TAXIDERMY WITHOUT A TEACHER COMPRISING A COMPLETE MANUAL OF INSTRUCTION FOR PREPARING AND PRESERVING BIRDS, ANIMALS AND FISHES WITH A CHAPTER ON HUNTING AND HYGIENE; INSTRUCTIONS FOR PRESERVING EGGS AND MAKING SKELETONS AND A NUMBER OF VALUABLE RECEIPTS — CONTENTS. — PREFACE. — FROM THE FIRST EDITION.
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PRACTICAL HELPS IN NATURAL HISTORY
BY THE SAME AUTHOR
INSECTS HOW TO CATCH AND HOW TO PREPARE THEM FOR THE CABINET
Illustrated Price 50 Cents
FIELD BOTANY
A HANDBOOK FOR THE COLLECTOR
Illustrated Price 50 Cents
Taxidermy Without a Teacher COMPRISING A complete Manual of Instruction for Preparing and Preserving BIRDS, ANIMALS AND FISHES
Illustrated Price 50 Cents
Lee and Shepard Publishers Boston
BY
WALTER P. MANTON
Illustrated
SECOND EDITION, REVISED AND ENLARGED
BOSTON
LEE AND SHEPARD PUBLISHERS
NEW YORK CHARLES T. DILLINGHAM
Copyright, 1882, By Lee and Shepard.
All Rights Reserved.
TO
PROFESSOR J. W. P. JENKS, A.M., OF BROWN UNIVERSITY,
This Second Edition
IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED
A—Primary Quills.
B—Secondary Quills.
C—Spurious Wing.
D—Wing Coverts.
E—Tertiary Quills.
F—Throat.
G—Jugulum.
H—Beak—Upper and Lower Mandible.
I—Culmen of Upper Mandible.
J—Cere.
K—Commissure.
L—Frons, or Forehead.
M—Occipital Feathers.
N—Scapular Feathers.
O—Back.
P—Upper Tail Coverts.
Q—Rump.
R—Shows position of Under Tail Coverts.
S—Abdomen.
T—Tarsus.
The success of this little book during the past
six years necessitates a second edition. As a
manual it is not intended to compete with the
larger handbooks on the subject; but the attempt
has been made to furnish the beginner
with reliable instruction for the least money possible.
The present edition has been thoroughly
revised, and many additions made.
As was said in the first edition: "I have employed
the method given for a number of years,
and with great success, and guarantee success to
the learner who fully carries out the directions
embodied herein. I ask the reader to take himself,
in imagination, to my work-shop, and to
proceed as if I were at his elbow, guiding his
hand, and explaining to him the mysteries of this
beautiful art. It is only continuous, untiring labor
that accomplishes anything of real merit in
this life; and the most successful ornithologists
will be found to be the hardest workers.
"Therefore I would caution the beginner against
all impatience and disappointment at unsuccessful
attempts, and urge him to press forward, continually
striving to improve upon past failures,
and soon, to his own astonishment, those things
which at first appeared difficult and awkward,
will become comparatively simple and easy.
Said an old teacher to me: 'I can tell you how
all these things are done, but I cannot enable you
to do them; practice alone will accomplish that.'
"A person with a light and delicate touch will
be most successful in this art; therefore I recommend
it to the special attention of ladies. It is
a continual source of pleasure, and promotive to
the love of the great Nature which moves so
mysteriously around us. It is true that we have
seen those of coarse and vulgar minds and clumsy
fingers, eminently successful; but what is more
revolting to a delicate appreciation, than to see
these bright creatures, so marvellously constructed
by our all-wise Father, tortured into life-like attitudes
by one who acts merely as an automaton,
and has no sympathy with his work otherwise
than to gain a livelihood? It is only the refined
and the lover of nature who can thoroughly enjoy
this art of reproduction. A close observer of
nature, in two short hours spent in the fields
and woods, will see and learn more than the unobserving
and careless person in as many years.
