SKINNING AND PRESERVING MAMMALS.
Plate III Skeleton of Otter
Explanation:
A, skull;
B, lower maxillary (or jaw) at point of articulation with upper;
C, cervical vertebrae (7); D, dorsal Vertebrae;
E, lumbar vertebrae; F, sacral vertebrae;
G, caudal vertebrae;
H pelvic girdle, or "ossa innominata" (ilium, ischium, and pubes
anchylosed);
I, femur; i, patella, or "knee pan";
J, tibia; K, fibula;
1, tarsal, and meta-tarsal bones, and phalanges of digits, of pes or
hind foot;
M, scapula; N, humerus; O, radius; P, ulna;
Q, carpal and meta-carpal bones, and phalanges, of digits, of manes or
fore-foot;
R, dorsal and sternal ribs.
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THE art of setting up quadrupeds in a natural and life-like manner is
of so recent a date that few, if any, of the manuals on taxidermy do
more than glance at it. True, they nearly all give directions, in an
off-hand way, as to the skinning of mammals; but their instructions
are so vague and meagre that, though confessing that the subject is no
easy one to write upon, I yet feel that we may, perhaps, improve, in
point of detail, on what has gone before.
In accordance with my usual custom, I have procured an animal--a fox--to
illustrate my instructions, and, the learner having got out the whole
of the knives (previously figured) and the whetstone, may proceed to
work in the following manner:
Measure the fox, as a preliminary, taking note of his length, breadth,
and fineness of limb; length and thickness of muzzle and side of face;
and, having aided the recollection by the use of the callipers, and
made all necessary notes, lay him on the skinning table, back
downwards, and, separating the fur on the stomach at about two inches
from the root of the tail, gently insert the point of the skinning
knife (keeping the handle well down) under the skin, and continue the
cut to within about ten inches of the chest, between the fore
limbs--that is to say, up to the first rib, which may be felt with the
finger and thumb. If an ordinary-sized fox, this will allow the cut to
be of about the same length, viz, ten inches. Be very careful, in
making this incision, to cut the top skin only, and not that which
retains the bowels.
Having done this, commence to clear away the skin from the flesh on
one side by using the point of the knife in a slanting manner between
skin and flesh. The fox being with its head from you and directly to
your front, the side which you naturally begin on first would be the
one on your left; turn the fox now so that its head comes to your left
hand instead of directly to your front, and skin in the same manner on
the other side, which is now from you. The skin of a fox being very
thin about this part, as indeed, nearly all over its body, you must be
careful while making your cuts to release the skin, not to push the
point of your knife through. As you get along the side of the fox, use
your knife, point downward, cutting edge toward you, on the inner
side, and from you on the outer, with a scraping motion to separate
the skin from the body at the sides.
No doubt, by this time you will be somewhat troubled with a discharge
of blood; if so, use sawdust or silver sand, either of which will not
dirty the skin, but yet affords a good grip. (Plaster is very commonly
used instead of either, but, though a capital absorbent of blood and
grease, I object to it, except in the instances of white or very light
coloured furs.) Silver sand is, I think, the best of all, as sawdust
is apt to get into some furs, and it requires a great deal of pains to
get it out again.
By a little management of the point of the knife, and by undercutting
slightly, you expose the thighs of the hind limbs. The fox lies still
in front of you with its head to your left. Changing your position, go
to the tail, and, seizing the foot nearest to you with your right
hand, and the skin with your left, push and pull at one and the same
time until you expose the knee-joint, or rather--to speak more
correctly--the articulation of the "femur" or thigh bone (i, Plate
III.) with the two smaller bones ("fibula" and "tibia") which form the
shank (K and J).
Let go with your right hand, and by an arrangement of the fingers of
the left--difficult to describe--retain your hold of both the skin and
flesh of the leg, and re-commence skinning with the knife on each side
of the leg until you arrive at the hollow which lies behind, just
above the shank; this exposes daylight between skin and flesh, and
thus you may get your fingers between the two skins, and, finding the
articulation, or joint of the thigh (just mentioned), you push the
point of your knife in, and sever the ligaments, and then return the
loose shank to its skin.
Holding the fingers of your left hand underneath the skin--thumb and
bottom of the palm of the hand opposing--skin out the rest of the
thigh, which brings you just on top of the root of the tail. Turn the
fox in an exactly opposite direction, and repeat the process; you will
before doing this find yourself, perhaps, restrained by the skin of
the ventral orifice, which carefully cut out; this frees the limb
considerably. (I may mention that the animal skinner must not be
afraid of handling his subject; it is not so pleasant nor so delicate
an operation as skinning a bird, and, consequently, does not require
so fine a touch.)
You will now have exposed the tail at its back and front. Now double
up the fox, supporting it with your left hand, and get the whole of
the tail free at the root. Letting it rest on the table again, you
skin as far up the tail as you can go. The two thighs and part of the
back are entirely freed from the skin, but the tail still holds at
about three inches up.
Now get a pair of common pincers, such as are used for pulling nails
out, and place them so that the tail comes between their hollows; push
this against the part still unskinned; hold this firmly down on the
table with the left hand, and pull from the root of the tail with the
right. Very often the tail will not move past this point; in that case
there is nothing left but to cut it off at the root, and place the
latter firmly in a vice (after the animal is skinned out), and taking
both hands to the skin, cross the thumbs and two first fingers, so as
to obtain a good grip and yet prevent the skin of the tail from
turning inside out, and pull with all your might (jerking it at the
same time) until it slides.
