figs. 47
and 48 it will be seen that there are two shapes of
these supports or centre boards. Whichever form

76 TAXIDERMY.

is used, the skull must be firmly fixed to this support
by long screws or French nails passing through holes
previously drilled in the skull. These nails will be
seen partly driven in in Figs 47 and 48. Keep the
jaws fixed rigidly together by means of copper wire.
Having fixed the skull firmly, proceed to replace
the larger masses of flesh by pieces of peat, roughly
cut to shape, which may be attached by nails, wire,
twine, etc. Peat is not absolutely necessary ;
paper, crumpled up and well rammed together, or
tow rolled up into balls, may be used. Whatever material
is used, it must be securely attached. One large

Fig. 49. Neck Board for Horned Head.

piece will replace the tongue, two others will form
the cheeks, two others will partially fill the orbits,
etc. Leaving this for a time, mix some plaster-of-
paris by sprinkling the plaster into the water
and stirring until a rather thick cream is formed.
With this the whole head is quickly covered
wherever any flesh has been removed, gently but
quickly modelling it into shape with a flat knife.
Properly done, this will set very quickly indeed, so
that speed is essential ; but it may even then be
brought into shape by the use of a rasp or knife. See
that plenty of plaster goes down into the skull to
help to fix the wood support or centre board.

ANIMALS' HORNED HEADS.

77

If the method shown by Fig. 47, p. 74, were
chosen, the neck board (Fig. 49) would have to be cut
out first ; then the size of this, its length, as well as
the angle at which the head is to hang, should have
been determined by the length of the neck skin be-
fore operations were commenced. Attach this neck
board to the centre board by three long screws as

Fig. 50. Plaster Head with Tow Xeck.

shown in Fig. 49, where the dotted lines represent
the position of the centre board.

Now proceed to bind tow, peat, shavings, wood-
wool, or even paper, to form an artificial neck, mak-
ing it full on the sides and gradually tapering, being
careful to form all the depressions or swellings of
the various muscles, not bringing everything to a
dead level of uniform plumpness (see Fig. 50). Many

78 TAXIDERMY,

of the more advanced taxidermists now cover the
whole of the neck with plaster or modelling clay,
giving the final touches with knives, rasps, model-
ling tools, etc., reproducing, as far as possible, every
muscle. This, of course, requires a good knowledge
of anatomy, which the beginner is not likely to
possess ; but good work can be done without this
latter modelling.

Gently work the shapes cut out of cardboard,
zinc, or copper, into the ears. Some flesh was re-
moved from the bases of the ears, and this is re-
placed by putty. Take more putty, and place a layer
inside the pockets of the lips and eyelids, also well
pad the nose with the same. Now draw the skin
over the model, taking care to get the inner angles
of the eyehole correctly upon its proper part of the
orbit, and at once drive in a fine tack or brad, or
steel pin, to keep this in position, for if this is wrong,
everything else will be wrong. Then press the tear
track under the projecting ridge of bone, and drive
in another pin at its deepest and furthest end. Now
get the skin into position round the antlers more
by gentle persuasion than by absolute force. Drive
in one or two steel points through the skin into the
bone close to the burrs, and proceed to sew this up,
using the stitch illustrated by Fig. 18, p. 28. Con-
tinue down one arm of the Y, then leave off here,
and with another piece of thread sew up the skin
round the base of the other antler ; carry the stitches
down the other arm of the Y and tie the two threads
together.

Be sure that the bases of the ears are well filled
with putty, and that the ears stand out at equal
angles.

If the centre board shown by Fig. 48, p. 75, is
used, then the loose method of stuffing for the neck
must be adopted. The neck board, as seen in Fig. 49,
p. 76, is an egg-shaped piece of wood, cut from f-in.
or 1-in. deal. The neck is stuffed by ramming in

ANIMALS' HORNED HEADS. 79

with the stuffing-iron (Figs. 11 and 12, p. 14) some
pieces of tow, stitching downwards a couple of inches
at a time, and making sure as the stuffing proceeds
that the neck is well formed, nicely rounded at the
top, and narrower towards the throat. On arriving at
the neck board, the end of the skin must be forcibly
drawn over and secured with tacks driven in at the
back (Fig. 51). Then temporarily fasten it to a
rough mount in order to hang it, when it is finished,
out of the way to dry.

The lips and nose must be nicely modelled. The

^*&,

Fig. 51. Skin Nailed on Neck Board.

weight of the putty in the pocket of the lower lip
will have a tendency to cause this to droop, and
doubtless too much of the mucous membrane of the
upper lip is shown. The nose, too, is all out of
shape. The notes and sketches taken before the
skinning began now have their value. By stroking
from the forehead downwards to the tip of the nose,
the putty is forced downwards, lengthening the nose.
The upper angles of the nostrils will require pinch-
ing in a little, making this part slightly narrower.
The inside skin of the nose can be put into place with
a penholder, and the lower angles also arranged by
this means.