"A careful observation of the habits and attitudes
of the little songsters when free, will be of
great assistance in mounting. A knowledge of
drawing will also be found of service."
Brown University, Providence, R. I.
Mr. Manton,—Having perused your MS.
"Taxidermy Without a Teacher," I feel free
to say, that its suggestions are eminently practical,
and cannot fail to render such aid to the
beginner as he most needs, and indeed must have
from some source, at the outset of his efforts to
acquire the beautiful art of preserving and
mounting specimens in Natural History.
Whatever induces the young or old to turn
their attention to the study of nature, is a gain
to society at large, as substituting truth for fiction,
and leading the mind to the contemplation
of Him whose devising wisdom and sagacity are
manifested in all His works. Commending
highly your effort, I am yours,
With great respect,
J. W. P. Jenks.
HANDBOOK OF TAXIDERMY. — CHAPTER I. BIRD SKINNING AND MOUNTING. — TOOLS — MATERIALS — POISON — I. — II. — LABELLING. — BLOOD STAINS. — SKINNING. — MAKING A SKIN. — SEX — STUFFING. — WINGS AND TAIL.
Well, here we are at last. Please turn the
key in that door—to keep all inquisitive priers
out—for the process into which I am about to
initiate you is something of a secret, shrouded
by the thin veil of mystery.
You have come to me to-day to learn something
of the art of Taxidermy, so we will take up,
for your first lesson, bird skinning and mounting.
But first let us see what
we shall need to accomplish our end: a pair of
good sharp scissors—surgical scissors, with long
handles and short, stout blades are the best; a
knife or scalpel; a pair of spring forceps; a common
knitting-needle; a rabbit's foot, which should
be cut off at the knee, the nails cut out, and
thoroughly cleansed and dried,—used for smoothing
and dusting the feathers of birds after mounting;
a fishing-hook, with stout cord attached,
for suspending the bodies of birds that would
otherwise be too large to handle conveniently.
On the whole, I would advise you to get at the
start a common dissecting-case, which will contain
all of the above, and besides being convenient,
may save you much delay and vexation.
You will need a pair of stout wire cutters; a
flat file; a pair of wire twisters or forceps; plenty
of pins; thread and needles,—surgical or saddlers'
needles, as they are called, are the best,
as they cut instead of punching the skin; a brain
scoop, made by twisting a bit of wire into a loop;
and a bobbin of thread, which you can procure
at any cotton factory. You should also have on
hand an assortment of annealed wire; glass eyes
of various sizes and colors; tack nails; brads; a
piece of putty; sealing and bees-wax; paints;
glue; artificial leaves; mosses; everlasting flowers,
etc., for ornamenting perches.
Now we come to the
required for stuffing. Cotton, tow, soft hay and
excelsior are the best, but anything soft will do,
except feathers, hair, or in fact any animal substance,
as they act merely as assistants to the
taxidermist's great enemies—the bugs (Tineidæ
and Dermestidæ).
is used to preserve the skins. But as everything
of that description is dangerous for young and
inexperienced persons to handle, I strongly recommend
the following preparation, and guarantee
it to preserve their first efforts until they
become an eye-sore, and are finally thrown into
the fire with much disgust.
Pulverized Alum.
Common Salt. Equal parts. Mix.
Label: Salt and Alum.
The arsenic is to poison, and the alum to act
as an astringent, especially in setting the feathers
and fur of skins partially decayed. As arsenic is
an irritant poison, great care should be taken
while using. See that the hands are free from
all scratches, cuts, hang-nails, and broken skin.
These may be covered with court-plaster or collodium.
Wash the hands immediately after
using, and be careful to clean well under the
nails. With these precautions there is little or
no danger, and it may be used with the greatest
impunity. Avoid all so-called "arsenical soaps,"
as they are both dangerous and disagreeable to
handle. Use nothing but the above receipts, and
you will succeed far better. Having all these
materials and implements at hand, we are now
prepared to go on with our work.