Now free the skin from the back, working round to the front. During
this operation the fox must be frequently turned to get round the
sides and back. The knife being held short in the hand and guided near
the tip by the fore-finger considerably facilitates this. Endeavour as
much as possible to keep all the flesh and fat (if any) on the body,
and not on the skin.
Coming up now to the fore limbs you will find the skin hold
considerably between them at the chest. This is the place where an
amateur generally runs his knife through, which, I need hardly say, is
one of the worst places in which this accident could happen. Having
released the chest, skin all away from the back and shoulder; the
fore-arm now appears, showing the articulation of the humerus with the
radius and ulna. Skin all round it until you come to the return of the
fore-arm in precisely the same manner as you have done with the hind
limbs. This point is not so easy to find as is that of the hind legs,
but if you will twist the leg you will at once see the point of
junction, where slip the knife in and cut off as before. Turn the fox,
and treat the other leg in the same manner.
Arrived at the neck, skin all round until you arrive at the base of
the skull; you will then become aware of two cartilaginous bodies
standing up one on each side--these are the ears. Having skinned a
little on top of these, with your finger and thumb raise them slightly
and cut them away from their attachment at their bases.
Having freed both ears carefully, skin on the top of the head and the
side of the face, until, at about two and a half inches from the ear,
and in a line with it, you find the eye, which holds by a thin
membrane at this point; carefully skin on the top until the eyeball
shows through, and very carefully free it from its attachment all
round, except at its lower angle, i.e, that nearest the nose; do the
same with the other. Now skin a little more by the side of the jaw
until you find it firmly held by a return angle of skin; there leave
it attached. Turning the under jaw exactly uppermost, skin along the
bone toward the lip as far as you can get, not, however, entirely
relieving it from the jawbone at the side, but only until a thin blue
membrane appears, which take care not to cut through; this is inside
of the skin which comes between the lower lip and the teeth.
The fox's skin is now held to the body at five points, viz, the lower
corners of each eye, two; at each return of the jaw just underneath,
two more; and at the point of the junction of the two lower jawbones
close to the under lip. Procure a saw and saw the head off, so as to
expose the brain. On reaching the flesh under the jaw, slip the knife
up between on each side of the jaw, which will have the effect of
pulling out the tongue attached to the body; preserve the tongue for
further operations. With a small chopper, or a mallet and chisel, cut
away part of the bone by the palate, between which and the skull bones
the brains are included. This considerably assists the removal of the
brain.
A large quantity of flesh still remains at the top of the head, which
must be cleanly removed, and the eyeballs taken out. You will then
find just underneath the eye a bony ridge, running backward to the
base of the skull. Surrounding this is a pad of flesh, which hides the
attachment of the lower jaw with the upper. By digging underneath with
the point of the knife you remove all this flesh, taking care,
however, not to cut the attachments of the skin close by, which you
previously left, nor the ligaments which hold the upper to the lower
jaw. Both sides being served in the same manner, the skull presents a
tolerably clean appearance.
The ears are now nearest to the operator. (You will recollect they
have been cut off inside). All you can see of them, however, are two
shapeless masses of gristle surrounding a small hole. On the sides of
each--farthest from the head--you must begin cautiously skinning, and
by pushing your left hand through the aperture of the skin of the
body, assist this with your finger and thumb, pushed into the ear from
the outside, until by skilfully working with the knife and left-hand
fingers you turn the inside skin of each ear to its very edge and tip,
until, in fact, each stands up inside the skin, completely reversed.
The next thing which engages your attention is the near fore leg,
which you skin as far as you can go, in this instance to the next
joint, the one above the carpus or wrist joint. Repeat this with all
the limbs, in each case removing all the flesh from the two bones (the
radius and ulna of the fore limbs and the tibia and fibula of the
hind), which together form those parts of the bones you leave in. If
not done previously, now is the time to remove the tail bone. Finally,
rub every part of the skin on its inside, as also all the bones left
in, with the preservative recommended for mammals (No. 9), not
forgetting to push some up the hollow of the brush where the tail bone
has been.
Turn your fox's skin completely inside out, skull, leg bones and all,
until it comes to its normal position. Commence now from the pad of
each foot, and make an incision from near the toes to the point where
you left off. Skin round carefully and as much underneath as possible,
so as to expose all the flesh and sinews, which clear from off the
bone. Be sure to push your knife well round on the top of the bones,
which you may do by feeling with the knife and keeping the pad
uppermost. This is for the purpose of freeing the attachment of skin
around, to prevent ultimate shrivelling.
You may get nearly to the points of the toes in this manner, the only
places it should hold to the bone being the top of the last joint and
at the tips of the toes; the actual pad, which you will find loaded
with a thick fat, must be trimmed as well as possible.
Whilst doing all this take notice of the points of attachment and
shapes of sinews, etc, which you remove, especially those of the hind
legs.
It will be recollected that although we have returned the head,
nothing has been done to the upper lip or nose from the outside.
