When a quadruped is killed, and its skin intended for stuffing, the
preparatory steps are to lay the animal on its back and plug up its
nostrils, mouth, and any wounds it may have received, with cotton or
tow, to prevent the blood from disfiguring the skin. The fox will serve
admirably our purpose as an example. Therefore, Reynard being procured,
we need not say how, lay him on his back in the same position as before
recommended, and having first stuffed the mouth with cotton and tied it
up, and measured his neck and body with rule and calipers, and noted
them, 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 it from the body at the last vertebræ, taking care
not to injure the skin. Pull the skin over the heads of the hip-joints,
and now the carcase may be suspended by the hind-quarters, while the
skin is stripped by pulling it gently and cutting towards the
fore-quarters. The fore-legs are separated from the body, as the hind
ones had been, close to the shoulder-bone, and the skin fairly pulled
over the head and close to the nose, when the head is separated from the
body by cutting through the last vertebræ of the neck. Reynard is now
skinned, the head, legs, and tail being all attached to the skin, from
which the carcase is separated.
The flesh is now cut entirely away from the cheek-bones, the eyes
removed, the brains taken out by enlarging the occipital opening behind
the cranium, the whole cleaned and supplied with a coating of arsenical
paste and stuffed with tow or wool to the natural size.
The legs are now successively skinned by pushing out the bones and
inverting the skin over them until the foot-joint is visible; every
portion of flesh and tendons must 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, round the
bone, bringing it to its natural shape, and draw the skin over it again.
Do this to each leg in succession, and the body itself is ready for
stuffing and mounting.
The utmost care will not prevent accidents; the fur and plumage will get
sullied, and before stuffing it is well to examine the skin, for stains
and spots are calculated to deteriorate its 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 skins, whether they are to be put away
in a cabinet or stuffed, should receive a washing of spirits of
turpentine sprinkled on, and gently brushed in the direction of the
feathers or fur. Not to trust too much to memory, it is desirable to
measure and note the proportions of the animal before skinning, first
taking the muzzle to the tail. Afterwards, from the junction of the tail
to the tip. Secondly, from the middle of the shoulder-blade, or scapula,
to the articulation of the femur, or thigh-bone. Thirdly, the animal
being placed on its side, measure 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 shape of the animal. These
measurements will serve as a guide in stuffing, and for the size of the
case and length of the mounting wires. In the process of skinning, it is
important to avoid penetrating to the intestines, or separating any of
the abdominal muscles which lead to the intestines; any such accident
would be very disagreeable, as well as injurious to the skin.
=Stuffing Quadrupeds, etc.= Let us suppose the animal which we intend to
stuff, to be a cat. Wire of such a thickness is chosen as will support
the animal by being introduced under the soles of the feet, and running
it through each of the four legs. A piece of smaller dimensions is then
taken, measuring about two feet, for the purpose of forming what is
termed by stuffers, a tail-bearer. This piece of wire is bent at nearly
a third of its length, into an oval of about six inches in length; the
two ends are twisted together, 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 vertebræ, 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 to dry thoroughly, and then the surface should receive a
coating of the preservative. The sheath of the tail must now be rubbed
inside with the preservative. This is applied with a small quantity of
lint, attached to the end of a wire, long enough to reach the point of
the tail-sheath. The tail-bearer is then inserted into the sheath, and
the oval part of the wire placed within the skin of the belly, and
attached to the longitudinal wire, which is substituted for the vertebræ
or backbone.
Four pieces of wire, about the thickness of a crow-quill, are then
taken, which must be the length of the legs, and another piece a foot or
fifteen inches longer than the body. One end of each of these is
sharpened with a file, in a triangular shape, so that it 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. On the same wire another ring is
formed in a similar manner, consisting of one entire turn, and so
situated as to reach just between the animal’s shoulders. The remaining
part of this wire should be perfectly straight, and triangularly pointed
at the extremity.
Another method of forming the supporting wires, as practiced by M.