Let us take this Blue Jay for your first attempt.
The first thing to be done is to measure
and label it—and, by the way, never neglect
this, for a bird without its label in a collection,
is like a ship at sea without its rudder. Length.—Lay
the bird on its back, and with a pair of
dividers (for a large bird a tape line must be
used) measure from the tip of the beak (the
head lying flat on the table) to the tip of the tail.
Place the points of the dividers on a rule that is
divided into one-hundredths of an inch, and
see how much they measure. Extent.—Place
the bird across the ruler, and using reasonable
force, stretch the wings out, and see how far
they reach. Length of Tail.—Place one
point of the dividers at the end of the "pope's
nose," and open them until the other is at the
tip of the longest tail feather. The Tarsus.—Place
one point of the dividers at the middle of
the sole of the foot, and measure as far as the
first joint. The Beak.—Place one point of the
dividers at the beginning of the cere, on the
upper mandible, and open them until the other
is at the tip of the beak. In addition to these I
advise you to keep the weight of each specimen,
especially in the case of game birds. Set all
these measurements, etc., down on your label as
you go along; also color of eye, contents of
stomach (after skinning), and the number of the
bird. This number must correspond to a number
in your Ornithological Ledger—a book in
which you should keep an account of each day's
doings; the number of birds killed, the number
used, attitudes, etc., and whatever else may be
of interest to you regarding the day's shooting.
These may be removed before skinning, by
gently washing with a sponge and a little water,
and afterwards dried by working into the feathers
pulverized plaster of Paris, or potato
starch, until the water is all absorbed, and the
feathers become dry and clean; then shake all
plaster or starch from the feathers. Now fill
the beak, anus, and shot holes, if you have not
previously done so,[A] with cotton, and we are
ready to begin
Lay the bird on its back, its head towards
your right hand, and run the handle of your
scalpel from the sternum, or breast bone, to the
anus. In so doing you will see there is a little
naked place, in many birds, all the way down.
Stroke the feathers away right and left, leaving
this bare, and inserting the point of the scissors
at the end of the sternum, cut down to and into
the anus (taking care not to cut through the thin
belly walls; if this is done, fill the place with
cotton, or disembowel); stopping here, as this
makes a good strong termination that will not
easily tear. Take the forceps in the right hand,
and seize one edge of the skin. Holding this,
press and push (never pull) the skin from the
sides and belly walls. Care must be taken that
the feathers do not get into the cut and thus
become soiled. Keep stroking them away, right
and left, and place a little fluff of cotton, tissue
paper, or white pine sawdust, under them. After
skinning away, you will come to a hard substance;
this is the thigh. Skin carefully around
this until you come to the under side, when you
can easily insert your scissors and sever it from
the body. Push the leg up out of the skin until
you come to the tarsus; clear away all muscles
and tendons, and bring the legs back into its
skin again. Repeat this process on the other
side without turning the bird around. Now
skin carefully around the tail; place your forefinger
across this, and pressing it back a little,
insert the scissors and sever the stump. Great
care must be taken, however, not to cut the thin
and very tender skin over the tail.
Now turn the bird up, and with its belly pointing
toward you, let the tail fall over the forefinger
of your right hand, and with your thumb
nail and fingers, continue to push and work the
skin until you come to the wings; sever these at
the shoulder.
Now holding the skin in the left hand, and
letting the body fall over the other side of the
fingers, skin down the neck—which will slip
out as easily as a finger from a glove—until you
come to the base of the skull. Skin carefully
over this, taking great care to detach the thin
membrane of the ear, with the thumb-nail or
scalpel handle, and proceed until you come to
the front part of the eye socket. Cut the thin
membrane that covers the eye, taking care not to
lacerate the ball; then scoop out the eyes. Stick
one point of the scissors just inside one branch
of the lower jaw, and make a cut parallel with
the jaw, crushing through the skull just outside
the angle of the jaw. Make a duplicate cut on
the other side. Then at the end of these make
a transverse cut through the roof of the mouth.