Accordingly the knife must be slipped the whole way round, beginning
at the nose and keeping as close to the teeth as possible, in fact, on
the very edges of the gums. This is important. Skin away now from the
bone of the upper jaw on each side; having bared this, come back to
the nose, the cartilage of which skin until you arrive at the extreme
tip; in point of fact, skin it entirely out, which is best done by
cutting a portion off inside, and then carefully skinning the little
bit which is left until the extreme tip of the nostrils is arrived at.
This requires great care, as the black skin on the top of the nose is
extremely thin. This is the very worst place in which a cut could be
made; and, although the cutting out of the nose could be done in five
minutes, the tyro will do well if he completes it in half an hour.
This being satisfactorily ended, free the flesh from the bone, except
at the attachment previously left at the corner of the eye. There is
now a smooth and shiny skin between the upper lip and the cut you made
to free it from the gums; this is the inner skin of the lips; the
knife must, therefore, be slipped between this skin and the outer
skin, and it must then be carefully separated the whole of the way
round, to the extreme edge of the upper lip; this requires nice
manipulation and great care. This inner skin now hangs down from the
inner lip, and forms a bag, the uses of which will be seen hereafter.
There still remains the inside of the bone of the nose to be cleaned
out with a pointed knife. The lower lip is now attached only at the
extreme tip; this must be cut away from the gum at that place and the
knife pushed underneath, by the side of the canine teeth, to still
further free the skin.
The skin is now ready for stuffing, when you have thoroughly rubbed
the preservative into the cut of the pads, and around the eyelids,
outside the ears, mouth, nose, and vent, or any damaged parts. If the
skin is allowed to remain for a night as it is, it will be all the
better, as it allows time for the preservative to penetrate. Throw the
tongue into a pickle of tannin and carbolic acid (see chapter IV, No.
15), and there leave it until wanted.
It will no doubt have been observed that I have used several tools not
previously mentioned as necessaries; my reason is that I assume no one
who aspires to become an amateur workman fails to provide himself with
such everyday implements as saw, chisel, chopper, hammer, pincers,
rule, etc, the only tool not in ordinary use being the "callipers,"
which are made of various patterns, and are used to take measurements
of breadths and depths in situations where the foot rule is useless,
such as spherical and cylindrical bodies. The price of a pair of
callipers need not exceed 1s.
When the skin is sufficiently penetrated with the preservative, lay it
on its back ready for stuffing. First take hold of the bone of the
nose and push the skull into the skin, so that it comes through the
orifice of the skin of the body. The back of the skull being now
toward you, proceed to push tow into the cavity whence the brains were
removed, also in the cavity of each orbit, between the articulations
of the jaws at the sides of the face, and the lower jaw--in fact,
everywhere where the flesh has been removed, forming it as well as you
possibly can to the shape which existed previously.
When you have modelled this as well as the nature of the tow will
allow, return the head through the skin to its first position. Next
cut four strong wires of suitable size, one a little stronger than the
others and somewhat longer than the whole of your skin, including
brush. Point this wire at one end and make two loops in it (each
similar to that in Fig. 1); one loop to occur about 4 in. from the
tail, and the other up in the chest, near the junction of the fore
limbs. Spread a sufficient quantity of tow inside the skin to run all
the way along the back and up the neck to join the head. Enter the
point of the wire through the orifice of the skin, push it up the
lower jaw into the hollow part of the skull, and holding the head in
the left hand, calculate so that the wire may come through the skin at
about the centre of the head, about 1.5 in. from, and above each eye.
Bear in mind that the skull being somewhat thick, it is the more
necessary for your wire to have cutting edges, as before explained.
Having pushed the wire through three or four inches, cut off the point
with your large pliers (Fig. 16) to prevent injuring yourself, turning
down the remainder to prevent the wire pulling through again. Push the
other end of the wire right up the brush, to do which you must bend it
back on itself about halfway up, straightening up as you proceed.
Next take four wires, somewhat longer than the legs, and pointed at
each end. Push one of these right up the foot in at the pad, along the
back of the leg, and up into the body, pushing it through its proper
loop on the body wire, and twisting it round and round the same with
your pliers until it is firmly attached. Fill the cut pad with chopped
tow, and nicely sew it up to its normal shape. Do the same with the
three remaining limbs. You should be able now to lift the fox by any
one of the leg wires, and find it support the remainder.
Having by this time determined the shape which the fox shall
assume--that is to say, if standing, running, or springing on its
prey--commence by gradually filling up the neck with suitable pieces
of tow, bending the head and neck as you wish; in point of fact,
shaping as you go on. Next work down the chest, and then fill up the
skin of the limbs with smaller pieces of tow, endeavouring to keep to
the characteristic shapes of the thin and thick parts (various
stuffing irons of different degrees of thickness will have to be used
during the process). Having filled up the fore limbs, bend them to
their required position and go to the hind, disregarding the body for
the present.
The hind limbs have more character in them than the fore, and are, in
consequence, harder to model; be the more careful, therefore, to pay
particular attention to the proper development of these limbs, bending
them into shape during work, and keeping the thighs nice and thin, and
distinct from the body. All the limbs being shaped, model up the
various parts of the body, not getting it like a sack, as is too
frequently the case, but producing those fine flowing lines which are
so necessary to ensure the perfect model of a zoological specimen.