Nichols, is to take a central wire, which must be the length of the
head, neck, body and tail of the cat; two other pieces are then taken
and twisted round the center piece, these extremities being left for the
leg wires. After the wires are thus twisted together the central one is
pulled out, and the feet wires of one side are pushed through the legs
of one side from the inside of the skin, and the other two leg pieces
are bent and also forced through the legs, and afterward made straight
by a pair of pincers; the center piece, having been previously sharpened
at one end with a file, is now forced through the forehead and down the
neck, till it enters the center of the twisted leg wires which it
formerly occupied, and pushed forward to the extremity of the tail,
leaving a small piece projecting out of the forehead, after which the
completion of the stuffing is proceeded with.
This mode is unnecessary for the smaller animals, and it should only be
adopted for quadrupeds the size of deer, etc. These wires are, besides,
much more difficult to insert by this than by the other method.
All the wires being adjusted, the operation of stuffing is next
proceeded with. The skin of the cat is now extended on a table; and the
end of the noose seized with the left hand, and again pushed into the
skin, till it reaches the neck, when we receive the bones of the head
into the right 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 is well rubbed over with the preservative, it is
returned into the skin. The inner surface of the neck-skin is now
anointed, and stuffed with chopped flax, taking care not to distend it
too much. Nothing like pressure should be applied, as the fresh skin is
susceptible of much expansion.
Observe that it is always the inner surface which is anointed with the
arsenical soap. Take care that the first ring of the wire, which passes
into the head is in the direction of the shoulders, and the second
corresponding with the pelvis, or somewhat toward the posterior part.
One of the fore-leg wires is then inserted along the back of the bone,
and the point passed out under the highest ball of the 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 tow _slivers_ wrapped around them so as to supply the place
of the muscles which have been removed. To give the natural rise to the
larger muscles, a piece of silver should be cut off the length of the
protuberance required and placed in the part, and the silver wrapped
over it. This gives it a very natural appearance.
The mode of fixing the legs is by passing one of their pieces of wire
into the small ring of the horizontal or middle supporting wire. Pursue
the same plan with the other leg, and then twist the two ends firmly
together by the aid of a pair of flat pincers. For an animal of the size
of a cat, the pieces left for twisting must be from five to six inches
in length. After being twisted, 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 is then anointed, and a thick layer of flax placed
under the middle wire. The shape is now given to the scapula on both
sides, and all the muscles of the shoulders imitated. These will be
elevated or depressed, according to the action intended to be expressed.
The anterior part of the opening is now sewed up, to retain the
stuffing, and to enable us to complete the formation of the shoulders
and junction of the neck. This part of the animal is of great
importance, as regards the perfection of its form, and much of its
beauty will depend upon this being well executed.
If the animal has been recently skinned, the best plan possible is to
imitate, as nearly as possible, the muscles of the carcase, by which
many parts will be noticed which might otherwise have been neglected. As
a rule, COPY NATURE WHENEVER YOU HAVE IT IN YOUR POWER.
It must be observed as a general rule, that the wires for the hind legs
of quadrupeds should always be longer than those of the fore legs.
The next thing is to form the hind legs and thighs, which must be done
as above described for the fore legs; but with this difference, that
they must be wound round with thread, drawn through the stuffing at
intervals, to 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 bent, twisting them to the right and left around the ring;
and, to make them still more secure, they should be wound round with
small brass wire or packthread; the tail-bearer is then attached in the
manner formerly described.
Having completed this part of the iron work, the skin of the thighs is
coated inside with the preservative, and the stuffing completed with
chopped flax or tow. The whole inner parts of the skin which can be
reached are again anointed, and the body stuffing 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 sewed within and without, while
attention is paid to divide the hairs, and not to take any of them in
along with the thread; but should any of them be inadvertently fixed,
they can be picked out easily with a point. When this is completed, the
hair will resume its natural order and completely conceal the seam.
The seam should now be well primed on both sides with the solution of
corrosive sublimate, to prevent the entrance of moths.
The articulations of the legs are then bent, and the animal placed on
its feet, and pressure used at the natural flat places, so as to make
the other parts rise where the muscles are visible.
A board is now prepared, on which to place the cat. But before fixing it
permanently the animal should be set in the attitude in which it is
intended to be preserved, and the operator, having satisfied himself,
then pierces four holes 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 that they may be folded back and
pressed down in them, and not be beyond the level of the back of the
board; wire nails are now driven half in, and their heads bent down on
the wires to prevent them from getting loose or becoming movable.
