Page:Australian enquiry book of household and general information.djvu/283

 the cavity of the head, holding the skin and feathers away out of danger. Having washed it, dry with cotton wool, piece after piece. Then paint the skull inside and out with the preservative paste, and then stuff the head with cotton wool, putting in small pieces one at a time. Tow is better than cotton wool for stuffing, but in the bush one may not have it handy. Use the forceps for stuffing, or a pair of goffering irons ground down will answer very well. Having filled the head, put a small piece of stuffing in each eye, then paint the skin of the neck with preservative paste, and proceed to draw it back over the skull. This is not at all a simple matter, and requires the greatest gentleness and care. The skin must be worked back, the feathers being kept as smooth as possible, and the beak held tightly with one hand. Once this is done you must proceed to skin the wings, or rather clean them. This is a delicate matter, and it is almost impossible to describe it in writing, there are so many little bones and pieces of flesh to be cleared away, and each one must be done, the bone cleaned and anointed as well as the skin. The leg must be done next, and this is more simple. Very gently turn down the skin and free the bones from all muscles, flesh, &c., paint them and wrap a very tiny portion of stuffing round them and turn up the skin again. Attend to the tail now, and cut away all oil ducts and glands, being careful not to cut the skin. Examine the skin well for any little streaks of fat, and cut them off carefully. Tie the wings into position with pieces of thread. Make a little roll or neck of wool, and with the forceps stuff the neck to the right size; and having well painted the skin of the back and every other part, shape a piece of wool as nearly as you can to the size of the body and insert it, stuffing the corners and the those parts where the wings and legs join the body, and when this is all nicely adjusted sew up the body with a fine needle and thread, being very gentle when drawing the thread tight. Now cross the bird's legs, tie them into position, press the wings into the body the proper position, and fasten a band of paper round the bird just across the breast, or you can place it in a larger band which will cover it entirely, and so keep the feathers clean. This is what bird stuffers call a skin, and is now ready to send to the mounters. Any lady in the bush can learn with a little practice to do all I have here described, and can get her own collection of birds mounted. There is no occasion to get them done at once, or even soon after skinning, as if properly cured they will last for years, and can be mounted at any time. She might try to mount them herself, but it is hardly worth while, as no one can do them as well as a professional. In making a collection of specimens you must label each bird with its name and sex, and for this purpose, unless the male and female are distinguished in any special way, you will have to open the