Lift your work up from time to time, noting where inequalities appear.
The fox being now fairly well shaped, sew it up with a three-cornered
skin (or glover's) needle and string. A board is now to be procured,
of the necessary length and thickness, in which holes are to be bored
to receive the leg wires, which are then clenched underneath. This
operation, no doubt, will knock the specimen somewhat out of shape,
which, of course, is easily remedied, and having brought up the limbs
to their proper position, you will now address yourself to the
formation of the head and face.
This latter will possess but little expression, owing to the nose, etc,
being cut out. To remedy this procure a cork, which push into the
cavity whence the cartilage of the nose has been removed, roughly
shaping it, and covering it over with a pad of putty, pushing some
also into the skin of the nostrils at the same time. The inner skin of
the lips is still hanging down as a bag. Fill this up with sufficient
putty to allow for shrinking, sewing it to the outer skin.
The lips may now be adjusted in position by sewing the upper to the
under, if the fox is to be shown with a closed mouth, or by driving in
"needle points" in various positions, if the mouth is to be open,
until these parts set. Fill in the orbits with putty, attending to the
eyebrows, reproducing the various muscles underneath, and insert the
artificial eyes. All that now remains to be done is to push two
pointed wires down the back of the ears, and run them along each edge,
finally pushing them in the skin of the head, where required; the two
loose ends being twisted together at the top keep the ears in
position.
The tongue, if intended to be shown, must be removed from the pickle,
cut on its under side, and skinned completely out to the tips and to
each edge. All the included flesh must then be cut away, and replaced
with putty, the cut sewn up, and it is then ready to be inserted in
the mouth in the required position, when modelled into shape.
The animal being stuffed and mounted to your satisfaction, you must
bear in mind, that although you have perfectly cured the skin--turning
it, in fact, into a species of leather--you have not rendered it proof
against the attacks of insects; it must, therefore, be washed over
with one of the preparations given in Chapter IV.
The preceding method of skinning and stuffing an animal is given, not
because it is the most scientific, but because it is the most
satisfactory to the learner, and is, indeed, the method which obtains
with the majority of taxidermists. Though perfectly efficient as far
as it goes, it yet possesses the disadvantage of allowing a certain
percentage of shrinkage, and that caused solely by the yielding nature
of the tow used to fill out the places where the muscles formerly
rested. To an educated eye this defect is at once recognised by the
uneven contour of the cheeks, superciliary muscles, and various parts
of the limbs, and also by the generally "wooden" appearance of the
specimen.
The system on which I will now give a lesson is far more tedious in
its application, but certain in its effects, being, in fact,
substituting hard for loose stuffing, and differing from the foregoing
in one essential particular, viz, the modelling of the head and limbs
with a medium of an unyielding nature. To illustrate this, we will
take another fox or similar animal. After skinning it, as in the
foregoing lesson, you will, instead of leaving the leg bones in the
skin, cut them completely out down to the claws, which may best be
done by skinning down as far as you can, cutting the bones off at the
last joint, then making an incision above the pads, and slipping the
bones completely out; this allows you to work right down to the last
joint of the phalanges or toes, at which point you cut the bones free.
The head is now to be considered. When it has been cut off as before,
skin down to the eyelids, and instead of leaving them attached at the
lower angles, cut them completely away. Now take the skin off all
round the skull, until the return of the skin of the side of the mouth
is arrived at. Skin well under the jaw to the very tip, and now begin
under-cutting at the sides, coming up to the return angle--keeping,
however, well to the side of the skin. By cautious working you can
skin in between the inner and outer skins until you can touch the tips
of the lower teeth at the point of the jaw with your fingers.
Coming along from here by the side of the lower jaw, you skin by
undercutting almost to the inside of the mouth, taking care not to cut
the thin membrane which holds at the extreme edge. Still working along
the lower jaw, come right up until you can cut out, just under the
eye, the top end of the return. Leaving it attached by a thin membrane
'to the upper jaw, skin downward toward the nose, and, by undercutting
and using great care, completely skin up to the nostril, which sever.
Do precisely the same with the other side. The nostrils being
completely skinned out, the skin holds just below them.
Place the head on the table, standing on the base of its skull, the
ears toward you. Take the nostrils with the finger and thumb of the
left hand, and with the knife (the broad knife will be found most
useful here) very carefully work all round until you arrive at the
extreme tip of the inner skin of the upper jaw, which is now turned
inside out, and actually rests below the under jaw. Your cuts must be
made a hair's breadth at a time to get to the extreme edge. By this
time the severed nostrils will have fallen some little distance
underneath the under jaw. See, now, that the lips, both upper and
lower, as well as the inner angles of the mouth, are skinned inside to
the extreme edge at every point, or all your labour will be thrown
away. This operation is one of the most nice and difficult in the
whole range of skinning operations, and is equally difficult to
describe. Cut out the cartilage of the nose, slip out the tongue, and
generally trim the head in the usual manner, and well rub in the
preservative. If you should find too much of the inner angle left far
up in the mouth it may be cut off.
If the head were returned now it would be seen that the lower edges of
the inside skin of the mouth were the only points of attachment, and
even there only to the edge of the teeth all around them.