The rest of the work is difficult to describe } but

8o TAXIDERMY.

is very easy to do. Having got the nose correct,
gently press the upper lip downwards with the fin-
ger, and the putty will go down,making this lip right.
The lower lip requires pressing up from the chin,
when the putty will go upwards, but would not keep
there because of its weight and the contraction of
the skin in drying. Therefore it is usual to keep the
lips in position by stitching them together or by fine
steel points driven into them. The latter method is to
be preferred. Nothing now requires attention but
the eyes. Fill in the orbits with putty,put in the arti-
ficial eye, noticing how the iris is arranged, then

Fig. 52. Fig. 53.

Figs. 52 and 53. Ear. Blocked and Bound.

gently draw over the lids and, with the awl, model
in the depressions above and below the eyes. Now
put an ear block (Fig. 46, p. 73) into each ear and
bind it round with threads, allowing the threads to
rest upon the tacks driven in the flat surfaces
(Figs. 52 and 53), when they cannot become dis-
arranged ; see the finished head, Fig. 54.

Now the head on its temporary shield may be
hung up out of the way to dry, a process which will
take some weeks. During this time may be made the
permanent mount or shield, some suitable designs
for which are shown by Figs. 55 to 61, pp. 82 and 83.

ANIMALS' HORNED HEADS.

81

To make these shields, double a piece of paper, draw
half the shield, and then cut out through both pieces
of the paper. Flatten out the paper, and mark round
on the wood with a pencil. Then cut out with a fine
saw, and, if desired, run a moulding on the edges.
Across the centre of Figs. 56 and 57, p. 82, sections

Fig. 54. Finished Horned Head.

are drawn showing how the edges may be finished.
Oak, beech, walnut, and mahogany are perhaps the
best woods. They must be well finished with plane
and glasspaper and French polished. White woods
stained and varnished should not be used, as they are
apt to look trashy and spoil the appearance of an
otherwise good piece of work. A hardwood shield,

82

TAXIDERMY.

stained black and then polished, looks well behind
a light coloured head. Dull-polished ebony or

Fig. 55. Shield Mount showing 1 position of Neck Board.

ebonised wood is rather too gloomy for ordinary
purposes, though often used.

The finishing touch is given when the head is

Fig. 57.

Shield Mounts.

dry. This consists in colouring the edge of the eye-
lids and the nose. Brunswick black is generally
used ; but a casual examination of an animal's nose
will show that very few are black, and that still

POLISHING AND MOUNTING HORNS.

fewer are all of one hue. In most cases there are
several shades, browns predominating, and these
should be matched as nearly as possible.

Fig. 58.

Shield Mounts.

As all uncased specimens are liable to the attacks
of moths, or rather their larvae, it is advisable, at
least once a year, to take them down, brush them
well to remove the dust, and then cover them with
turpentine. When this has dried they may be re-

Fig'. 60.
Shield Mount.

Fig-. 61.
Oval Mount.

placed, and will well repay the small trouble entailed
by enduring far longer than if neglected.

A pair of stag's antlers may be cleaned and
mounted in the following way.

TAXIDERMY.

Well wash and scrub the antlers with warm water
and soap. Thoroughly dry them with a cloth or
towel, then give another smart rubbing with a per-
fectly dry cloth to remove some of the dulness from
the sharp edges and prominences. Fig. 62 shows
how, by cutting a piece off the back of the antler,
it may be fixed to the mount by means of a screw
passing through a hole previously drilled in the
antler. Fig. 63 shows an artificial forehead of wood,
with short processes upon which the antlers rest,
being fixed from the back by a long screw. Another
method is to drill a large hole lengthways into the
antler from the base, and in this hole to place a

Fig. 63.
Methods of Mounting Stag's Antlers.

dowel (see Fig. 64), by means of which the antler
may be fixed as in Figs. 62 or 63. Designs of suit-
able shields or mounts are shown by Figs. 55 to 61.

Deers' antlers may be mounted to form hat-pegs
in a very simple manner.