Connect the posterior ends of the side cuts by
cutting across the skull near its base. You have
now cut out a square-shaped piece of bone and
muscle, and by pulling gently on the neck, this
will come out, bringing with it a mass of brain.
Remove all brain and muscles of the head. Skin
down the wings as far as they will go, and run
the thumb-nail along the ulna, detaching the
quills to the metacarpal bones; remove all
muscles and tendons. Now turn the skin and
shovel in arsenic, so that all parts may be covered;
afterwards shake the skin over your box
to remove all loose arsenic.
Some difficulty may be experienced in getting
the head back into the skin. Begin in any way
you please until you see the point of the beak
coming through the feathers; seize this with the
fingers, and making a cylinder of your left hand,
gently coax the skin backwards, with a motion
very much like that of milking.
Now if you wish to make the skin neat, dress
every feather with the thumb and knitting-needle,
and see that they all lie in place. Insert
the knitting-needle through the eye to the top of
the skull (under the skin), adjust the scalp and
see that every feather is smooth.
In birds with large heads—such as owls,
some woodpeckers and ducks—over which
the neck skin will not easily slip, a slit must be
made along the top of the head and the skull
worked through, and treated as given. When
completed, sew up the skin and carefully arrange
the feathers.
When birds are to be mounted with spread
wings, as if flying, it is sometimes desirable to
make the incision along the back instead of the
belly, the ventral feathers thus presenting a
smoother appearance.
After a skin has been poisoned and dressed, it
may be "made" by inserting into each eye-socket,
through the neck, with the knitting-needle,
a little ball of cotton. Then make a
little roll of cotton and insert it into the neck;
one end in the cavity of the skull, the other just
appearing at the end of the neck. Some collectors
at this point fasten the wings to the
sides, by taking a stitch through them with
needle and thread. Before doing this, be sure
that the wings are in the right place. Take a
piece of cotton about one-half the size of the
bird's body, and by turning in the edges make
it into an oblong ball, corresponding to the body
just removed. Place this in the skin with the
forceps, and before letting go with the thumb
and forefinger press the wings together on the
back, placing the fingers under the wings. Now
draw the edges of the skin together, and making
a cylinder of each hand, gently coax the skin
through, until it is of the required shape. Then
place it in a drying-rack, made by bending a
piece of zinc or tin into a half cylinder. Leave
it to dry for a few days. Many collectors never
mount birds, but prefer "made skins." These
may be relaxed at any time by wrapping in
damp cotton for a few days, and then set up as
directed.
May be determined by cutting through the ribs
under the right wing, and pushing away the intestines.
There, bound to the small of the back,
will be seen the testicles of the male—two
spheroidal, whitish bodies, which vary in size
according to the season of the year. In the
female will be seen the ovaries, a flattened mass
of whitish bodies. These are often so minute as
to defy the naked eye, and the inquirer is obliged
to employ the microscope to make the distinction.
The sign recognized by ornithologists all over
the world is ♂ for males, and ♀ for females;
to which is added for young birds the Latin
juvenis or juv. or O, meaning young, and Nupt.
for birds in nuptial or breeding plumage.
In the first place we must prepare the wires
that we shall need. There are three of these—the
head wire and two leg wires. The first of
these must be about three or four inches longer
than the bird as it lies stretched out on the table
(Fig. 2, A); the second and third two or three
inches longer than the leg (C).
These wires must be perfectly straight (in the
case of small wires this may be done by stretching),
and have one end sharpened. To do this
make a little groove with the file in the table,
lay the end of the wire in this, and holding it in
the left hand, place the forefinger near the end,
and seizing the file in the right hand slowly
sharpen, revolving the wire at the same time
with the left. This will seem a little awkward
at first, but you will soon become accustomed to
it. Now take a piece of sand-paper and polish
the wires.