The skull bone being now only attached to the subject, literally by
the "skin of its teeth," you have the whole bone exposed to work on.
Fill up the orbits and hollow bone of the nose with any loose pieces
of peat, to give solidity to the next operation, which is, to cut
pieces of peat in an artistic manner to represent the flesh of the
cheeks, the chin, the top of the head, and the cartilage of the nose.
When the whole of these pieces are shaped to their required
measurements, attach them by string or wire to their neighbouring
bones in the manner which occurs to you as being the best. Having well
secured them, go over the whole with plaster of Paris, mixed with
water to the consistence of a stiff paste, merely smoothing it as it
sets, up to the required shape with a broad knife. The plaster will
soon set, and may be further rasped or trimmed into shape. Plaster
alone may be used, but my reason for making a substratum of peat is,
that if the former only is used it renders the head unpleasantly
heavy.
The great advantage which this system has over the former is that, by
the unyielding nature of the medium, nothing can possibly shrink or
shift, and though this plan is, perhaps, more tedious, and certainly
requires more skill in its execution, yet it is, as a matter of
course, far preferable than trusting to tow alone for the formation of
the head.
Finally, place some putty or clay in the ears, nose, and around the
skin of the lips, and pull the mask over the model.
Pad the body, and put in the central body wire as before, also the leg
wires, but in this system you add another, but thinner, wire to come
up the back of each of the fore legs and the front of the hind, not
attaching these wires, however, to any point, but letting them come up
into the body, and merely wrapping them with tow to the large leg
wires in the necessary manner. This second wire partly supplies the
place of the small bone and muscles of each leg, and its natural
appearance is considerably enhanced by the application of putty or
clay to pad parts of the animal's legs and feet. Being of a yielding
nature, until dry, putty or clay may be squeezed and moulded into
proper shape to give character to the various parts. In the return of
the sinews of the legs, make their peculiar, hollow appearance by
stitching through from side to side. Wrinkles of the neck, etc, may be
treated in the same manner. Finish as before directed.
No shrinking can possibly take place in the most important parts;
hence the manifest advantages of this system; but as in practice it
requires some knowledge and experience, I have not ventured to insist
upon it previously, as it is too much to expect a tyro to take it up
until he is thoroughly grounded in the first system. An amateur,
however, who can skin and stuff fairly may try this, and I am positive
that he will succeed, and never again return to the "good old style"
of loose stuffing.
In cases where the animal (especially if small) is merely to be lying
down, three wires will sometimes be found sufficient, namely, one long
and strong body wire (with no loops) and two wires for the legs, one
of which will be run in at the right fore leg and cross the body, and
be pushed down the left hind leg and come out at the sole of the foot,
the other wire then crosses it reversely. The body wire (having no
loops) can be pushed in at the head through a hole previously made
with a bradawl. Ears may be filled in with brown paper, cut to shape,
instead of putty. Pieces of wood, peat, or clips of tin may be cut to
the form of the ears, and used to block them to shape, from the
outside.
A third system is for the smaller horned heads, such as deer, goats,
etc, which are begun somewhat differently, but are afterwards treated
in a similar manner. The usual way in which horned heads are skinned
is to cut them under the throat right up to the jaw, turning the skin
back, and then to skin upward to the horns. This, though perpetrated
by people who ought to know better, is based on entirely false
principles, for a head when finished being hung usually at some
height, you have constantly before your eyes the hideous spectacle of
a chain of stitches (which no art can successfully hide) running up
the throat and under the chin.
The buck's or goat's head, being, perhaps, the most easily obtained, I
will take one as an example. Make an incision exactly on the top of
the head, running from the back of the neck to just behind the horns;
then make two cross cuts up to their seats or "burrs," and, pushing
your knife down at the side of the nearest horn, cut the skin entirely
away, keeping as close to the horn as possible--in fact, shaving its
edge. When you arrive just above the eye, while doing this, you will
find the ear hold back the skin considerably. Skin it as much as
possible on the top, and, putting your finger underneath, cut it out
as usual. Now you can work all round the horn to join the cut at the
back. Do the same with the other horn and side, skinning away round
the neck to the under jaw and sides of the face until you find the
skin of each eyelid holds. Skin this completely off, not leaving it
attached anywhere, as also the skin on the forehead where it holds.
Continue and finish in the same manner as the fox's head.
The skins of the heads of bulls, large stags, tigers, etc, are best
taken completely off the bone, and the inside of the lips, nostrils,
eyelids, etc, afterwards skinned out and well cured; the skull-bone may
then be plunged in a copper full of water and boiled out; this saves
considerable labour, and also gets the skulls nicely cleaned and free
from grease.
The plan of taking the skin entirely off the head will be found of the
utmost advantage to explorers or collectors in foreign countries, as
the skulls may be numbered and a corresponding number scratched on a
tin, or written on a parchment label, which may be tied through the
eyehole of the skin. The skulls being left loose, their skins may be
packed in barrels, and if well rubbed in with my preservative (No. 9),
and looked at occasionally to prevent mildew, they will, after the
lapse of many years, only need relaxing to make perfect specimens. The
usual way of sending horned heads home from abroad is to leave the
skins attached to the skull, and the consequence is, that at the
various points of attachment the skin is improperly cured (often with
the--worse than--useless arsenic), and if they escape the inevitable
knocking about they receive in travelling, and get to England in fair
condition, the hair, when the skin is relaxed, sweats off,
particularly at the very places it should not, around the eyes, lips,
nose, and ears, and the labour of, perhaps, years of anxious
collecting and dangerous hunting is nullified.