The stuffer next directs his attention to the position and final
stuffing of the head and neck. The muscles of the face must be imitated
as 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 the
inner materials may be drawn forward by the assistance of instruments,
and also small pieces of wood formed like small knitting meshes.
Our next care is the insertion of the eyes, which must be done while the
eyelids are yet fresh. Some dexterity and skill are required in this
operation, and on it will depend most of the beauty and character of the
head. The seats of the eyes are supplied with a little cement, the eyes
put in their place, and the eyelids properly drawn over the eyeballs;
but if rage 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 with the arsenical soap, must be thrust into
the nostrils so as to completely plug them up to prevent the air from
penetrating, as also the intrusion of moths; and, besides, it has the
effect of preserving the natural shape of the nose after it has dried.
The same precaution should be adopted with the ears, which, in the cat,
require but little attention in setting.
We must again recommend the stuffer to see that he has sufficiently
applied the preservative soap; and the nose, lips, eyes and paws, being
very liable to decay, 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 we are certain of the parts being well
primed with it; and, after all, it will be advisable to give it a single
coating of the solution of corrosive sublimate.
The methods of stuffing, which we have pointed out in the preceding
pages, are applicable to all animals, from a lion down to the smallest
mouse. Animals of a large description require a frame-work suited to
their dimensions; these we will point out in their order. There are also
some animals whose peculiarity of structure requires treatment differing
a little from the ordinary course.
=Apes and Monkeys.= One of the chief difficulties to contend with in
setting up monkeys and apes, is the preservation of their hands and hind
hands, or what we commonly call their feet; because we must not attempt
to deprive these limbs of their flesh, as we never could again supply
its place anything like what 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 quadrupeds generally. The paws of
several will require to be colored with the different varnishes, and,
when dry, slightly polished with fine sand paper to remove the gloss.
The callosities, on the hinder parts of many of them, will also require
to be colored, and treated in the same way as the face.
=Bats.= The wing-membranes of this varied and numerous tribe do not
require either wire or parchment to set them. They are very easily dried
by distension. They are laid on a board of soft wood, the wings extended
and pinned equally at the articulations, and, when dry, they are removed
from the board.
=Hedgehogs.= When it is wished to preserve hedgehogs, rolled into a
ball, which is a very common position with them in a state of nature,
there should be much less stuffing put into them than 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 place the animal on its back in the middle of a large cloth,
and tie the four ends firmly together; suspend it in the air till
thoroughly dry, which finishes the operation.
If hedgehogs are wished with the heads and limbs exposed, the usual
method of mounting is adopted. The skins of mice, moles, etc., having a
very offensive smell, it will be necessary to add a considerable portion
of the tincture of musk to the solution of the corrosive sublimate with
which the skins are imbued. The same applies to badgers, wolverenes,
polecats and skunks, all of which are strong smelling animals.
=Bears.= The structure of the wires requires to be different in these
larger animals from any we have before described.
Procure a bar one inch thick, two inches broad, and as long as to reach
horizontally from the shoulders to the connection of the thighs, or _os
pubis_. A hole is bored four inches distant from one of its ends, from
which a connecting groove must be formed, extending on both sides to the
end of the plank next the hole; 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 a pair
of strong pincers. Pierce some holes obliquely into the groove and
insert some wire nails into them, which must be firmly driven home, and
then bent over the wires to keep them firm. The longest end of the wire
should be at least eighteen inches beyond the bar so as to pass through
the skull of the animal.
The use of this bar, it will be observed, is a substitute for the
central or supporting wires of the body. Two other holes are now 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 wires of the fore
legs; and two similar holes must be made at the other extremity of the
bar for receiving the wires of the hind legs.
Bears always support themselves on the full expansion of their dilated
paws, so that it is necessary to bring the leg-wires out at the claws.
The leg-wires are bent at right angles for 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 made for the reception of smaller wire, by which the leg-wires must
be bound together close to the bar. The foreleg-wires are fixed in the
same manner, which completes the framework.
No other means are used for middle-sized animals, such as the lion,
tiger, leopard, etc. The stuffing is completed as in other quadrupeds.