Take the longest of the three wires, and bend
the unsharpened end into an oblong ring—in
length according to the size of the bird to be
mounted. Or, instead of the ring, you may
make a little oval block of wood, secure the head
wire to one end, and bore holes for the leg wires,
which must be firmly fastened. For this Blue
Jay we will make it about one inch in length.
Now around this ring or block as a nucleus, or
foundation, place the tow and wind it on with
thread or string, continually putting on more
tow until you have an egg-shaped form (B).
Wind around and then lengthways to accomplish
this. For birds larger than a canary, the body
may be made of hay or excelsior, and finished
with a coating of tow. This is easier to put
wires through, and is more economical. The
tow body must be as near the size of the natural
body as possible, if anything a trifle smaller, on
no account larger. In order to be more accurate,
I generally keep the body of the bird skinned, on
my table, and while winding compare the artificial
body with this until it is perfected. In
this way a better shaped and firmer body is produced.
Be careful that you do not get the body
too soft (you cannot get it too hard), or when
you come to set up your bird it will be too weak
to stand on its legs; the wires will have nothing
to clinch and hold to. Now take a bit of cotton,
and with the forceps introduce into the eye-socket
through the neck. Repeat on the other
side. Fill up the cavity between the mandibles
and the space in the cranium with finely cut
tow. Unless you are making a "skin," this had
better be done directly after poisoning the skin,
before turning the head through the neck. Now
as to the neck. Some say, "Fill out gently with
chopped tow." I prefer to wind the wire, A,
for a short distance, with a bit of tow. To make
this stick, first rub the wire with a piece of
beeswax. This, I think, makes a better neck,
and is less liable to misshape and contort the
skin.
Now push the leg wire through the sole of the
foot, and run it along the leg-bone up through
the leg. Great care must be taken not to break
the tarsus or run the wire through the loose skin
which envelops the leg so as to tear it. Repeat
on the other leg. Now wind a little splint of
tow around the bone and wire of each leg. This
will require some practice, but once acquired it
is very easy. Place the body in the skin, and
with a twisting motion run the wire out through
the top of the head. Gently draw the skin over
the body until it is about half way in. Then run
the leg wires through the body, a little front of
the middle and a trifle higher up. When the
wire appears through the other side, seize it
with the twisters, and bending it into a hook,
draw it firmly into the body. Repeat on the
other side. Now work the body entirely into
the skin, by bending lengthwise the legs, and
gently sliding them on the wires. This done,
take a little chopped tow or cotton and place it
under the body, on each side, directly where the
shoulders come. Pin or sew the edges of the
skin together. There will be a long piece of
wire projecting from the head. Cut this off, say
quarter of an inch from the head; and making a
ring at the unsharpened end, push it through the
stump of the tail into the body. This is to support
the tail (D).
Just now the bird is a decidedly shabby looking
affair, and if you are not careful you will
find yourself getting discouraged, and thinking
that you have spoiled the skin. But do not
despair, for if you have carefully followed the
directions, all will be right, and you will soon
have the pleasure of seeing a well-mounted
specimen. But it will only be after many failures
that you will succeed. Remember "Post
nubila Phœbus,"—and it is just the same with
bird stuffing.
The legs are now straddling wide apart.
Bring them together parallel to each other, and
make a sharp bend at the knee, bringing them
over the body in a natural position. Now place
the bird on a temporary perch; bend back the
head, and arrange the body in the position you
think most lifelike. Some difficulty may be
found in adjusting the wings, but if preceding
processes have been rightly carried out, they
will readily fall, or may be easily worked into
place. Stick two pins through them at right
and obtuse angles to hold them in place (1 and
2, Fig. 3). Now your bird will look much better,
and with the exception of rumpled feathers,
quite lifelike. To remedy this latter, with the
knitting-needle and thumb go all over the bird
with a kind of picking process; lifting the
feathers and letting them gently fall into place.
You cannot work over the bird too long in this
way; and the more time you spend in dressing
the feathers, the better will be your specimen
after drying. Now stick two pins along the
back, and three along the breast (G, H, I, J, K).