Fig. 26--SKULL OF HORNED HEAD, BLOCKED READY FOR MOUNTING.
I will now take a bull's head as our subject, to illustrate the method
of mounting such heads. I will assume that a fair piece of neck is
attached to the head, and having skinned the head completely off the
skull and preserved it, proceed as follows: When the bone is
sufficiently trimmed, should the meat have been cut off, or dry, if
the head has been previously boiled, tie together the upper and the
lower jaws at their points of articulation behind the eye, by the aid
of wire or string; tie also the tip of the lower jaw to the nose in
any manner that allows the teeth to come in their proper position as
in nature.
Attention to this point will give you a guide as to the length of the
model. The jaws being now rigidly fixed, lay the head down for a
while, and getting a piece of inch deal of suitable length, saw it to
the shape shown in Fig. 26, which also shows the method of attachment.
Insert the part marked A inside the head up to the return B; this
being inserted exactly in the middle of the skull, bore two or more
holes through the latter at the forehead, and make fast the bone to
the wood by strong screws. Block on each side of this board and inside
the jaws with pieces of peat nailed on with "French nails"
(Points-de-Paris) or pieces of pointed wire. At the place marked B (A
to B being now hidden) make up with wet plaster of Paris, which, while
filling up, serves also to steady the prop. Fill up the orbits with
any pieces of loose peat, paper, etc. Now carve a large piece of peat
for each side, cut to the shape of the cheeks, and attach them to the
jaw bones in their proper positions with wires driven right through
into the board, fill also the bone of the nose with peat roughly cut
to shape. Cut another piece of peat for the swelling of the under jaw,
and entirely model up with peat the front and sides of the neck.
Next mix some plaster of Paris, and go over the whole of the peat with
it, bringing it up level to the bones, nicely smoothing it over with a
knife, and, as it sets, adding more where required, or shaving it off
if in excess--in short, replacing the flesh, where it has been
removed, with peat and plaster. The front view should now present a
somewhat even appearance; the nice swelling of the cheeks being well
rounded off, as also under the jaws and on the top of the nose, etc.
Now draw the skin nicely over the model, taking care especially to get
the eye holes in their proper places around the orbits. This being a
guide for the truth of that part of the head, drive two wires through
the skin, into the bone above the orbits, to keep it in its place. Sew
the hair in position round the horns. Being now qualified to judge as
to the size of the neck-block, you will cut an oval, or rather
egg-shaped, piece of wood, out of inch stuff, to the required size;
this determines the breadth and length of the neck at the back. The
head-block of Fig 26 being cut off along the dotted line D, it of
course stands to reason that if the neck-board (Fig. 27) is screwed on
to it along its centre, the head, if the board is placed against a
wall, will now look downwards at the angle determined by the cutting
of D.
Having firmly screwed the oval neck-block to the prop, or head-block,
in such a manner that the top of the oval does not come above nor
interfere with the modelling of the back of the head, fill the inside
of the ears with putty, and also make up the back of the head and
neck, with peat and plaster of Paris between the wood and the skull.
Having previously cut the board somewhere near the dotted line E, the
throat and neck will now claim your attention, and will require the
nicest skill to show the various wrinkles, depressions, etc, where they
should occur. Putty or clay as a finish will be found of great service
at this stage.
Fig. 27--Neck-board for skin of head.
Constantly turn the head to the light, to see how you are going on. If
a horned head and heavy, many plans will occur to you for easily
supporting it, such as ropes attached to the horns, and to a beam, etc.
When all the head and back of the neck is adjusted to your
measurements, bring the skin over and around the edge of the oval to
its back, attaching it firmly there with strong tacks.
Nothing has as yet been done to the eyes, lips, or nose. Turn,
therefore, the bags of the skin of the eyelids inside out, and,
filling them with putty or clay, shape them and return. Fill up the
orbits also with putty or clay to receive the eyes, packing up above
and below them to show the various depressions and ridges. Turning the
nose up, fill the nostrils and bag of the lips with putty or clay,
being careful to show up all the wrinkles (the division in the chin,
if one exists), and, in fine, generally modelling and filling out with
putty or clay, of which you will use several pounds if you are working
on a large head.
Sew up the lips, or perhaps a better plan is to enter a skin needle,
charged with strong string, in at the lower lip, and bring the string
around wires driven in at the front and sides of the nose inside,
pulling your string over from side to side, and making a final stitch
in the most convenient situation. Nicely insert the eyes, bringing the
upper lids over, so as not to give too staring an appearance to the
animal, and hang the head up to dry by firmly attaching a very strong
hook of wire to the oval block, or by a small rope tied round the
horns at their base.
Note that the horns of goats, antelopes, etc, and bulls and cows are
set on a bony core, and must come off to prevent an offensive
effluvium. Placing the skull in a hot bed has been recommended,
boiling will sometimes fetch the horns off, but it very often happens
that nothing but time will loosen them. When this occurs wash the
cores and horns with carbolic wash (No. 15).
