skin-making are a flat brush, a duster for cleansing, three or four
pairs of tweezers of varying sizes (see Fig. 8), needles, curved or
straight as preferred, silk thread for sewing, and soft cotton for
winding, and metal forms made of rolled tin or zinc (Fig. 9). Lay the
skin on its back, and push the single bones left on the forearm into
the skin, then fasten them by taking a stitch through the skin near
the base of the wing; then, passing the thread around the bone, tie
it firmly. Now with the same thread, uncut, sew the other bone in a
similar manner, leaving the two connected by a piece of thread which is
about as long as the natural width of the body of the bird, thus the
wings are kept the same distance apart as they were formerly. Now take
a piece of cotton and form it into a rough body as near as possible
in size to the one removed, but having a tapering neck of about the
length of nature. Now grasp this firmly in the tweezers, and place it,
neck foremost, in the skin, taking care that the point of the tweezers
enters the brain cavity of the skull, so that the cotton may fill it,
and projecting downward, form the throat; now allow the tweezers to
open, and slip them out. Open the eyelids, arranging them neatly over
the rounded cotton beneath. See that the bones of the wing lie along
the sides, as they are liable to become pushed forward in putting in
the cotton. This can be remedied by raising the cotton gently. If the
cotton body has been placed in the proper position the neck will be
full, but not over stuffed, and of just the right length to form a
skin that has the appearance and size of a freshly-killed bird lying
on its back with the head straight. The bill should be horizontal with
the bench on which the bird lies, and from which the specimen should
not be raised while at work on it. Now roll the skin over and examine
the back; see that the wing feathers, especially the scapularies, lie
in regular rotation, and that they have not been pushed one above the
other; and the same attention should be given to the tail. Note if
the feathers of the back lie neatly over the scapularies, and these
in turn, should be over the wing-coverts; in short, all should blend
neatly, forming a smoothly rounded back. Now place the skin, back down,
in the form, lifting, by placing the thumb and forefinger on either
side of the shoulders, which is the proper way to handle a small skin,
even when dry. In placing the skin in the form, care should be used
that the cotton does not slip out of the skull, causing the head to
fall down. See if the tip of the wings are of equal length; if not
make them so by drawing one wing downward, and pushing the other up
toward the head, but do not pull them out of place at the shoulders.
Be careful that the wings are placed high enough on the back. This is
easily ascertained, if the closed tips of the primaries lie perfectly
flat on the bottom of the form with their inner edges nearly downward.
Now smooth the feathers with a pair of tweezers, placing the feathers
of the sides that come below the sparrow's wing inside the wing; above
this they will lie outside. Always bear in mind that although a skin
can be made perfectly smooth by an expert in from eight to fifteen
minutes, one who is not accustomed to the work will be obliged to
occupy a much longer time, as a skin cannot be made too smooth. Arrange
all spots and lines on the feathers as they occur in life, especially
about the head or on the back; in fact, too much attention cannot be
given to these details, before and after a skin is placed in the form,
if one wishes to turn out a first-class specimen.
[Illustration: FIG. 9.]
Now bind the skin with soft cotton thread, used on bobbins in the
mills, beginning at the lower portions of the wings, and winding the
thread over the body and under the form, so that the threads lie about
a quarter of an inch apart, ending with the throat. Now arrange all the
feathers which may have become disarranged under the threads, and place
the skin away to dry where there is no draft, for a slight breeze will
be sure to blow some of the feathers out of place. (For the form of a
skin, see Fig. 10.)
[Illustration: FIG. 10.]
Another method of making skins which may be practised to advantage
is as follows: After the skin is ready to place in the form, wrap it
closely in a _very_ thin layer of nice cotton batting, taking care that
the feathers lie perfectly smooth, although these may be partially
arranged through the cotton, which must be thin enough for the feathers
to be seen through it. The skin is then laid aside to dry without
placing in the form.
Skins should not be exposed to too great artificial heat, neither
should they be left to dry during damp weather in a room without
a fire. Small birds, like warblers, will set perfectly hard in
forty-eight hours in a moderate temperature with dry air. Never allow a
skin to freeze.