How to Stuff Birds and Animals

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, proceed. Make an incision from the last rib nearly to the vent, but not quite up to it. Having done so, proceed to raise the skin all round the incision as far as the thighs, first skinning one side and then the other, using the flat end of the knife in preference to the blade to raise the skin. Having reached the hind legs, separate the latter at the femur or thigh-bone, close to the backbone, leaving the legs attached to the skin. Now skin the head-quarters close up to the tail, and separate from the body at the last vertebr?, taking care not to injure the s

en out by enlarging the occipital opening behind the cranium, the whole cleaned and suppl

be cut away, and the bone cleaned thoroughly, and a coating of arsenical soap laid over it as well as the skin. Wrap tow, or cotton, or any other suitable material, roun

s appearance. Grease or blood-spots may be removed by brushing over with oil of turpentine, which is afterwards absorbed by dusting plaster of Paris over. Macgillivray recommends that all

from the upper part of the scapula to the middle of the sternum-that is, to the spot where the two sides meet above, and finally from the socket of the scapula to the socket of the articulation of the femur, or thigh-bone. In addition to these, note, by measurement with caliper compasses, the size of the head, the neck, the tail, and other points which affect the sha

QUADRUP

ogether, so as to leave one of them somewhat longer than the other; the tail is then correctly measured, and the wire is cut to the length of it, besides the oval. The wire is then wrapped round with flax in a spiral form, which must be increased in thickness as it approaches the oval, so as to be nearly equal to the dimensions of the largest vertebr?, or root of the tail. When finished, it should be rubbed thinly over with flour-paste, to preserve its smooth form, which must be allowed

may the more easily penetrate the parts. At the blunt end of the longest piece a ring is formed, large enough to admit of the point of a finger entering it; this is done by bending the wire back on itself a turn and a half, by the assistance of the round pincers

ight hand. The skull is now well rubbed over with the arsenical soap, and all the cavities which the muscles before occupied are filled with chopped tow, flax, or cotton well mixed with preserving powder. The long piece of wire is now passed into the middle of the skull, and after it i

e inner surface which is ano

g.

ing the wires in

e paw. When this is accomplished, the bones of the leg are drawn up within the skin of the body, and the wire fastened to the bones of the arm and fore-arm with strong thread, or small twine. Brass wire, used for piano-forte strings, makes it more secure, and is not liable to rot. These are well anointed, and flax or

they are bound on the under side of the body-wire with strong thread; the two legs are then replaced and put in the form in which we intend to fix them. The skin of the belly and top of the shoulders are then anointed, and a thick layer of flax placed under the middle wire. The shape is now given to the scapul? on both sides, and all the muscles of the shoulders imitated. These will b

as possible, the muscles of the carcass; by which many parts will be noticed which might

he wires for the hind legs of quadrupeds shoul

o prevent it slipping up when returned into the skin of the leg. They are then fixed, by passing the leg wires into a second ring of the center body wire, which is situated at or near the pelvis; the two ends are then ben

g completed with chopped flax. Care must be also paid not to stuff the belly too much, as the skin very easily dilates. The incision in the belly is now closed by bringing the skin together, and then sewing within and without, while attention is paid to di

h sides with the solution of corrosive su

ced on its feet, and pressure used at the natural flat places,

for the admission of the feet wires, which must be drawn through with a pair of pincers till the paws rest firmly on the board. Small grooves are then made for the reception of the pieces of wires which have been drawn through, so tha

s correctly as possible, by stuffing in cotton at the opening of the eyes, as also at the mouth, ears, and nostrils. To aid in this, also,

or fear are to be expressed, a considerable portion of the eyeballs must be exposed. The lips are afterwards disposed in their natural state, and fastened with pins. If the mouth is intended to be open, it will be necessary to support the lips with cotton, which can be removed when they are dry. Two small balls of cotton, firmly pressed together, and well tinctured

cay, must be well imbued with spirits of turpentine. This is applied with a brush, and must be repeated six or eight times, at intervals of some days, until w

smallest Mouse. Animals of a large description require a frame-work suited to their dimensions; these he will point out in their

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t is in nature. The hands must therefore be dried, and then well imbued with turpentine and the solution of corrosive sublimate, repeated eight or ten times at least, at intervals of four or five days. The other parts of the stuffing should be exactly similar to that recommended for quadrupe

A

t them. They are very easily dried by distension. They are laid on a board of soft wood, the wings

GEH

han is usual with quadrupeds, so that they may the more easily bend. No wires are required in this case. The head and feet are drawn close together under the belly; then

a very offensive smell, it will be necessary to add a considerable portion of the tincture of musk to the solution of the corrosive sublim

AR

to be different in these larger anim

e; this groove must be cut out with a hollow chisel deep enough to receive the wire. The wire is then passed through it, one end of which is just long enough to be twisted with the other at the end of the plank. The wire on both sides is now pressed down into the grooves, and twisted firmly together by the aid of

bored into it, the one two, and the other three inches from the end which we first pierced; these are for the reception of the wi

or a length of five inches from the upper end. These are put through the holes in the bar, and when they have passed through they are curved again. Two small gimlet-holes are then ma

ls, such as the Lion, Tiger, Leopard, etc. The

e-feet; the tail, which represents the hind feet, has merely to be dried and kept properly stretched in during this process, which precaution also applies to the fore-f

this family, should consist of well-dried hay for the

ER,

he Beaver should be cut underneath, and all the flesh removed, then stuffed with tow or chopped flax, and afterwards thoroughly dried and well primed with the ars

PORC

tion is therefore required in giving these a proper set during the process of drying. They will require to be looked at several times duri

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f wire and attached to the interior frame-work, after having passed one end of it through the anus, which must be passed through a hole in the board on which the an

ELOPES, G

By this opening, the remainder of the neck is separated from the head; the tongue is cut out, and the occipital orifice enlarged, and the brain extracted thereby. The lips are now cut as near as possible to the jaw-bones, and the operator must continue progressively ascending towards the forehead, and in this manner all the skin will be separated from the head, except at the nose, or point of the muzzle. All the muscles are next removed by the sc

IN, PORPO

e other species of the first family of this o

left with the scalpel, or a sharp knife. When the skin has been cut back as far as possible, disengage the vertebr? at the tail, and th

ber, adhering to the carcass. Practice alone will obviate this. When this has not been properly managed in the skinning, the only thing to be done af

ry and stiff, from its greasy nature. The grease almost always leaves some disagreeable-looking spots on the skin. To remove these, and prevent a recurrence of them, powdered pumice-stone steeped in olive-oil, is rubbed thickly on the skin with a hand-brush. It is then gone over a secon

s a varnish, and when white varnish is applied, both it and the gum-arabic fall off in pieces. To prevent the gum from falling off in this way, by its contracting, the solution should have about an eighth part of ox-gall mixed with it, and the surf

in the space of four or five hours, by a person who has had a little practice in the art of Taxidermy, and