Procure a piece of hard wood, oak for preference,
and cut it into a heart-shaped shield. After well
dressing the surface, and either chamfering or
moulding the edges, polish the whole. With an
ordinary tenon saw begin about an inch behind the
antlers and cut the bone in a slanting direction to-
wards the forehead, causing the saw to come out
about 3 in. in front of the antlers. Thus the antlers
attached to the forehead will have been detached
from the rest of the skull, and when the forehead

POLISHING AND MOUNTING HORNS. 85

is placed in position upon the shield, each antler
should be the same distance from the shield. It is
therefore necessary to see that the same amount of
bone is left on each side. Now fasten the antlers
to the shield by driving in a couple of long screws
through the forehead and into the shield. A brass
plate, similar to those used for holding overmantels
and pier-glasses, may be fixed at the back of the
shield by which to support it.

Deers' horns and ox horns are not polished in the
same way. The horns in the two cases are of different
materials, the animals producing them being on this
account placed by naturalists in separate families.
Bullocks' horns are of true horn, and are detachable
from the bony core 011 which they grow as a sort of
hardened skin. Deers' horns are solid throughout,
and grow direct from the skull, to which they are
rooted. The most successful way to clean a pair of
antlers is to wash them well with soap and water
and a scrubbing brush, and then let them dry. The
surface can then be further scrubbed with a hard
clean brush till a gloss appears on the more prom-
inent parts. The tips of the prongs can be scraped
with pieces of newly-broken glass till the whiter part
underneath appears. The appearance thus imparted
is very good if the grade from white at the tip to
dark brown is made gradual by careful scraping.
A further gloss can be given by touching up the tips
and more prominent parts with a thin solution of
bleached shellac dissolved in spirit of wine and ap-
plied with a camel-hair brush. Some varnish the
whole surface of the antlers with shellac solution,
but in the opinion of others this does not look so well
as when parts only are glossy and the general surface
left dull.

Deers' horns and horns of the same nature can
also be polished in the following way. Remove all
the rough outer part with a rasp, followed by
a file. Then well scrape with a knife, steel

86

TAXIDERMY.

scraper, or side of a steel chisel to remove all
file marks. Then glasspaper off with various sizes
of glasspaper, finishing off with the finest. Now
carefully remove any particles of dust, and repeat
this dusting between every two of the subsequent
operations. To polish the horns, apply, by means
of a rag dipped in linseed oil, some of the horn dust
saved during the previous processes, and rub

Fig. 65. Front View of Elephant Tusk Mount.

smartly. Next apply some putty-powder or rotten-
stone by means of a flannel damped in water, and
again use plenty of rubbing. Whiting is next em-
ployed by the aid of a rag damped in vinegar. Fol-
low this with a chamois leather and a little oil, then
with a clean dry leather, and finish off with a sharp
rubbing with the bare palm.

Elephants' tusks are polished in exactly the same
manner as described above for horns. Whiting is

POLISHING AND MOUNTING HORNS.

made into a cream with water, vinegar, or methy-
lated spirit, and applied with a nail-brush. After
briskly rubbing till all surface marks have been re-
moved, it is again rubbed with a brush and water.
It is then dried with a soft cloth and finally rubbed
with a brush having just a drop of oil upon it.
Another method is as follows. Obtain a piece of

I

Fig. 66. Side View of Elephant Tusk Mount.

wood, say 18 in. by 2 in. by \ in., and cover one
side with felt or thick cloth. The other side is to
be covered with chamois, buff, or wash leather.
In fastening these, let the nails enter the ends of
the boards, then there will be no risk of scratching
the work. A razor strop may be taken as a model,
the leather, etc., being fastened near the handle
first, then turned back and fastened by nails enter-

88 TAXIDERMY.

ing the end. The moistened whiting is applied to
the cloth-covered side and rubbed on the tusk
briskly, but no flats should be formed. The work
is then dried with a cloth, and finally polished by
means of dry whiting applied with the leather side
f the board.

Figs. 65 and 66, pp. 86 and 87, show a design for a
mount suitable for a pair of tusks. The shield-shaped
board should be 1 in. thick, of oak, mahogany, or
pitch pine, chamfered at the sides and rounded at
the corners, as in Fig. 65. To this should be fixed
a piece of similar wood, about 3^ in. thick, with
the front and ends moulded as shown in section,
Fig. 66. In the top of this two holes 1^ in. deep
should be drilled to receive the ends of the
tusks. Fix two brass rings with back plates and
screws, as shown in Figs. 65 and 66. The smaller
ends of the tusks pass through these, and are
thereby held in position.

