Transcriber's Note:
Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully aspossible. Some changes have been made. They are listed at the end ofthe text.
HOW TOSTUFF BIRDS AND ANIMALS
HOW TO
STUFF BIRDS AND ANIMALS
A VALUABLE BOOK.
GIVING INSTRUCTION IN
COLLECTING, PREPARING, MOUNTING,
AND
PRESERVING
BIRDS, ANIMALS AND INSECTS
NEW YORK
FRANK TOUSEY, Publisher
24 Union Square
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year1902, by
FRANK TOUSEY,
in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington,D. C.
HOW TO
Stuff Birds and Animals.
CHAPTER I.
SKINNING, PREPARING, AND MOUNTING THE MAMMALIA, ORQUADRUPEDS.
SKINNING.
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 havereceived, with cotton or tow, to prevent the blood from disfiguringthe skin. The fox will serve admirably our purposeas an example. Therefore, Reynard being procured, we neednot say how, lay him on his back in the same position as beforerecommended; and, having first stuffed the mouth withcotton and tied it up, and measured his neck and body withrule and calipers, and noted them, proceed. Make an incisionfrom the last rib nearly to the vent, but not quite up to it.Having done so, proceed to raise the skin all round the incisionas far as the thighs, first skinning one side and thenthe other, using the flat end of the knife in preference to theblade to raise the skin. Having reached the hind legs, separatethe latter at the femur or thigh-bone, close to thebackbone, leaving the legs attached to the skin. Now skinthe head-quarters close up to the tail, and separate from thebody at the last vertebræ, taking care not to injure the skin.Pull the skin over the heads of the hip-joints, and now thecarcass may be suspended by the hind-quarters, while theskin is stripped by pulling it gently and cutting towards thefore-quarters. The fore legs are separated from the body, asthe hind ones had been, close to the shoulder-bone, and theskin pulled fairly over the head and close to the nose, whenthe head is separated from the body by cutting through thelast vertebræ of the neck. Reynard is now skinned, thehead, legs and tail being all attached to the skin, from whichthe carcass is separated.
The flesh is now cut entirely away from the cheek-bones,the eyes removed, the brains taken out by enlarging the occipi[Pg 4]talopening behind the cranium, the whole cleaned and suppliedwith a coating of arsenical paste, and stuffed with towor wool, to the natural size.
The legs are now successively skinned by pushing out thebones and inverting the skin over them until the foot-joint isvisible; every portion of flesh and tendons must be cut away,and the bone cleaned thoroughly, and a coating of arsenicalsoap laid over it as well as the skin. Wrap tow, or cotton,or any other suitable material, round the bone, bringing it toits natural shape, and draw the skin over it again. Do this toeach leg in succession,