The student may, if he likes, fill in the eyelids, bags of the upper
and lower lips, and nostrils with putty or clay before drawing the
skin on the head; but in this case he will have to sew the inner to
the upper skins, in addition to which he will find many things occur
in drawing on and shaping the skin to render most of his labour
useless if these parts are modelled first instead of last.
The following system, the fourth, differs from all the preceding in
there being erected a sort of framework on which to mount the skin,
and hence is in use only for large animals. As an illustration let us
take the bear (which was the last large animal I caused to be set up
by this method).
Skin as before, subsequently removing the leg bones and head, and
modelling as in the second system, or working by the first method,
according to your degree of proficiency. To do such an animal as a
bear, however, you should remove all the bones of the legs, and skin
to the toes, as directed in the second system, also removing the
skull, and treating it and the skin of the head as before.
Procure now a piece of deal 2 in. square, and of the length which you
wish your animal to assume when finished, calculating from the centre
of the chest to the tail. In this wood fix a strong iron rod, or wire,
at one end, by boring two holes through it at some distance apart, and
pushing the end of the wire in at one hole, then beating it down and
clenching it through the other.
The bar of wood now represents the backbone, and the wire the neck of
the animal. Point the wire and push it up into the skull, which model
up as before, binding tow round the wire underneath to roughly form a
neck somewhat smaller than you intend it to be when finished. Pull the
skin over this, and adjust it so that you may see the places on the
wooden backbone where the fore and hind limbs will come. Having marked
the position of these, pull back the skin up to the neck, and bore
holes through the wood, at right angles to the other holes made for
the neck wire.
Taking now four rods or wires for the legs, point each at one end, and
screw the other with "nuts" to fit the screws, bend each rod for 7 in.
or more, at a sharp angle, at its screwed end, and push the pointed
end down the fore legs from the inside, so that the points come
through the ball of each foot, and having stuffed and bent the
fore-legs into shape, push the screwed part into, and through, the
corresponding holes in the artificial backbone; screwing on the "nuts"
on the opposite aides, which will of course prevent the rods from
pulling through again.
Finish the stuffing of the neck and chest, and coming along the body
repeat the same process with the hind limbs as with the fore. Greater
steadiness can be attained if required, by using two "nuts" instead of
one to each rod, that is to say, one on each side of the wood, No. 1
being screwed on first, the arm of the rod then pushed through the
hole, and "nut" No. 2 screwed up to its bearing.
For a nearly tail-less animal, such as the bear, it will be sufficient
to drive a strong wire through the stump of the tail from the outside,
to hold in the end of the "backbone," but a long-tailed animal will
require to have the tail-bearer inserted in the wood, in the same
manner as the neck wire, and the artificial tail run up the skin
before the legs are attached.
The extreme stability of the foregoing system is obvious, as the
"backbone" completely supports the weight of the skin and head, while
the leg rods support this in their turn.
Wood of suitable thickness must be used to mount the animal on while
drying, and the leg rods, if too strong to clench through on the under
side, may be screwed and "nuts" attached.
For the very largest animals, such as the elephant, a somewhat
different system would be adopted; a model in parts would be made,
fitted together, and the skin stretched over. A very interesting
account of the method adopted many years ago in the French capital is
here appended:
"The corpse of the elephant having been extended upon the ground
facilitated our taking and writing all its dimensions; the thickness
was taken by a sort of rule, which M. Lassaigne, cabinet maker of the
museum of Paris, invented at the time. This instrument is the rule
used by shoemakers on a large scale. The curves of the back, the
belly, etc, were taken by bars of lead, 0.75 in. thick. This metal, not
having any elasticity, accommodated or bent itself to the curves we
wished to measure and preserved the measurements until wanted. M.
Desmoulins drew the animal on one of the sides of the wall according
to all these measurements, in the workshop where the model was to be
constructed, in its natural size. This done, we proceeded to the
skinning of the elephant, which we were only able to place upon its
back by four corded pulleys fastened to the platform. In this position
we made an incision in the form of a double cross; the middle line
went from the mouth to the anus, the two others were directed from
each left foot to the opposite right foot; the tail and trunk were
opened underneath longitudinally. We scooped out the soles of the feet
within an inch of their edge, that the nails might remain in the skin;
to effect this we were obliged to employ the chisel and mallet. This
operation was very difficult.
After four days' labour of several persons we separated the skin from
the body; it then weighed 576 lb. We extended it on the ground to take
away the cutaneous muscles which adhered to its interior--particularly
to the head. In this state the skin was placed in a large tub; we
spread a considerable quantity of pounded alum in all its folds. We
then boiled some water with such quantities of alum that some pieces
still remained at the bottom of the boiler--that is, more than
saturated the water. This water was poured upon the skin, and we
continued to do so until the skin was covered with it 6 in. deep.
To render the dimensions of the model or shape which was to receive
the skin more exact, we modelled one-half of the skinned head in
plaster, as well as one of the hind and one of the fore legs.