When polishing African horns, steam them for a
few hours, and then with an old razor carefully
scrape them ; or a piece of glass broken off clean will
answer the purpose. Next get some of the finest
glasspaper, and face them up, rubbing always with
the curve of the horn. Follow up with putty -powder
(oxide of tin) and water on a piece of thick cloth or
blanket ; next with putty-powder in a dry state.
With the aid of a polishing lathe, a brilliant polish
may be got with a soft leather buff and fine dry lime.
The mounting of such horns very much depends
upon their size and shape. They may be made into
snuff- and tobacco-boxes by fitting with silver or
electro-plated mounts, having for a base a polished
oak or mahogany stand, furnished with four ball-
shaped feet. Or, as already described, they could
be mounted in pairs on a tablet, and fixed against
the wall as an ornament. And, if not too large, they
could be arranged in the form of a hat- and coat-
stand for the hall.

POLISHING AND MOUNTING HORNS. 89

A ram's horn often is mounted to form the handle
of a walking-stick. To do this wash the horn with
strong soda-water, so as to remove all dirt and
adherent matter. To polish it, scrape the roughness
off with a broken glass or steel scraper, and further
smooth it with the finest glasspaper. Next, colour
by a penny packet of black dye. Or the horn may be
left in boiling hot writing ink till black enough. To
mount the horn on a stick, shape the stick's end with
a knife, rasp, and coarse glasspaper till it fits the
interior of the horn tightly. Then dip it into the dye
or ink ; and, when dry, cover it evenly all over the
shaped end with cycle cement, holding it over a gas
flame or near a fire, and spreading the cement about
iV in. thick. Warm the interior of the horn and
soften the cement till it begins to run ; then insert
the stick and hold it till cold. In half an hour or so
scrape off superfluous cement. Reduce the horn
and stick there to true circular section. A band of
silver or other metal, fastened with three or four
rivets, should hide the joint. Cut a round hole of
the required size in a piece of tinplate ; cut the
tinplate in two, and use one half as a gauge.
Wrap a piece of thin card of the proper width
round the rounded part of the stick, which should,
of course, be as long as the band is to be wide.
Push a pin through where the ends overlap, un-
wrap the band, and shape it with scissors. Then
cut out a piece of brass, silver, or other metal to
the cardboard, and fasten it round the joints with
rivets. The horn can be .polished with whiting
and water.

To polish a pair of ox horns, first remove all
roughness from the horns by means of a spokeshave
or rasp, followed by a scraper, a knife, the side of
a chisel, a wood scraper, etc. Then go over them
with sandpaper or glasspaper, using coarse paper
first, then finer, and the finest last. Pumice powder
should next be used, followed by the dust removed

90 TAXIDERMY.

from the horn ; these can be applied on a rag dipped
in oil. Then apply putty powder in the same way,
followed by whiting moistened with vinegar. Now
use dry cloths, commencing with a coarse one and
finishing with a soft one, or even tissue paper.
Lastly, use the bare palm of the hand. In applying
each of the above-mentioned substances plenty of
" elbow grease " must be used, and the work must be
very carefully dusted between successive stages to
remove any trace of coarse grit. The use of a lathe
with calico mops, etc., if procurable, will save time
and labour and will give a better result.

To remove bone from an ox horn, place the whole
in a moist, warm place a manure heap, if available,
will act splendidly. Bury the horn among the
manure and leave it for a week or so, then take it
out and try if the two parts can be separated. By
fixing the butt of the horn in a vice, more force can
be applied. Failing to separate them, bury them for
another week. Now well wash the horn with water
containing carbolic acid, to remove the rotting
matter and to destroy the smell. Another method
of removing the bone from an ox horn is to drill a
hole in the bone and into it to turn a large coach
bolt or similar screwed piece of iron. This, held in a
vice if necessary, will form a handle to pull at. Leave
the horn out of doors for a few days, or put it into a
copper of hot water, till the core separates. The
parting will be assisted by twisting and shaking the
core by means of the handle. The core will event-
ually come out clean and leave nothing objectionable
behind. These methods are suitable for many kinds
of horns.

The cleaning and polishing of rams' horns, if
these are dirty and have an unpleasant smell about
them, is done after the core has been removed by
one of the methods detailed in the above para-
graph. Then boil the bony core and care-
fully remove all mealiness from it; painting with

POLISHING AND MOUNTING HORNS. 91

carbolic acid will also help to preserve it from de-
cay. The horns proper may then be washed with
hot water and soap and a scrubbing-brush to remove
dirt, and then dried. Crinkled horns such as ranis'
had better not be scraped unless enough patience is
possessed to go over all the ins and outs with a glass
scraper and some fine glasspaper. To give a glossy
appearance it is usual to varnish them with white
shellac dissolved in spirit of wine, \ oz. in 1 gill.
This is applied with a camel-hair brush. Then the
horns can be refixed on the cores with glue.

Buffalo horns are polished by rasping, scraping,
and glasspapering,the polishing being carried onward
with pumice- and rotten-stone until the surface is
smooth and fairly polished ; the horns may require
bl