Fasten one end of the thread from the bobbin to
the projecting head wire, and carefully wind the
entire bird. Do this loosely, so as not to disarrange
any of the feathers, tightening, however,
wherever they tend to rise or look uneven.
This winding process is considered by some to
be the most difficult part of bird mounting.
The specimen should now be set away for
several days, or even weeks, if the bird be a
large one, and allowed to dry; after which it
may be unwound; the eyelids soaked, by inserting
little flabs of wet cotton until they
become soft and pliable; the eyes inserted in
putty, and the lids carefully adjusted over them.
The protruding head wire and the pins in the
wings are cut off, and your bird mounted on
the perch which you have already prepared
for it.
Wings may be spread by running a wire
through the primaries (Fig. 1, A) into the body,
and placing another near the end of the wing as
a support while drying. The tail may be spread
by running a wire through the quills, near the
"pope's nose" (Fig. 2, E), or by placing a bit of
split wood across the tip and tying the open end
firmly (Fig. 3, L). Crests may be raised or spread
by inserting a small fluff, or ball of cotton under
the feathers, using a pin to hold them in place.
When glass eyes are not at hand, black beads
may be used. Or white glass beads may have a
pupil (black) surrounded by the iris (yellow or
brown) painted with oil colors on the back. If
neither of the above can be procured, a half
globe of the right size may be cut out of cork or
wood and a pin run through its centre. The
outside is then to be covered with sealing-wax
or varnish until quite smooth, and then painted
the required color.
The feet, tarsi, cere and loose skin about the
necks of some birds often fade or become dull.
These should be carefully painted, imitating the
original colors as closely as possible.
You have now completed your first lesson, and
I advise that you become perfectly familiar with
skinning and mounting birds, before you take up
that of animals. For you cannot become too
familiar and too much at home in this department;
and it will come in play fifty times,
where the other does once.
CHAPTER II. PERCHES.
A very pretty perch can be made by arranging
wires in the shape of a twig or branch, having
one end firmly fastened in a block of wood.
Wind the wires to the proper size with tow,
and after giving the whole a coating of thin glue,
sprinkle over it smalts and dry moss, rubbed fine
in the hands; when this is dry, you can glue on
artificial leaves, flowers, and grasses as your taste
prompts. Another good perch for small birds is
a stump made of pasteboard, with a small opening
on one side. Cover this with the same materials
as above. It should be about an inch and
a half in height. Another perch is made by reducing
pasteboard to a pulp, and moulding it
around a twig or wire form. Boil the pasteboard
to a pulp in a little water. Then force
through a coarse sieve, and mix with thin glue.
Mould this around the form, give it a coat of
brown paint, and decorate to taste. To give it
a rougher appearance, a coarse comb may be
drawn over it before painting.
A very effective way of mounting hummingbirds
is to form a tree with small palm leaves,
or others, attached to a moss-covered stalk,
having moss and grasses at its base. Let the
hummers have the wings and tails spread, and
crests and breast-tufts raised in the most effective
manner. They are then attached to single
wires starting from the limbs of the tree, with
back or breast showing according to the part
which is to be displayed.
Fig. 4.
Another good way, especially
where the collection is large, is a
single wire bent oval, and both
ends fastened to a block standard.
To the outside and inside are fixed
short perches of wire upon which
the birds are mounted.
Birds mounted for ornamental purposes should
be placed under glass, to protect them from dust
and insects. A very neat homemade case is
constructed of window-glass, cut of the proper
dimensions; the sides, top and bottom being
fastened together by strips of stout paper glued
over their edges. Or the glass may be set in a
light framework of wood, which may be painted,
stained, or ebonized. To ebonize, you require
extract of logwood, a supply of rusty nails, or
scraps of iron, and some vinegar. Place the iron
in the vinegar a week or more before using the
latter. When you are ready to begin, give the
wood several coatings with a strong solution of
the logwood, and when this is nearly dry, brush
over with the vinegar. A fine dull black color
will be produced.