All these measures being taken, Lassaigne constructed a factitious
body in linden wood. The reader would find the detail too long and too
minute if we were to describe the ingenious methods invented by
Lassaigne, either to cut the wood or to preserve the form he had given
to this great mass. But to avoid all prolixity, it will be sufficient
to observe that he composed this wooden elephant in such a manner that
all the parts could be separated. He opened a panel (it is immaterial
on which side of the body) and introduced himself into the interior by
means of this opening, either to diminish the thickness of the wood or
for any other purpose during its construction; the head, the trunk,
all was hollow; so that the body, alarming at first from its supposed
weight, might be easily transported from one place to another.
After taking the alum water from the tub where the skin was placed, we
heated it, and poured it, boiling, on the skin; we left it an hour and
a half in this state, after which we drew the skin out to place it,
quite warm, upon the shape. This was not an easy thing, but it was
rendered still more difficult by our finding the false body a little
too large--the skin would not entirely cover it. There was but one
thing which could be done; we could not diminish the wood without
destroying the proportions; besides, the iron pins, the screws which
fastened the work, would have lost their hold, and we should have run
the risk of overturning the edifice. We then took down the skin,
placed it on trestles, and diminished the thickness of it by the help
of large knives, cutting it away in thick and long shreds from the
whole of the inside. This work occupied five persons for four days. We
weighed these shreds and they amounted to 194 lb. During this
operation the skin had dried, and consequently lost its suppleness. We
put it back into a tub and covered it with soft cold water. The next
day we placed it afresh on the shape, and fixed it with wire nails and
large brads; those which fixed the edge of the skin were driven in
deeply, the others only half way, to accommodate the skin to all the
sinuosities of the model. We drew out a great many of them when the
skin was sufficiently dry.
This paring of the skin answered our purpose in two essential points:
first, by facilitating the means of enveloping the model entirely, the
form of which had not been altered; and, secondly, by ensuring its
speedy desiccation. This last had not been the least alarming, for we
feared that the humidity secreted in the skin might concentrate in
such a manner (notwithstanding we had taken the precaution to give the
wooden model a coat of oil paint) as to occasion mouldiness in the
parts exposed to the air. The alum with which it was saturated soon
crystallised on the interior, which at first gave it a very ugly grey
colour; but we entirely got rid of it by rubbing the surface of the
skin, first with spirits of turpentine, and then with oil of olives."
Some little hints which occurred to me as being useful to the animal
mounter I will now jot down: I have been frequently asked, "Supposing
I get a fat dog, or animal of any kind, to set up, how can I manage
such a subject satisfactorily? If I leave the fat on the skin I am
doing wrong in every way, and if I trim it cleanly off, as it should
be done, I stretch the skin to such an extent that my dog is
completely out of shape, and though formerly a 'pug' he speedily
becomes a 'greyhound.' In fact, I am in a quandary, and do not know
what to do."
My reply is: Try what a hot knife will do passed over the skin, with
sand or sawdust thrown on to absorb the fat as it melts off. Candidly
speaking, however, it is purely a matter of experience to trim fat off
a skin without stretching it to any alarming degree, and in very
fine-skinned animals, if we find them stretch in spite of all care, we
take advantage of wrinkles to sew up here and tuck in there, resorting
even, in extreme cases, to cutting away portions of the skin, notably
in those parts underneath, hidden by the subsequent operation of
mounting.
The skin of the soles of the feet of some animals requires paring
down. The bear is an instance of this. The hands of monkeys also must
be carefully skinned out to the extreme tips of the fingers. These
latter animals are best skinned out from the back, as a great many of
our "relatives" have but little hair on the abdomen to hide the
stitches, added to which their usually upright position tends still
more to show up any defect in sewing.
Peat and straw may sometimes be used with advantage in the bodies of
large animals.
Moles may be very well mounted by being cut across from one hind limb
to the other, just under the tail, skinned out, preserved, and the
skin then filled with sand or dry plaster.
Hedgehogs, if required to be curled up, may be also filled with sand,
then tied up in a cloth, and hung up to dry.
Bats are skinned out from the back or front according to the position
it is required to show them in. A thin piece of wire is doubled; each
end is then pulled out at right angles for a certain distance up its
length, and pushed into the hollows of the bones of the "wings." The
animal is then stuffed with chopped tow, sand, or sawdust, sewn up,
leaving the doubled wire outside; a hole is then made in a board (of
the length and breadth suited to the specimen), through which the wire
passes, and the "wings" are kept in place, until dry, by fine
needle-points, or entomological pins passed through the joints, or by
braces of cardboard. The ears, if long, are best blocked with cork cut
to fit the inside, and then bound round with "wrapping cotton." The
shrivelled ears of these and much larger animals may be got into
proper shape by careful ironing.
Mice, small leverets, or rabbits, will be found very useful, if
roughly stuffed, to place in the mouth or under the feet of birds or
small beasts of prey. These animals, if very young, had better be
placed for an hour or so in benzoline or in one of the hardening
solutions (Nos. 15 or 16). This remark applies with especial force to
animals as yet unborn, which the naturalist will sometimes find during
work, and will wish to preserve. These foetal specimens, however, let
it be remembered, are of the greatest consequence in the study of
embryology, and should always be preserved intact in a fluid medium of
some kind. Sometimes the operator comes across a foetus of some
rarity, which, if not large, can be preserved in a small "preparation"
jar, filled with best rectified spirits of wine, as being not too
expensive for such subjects.