The walrus, seals, and other amphibious animals of this order, are
treated in the manner of quadrupeds generally, only that leg-wires are
unnecessary, except in the fore-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-feet. They are
the easiest stuffed of all animals, only the skins are very oily; they
should be well rubbed with the arsenical soap, and also with the
preserving powder.
The stuffing of the walrus, and other large animals of this family,
should consist of well dried hay for the interior parts and tow for the
surface next the skin.
=Beaver, etc.= The beaver, muskrat, common rat, and other animals whose
skins have a strong smell. These require to be plentifully supplied with
the preservative. The tail of the 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 arsenical soap to
prevent putrefaction, to which it is very liable. It should also have
repeated washings with oil of turpentine. The back should be round and
short.
=The Porcupine.= In stuffing this animal considerable and varied
expression may be given, both from the attitude and disposition of the
quills. Great attention is therefore required in giving these a proper
set during the process of drying. They will require to be looked at
several times during the first and second day after they have been
stuffed, and any of them that may have fallen out of the position
required, to be adjusted.
=Hares and Rabbits.= A very pretty attitude for the hare or rabbit, is
to have it seated in its form in an upright position, as if alarmed at
the noise of dogs, etc. An oval is formed of wire and attached to the
interior framework, after having passed one end of it through the anus,
which must be passed through a hole in the board on which the animal is
to be fixed. The wires of the hind legs must be forced through the
posterior part of them, and also fixed into holes formed for their
reception in the board.
=Deer, Antelopes, Goats, etc.= These animals should be mounted on the
same principles as recommended for the bears. A different mode must,
however, be adopted in skinning the animals, which the horns render
necessary. It is performed in the ordinary manner until the operator
reaches the neck. After cutting as near the head as possible, another
incision must be made, commencing under the chin, which is continued to
the bottom of the neck, or from eight to ten inches in length. 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 scalpel, and the skull well anointed with arsenical
soap. The muscles which have been cut out are then imitated with chopped
flax or cotton, which may be attached to the bones with cement. When
this is done, the head must be replaced within the skin. The orifice
under the neck must now be sewed up with fine stitches, so that the hair
may spread over them to conceal the seam. The whole other parts of the
mounting is completed as directed for the bear.
=The Dolphin, Porpoise, etc.= The structure of these animals, as well as
of the other species of the first family of this order, differs but
little in general structure.
In skinning these, an incision is made under the chin, and continued to
the extremity of the tail; the skin is then detached right and left with
the scalpel, or a sharp knife. When the skin has been cut back as far as
possible, disengage the vertebræ at the tail, and this will enable the
operator to detach the skin from the back; the vertebræ are now cut
close to the head, and the whole carcase removed.
All this tribe have a thick layer of fat under their skin. In the
operation of skinning it requires considerable dexterity to leave this
fat, or blubber, adhering to the carcase. Practice alone will obviate
this. When this has not been properly managed in the skinning, the only
thing to be done afterwards is to scrape it thoroughly with a knife. The
oil which flows from it during this operation must be soaked up with
bran, or plaster of Paris.
There being no muscular projections in the skin of the porpoise, there
is no use for wires in mounting it. A narrow piece of wood the length of
the body is quite sufficient to keep the skin stretched, and stuffed
either with tow or hay. Some months are necessary to render it perfectly
dry 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 second time with emery and oil. It is rubbed in this way till the
skin has a glossy appearance, when it may be rubbed dry with a woolen
cloth; and to complete the polish, a clean woolen cloth may be applied
with some force to complete the gloss, which is natural to the skin in a
living state.
Where a very glossy appearance is wished, varnishes become necessary,
but some difficulty has been experienced in getting these to remain
attached to the skin in all weathers, because the humidity of rainy
seasons melts gum-arabic when it is used as 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 surface of any body to be varnished should be washed with ox-gall
and water before the varnish is applied, which will, almost to a
certainty, prevent it from cracking and falling off. It must, however,
be thoroughly dried before the varnish is applied.
We may here state, that an animal the size of a fox or a cat, may be
skinned, prepared, and finally set up, in the space of four or five
hours, by a person who has had a little practice in the art of
taxidermy, and that from ten to fifteen minutes are all that will be
required to skin an animal of the size just mentioned.