All ducks, wading and ground birds should be
mounted on a piece of board; and long-legged
birds should have one foot a little in advance of
the other, as if in the act of stepping. The attitudes
of birds, seen in your rambles, may be put
to use in your mounted specimens, and your own
taste will suggest a variety of perches and ways
for mounting.
CHAPTER III. SKINNING AND MOUNTING MAMMALS. — SKINNING. — MOUNTING.
When the beginner has once become proficient
in skinning and mounting birds, he will have
but little difficulty in "setting up" mammals.
The same general principles are to be observed
with each.
Cut with the scalpel or stout scissors from the
breast-bone down to the anus: sever the legs
close to body, and treat both legs and head
as given for birds.
Some difficulty may be experienced in skinning
the tail. This is readily done if it be a hairy
tail, by pushing the skin over the first two or
three vertebræ, then seizing the stump with the
left hand, pull, at the same time holding the
skin back with the right hand. The bone will
generally slip out as easily as a sword from its
sheath; but if it will not come, tie a knot of
strong cord over the end, and fasten to some
support firmly. Then holding on with the right
hand, as before, you can easily strip the tail to
the tip.
Instead of three, you must now have five
wires. Sharpen and sand-paper, as the former,
and make a nucleus for body. The shape
of an animal, with the neck severed from the
skull, is like the italic f laid on its side ().
This is made by winding the tow on the nucleus,
the same as with birds, and drawing the
string tight at different points to give it the required
form.
Run the leg wires up through the leg, and wind
with tow to the proper size. Push the wires
through the body, and fasten them. If any
special position is required for the tail, a wire
may be run through the body into it; otherwise
it may merely be pinned to the stand until dry.
Having completed the wiring and stuffing, sew
up the skin; bring the legs over the body, parallel
to each other, and make the required bend
at the knees. Now mount your specimen in
such a manner as you may choose; put in the
eyes and set away to dry. There will be deficiencies,
here and there, where the body does not
quite fill out the skin. These must be supplied
with chopped tow, before sewing up the
skin.
You can get the size and curves of the body
only by practice; but these few words on the
subject may be found of assistance to you;
remembering that all quadrupeds curve greatly
from the top of the hips to the tail.
If the animal is to be mounted with the mouth
open, place pieces of wood between the jaws,
and stuff out the lips in a natural manner until
dry,—when the props may be removed. A
tongue is made of cork or light wood, with two
wires secured to the back, by which it is afterwards
fastened to the skull. Cover your artificial
tongue with wax, and place in position. The inside
of the mouth and the gums must also be
neatly covered with wax. The whole now requires
to be painted with the color most resembling
nature, and when that is dry brushed over
with a mixture of Damar varnish and oil of turpentine.
The best stand on which to mount mammals
is an oval block of wood varying in thickness according
to the size of the specimen. The name
should be painted in black letters on the side of
the block, and the whole varnished. Rocks,
stump effects, etc., are made by bending paste-board
to the required shape, fastening to a standard,
and stiffening with glue. Sand, smalts, etc.,
may then be dusted on. If there are several
mammals mounted in the same case, a watercolor
background is very effective.
CHAPTER IV. SKINNING AND MOUNTING FISHES AND REPTILES. — FISHES.—SKINNING. — MOUNTING. — REPTILES.—SKINNING. — MOUNTING.
These may be opened in two ways, according
to the position in which the specimen is
to be mounted. If the fish is to rest on its
belly, an incision should be made the entire
length of the ventral surface, from the gills to
the end of the tail. If the fish is to rest on its
side, the incision should be made on the side.
Before proceeding farther cover the entire fish
with tissue paper which will adhere with the
use of thin gum.
Now, with the scalpel, handle carefully, detach
the soft parts from the skin, cutting rib-bones
with the scissors, until the back is reached. Cut
through the fin-bones, and the body will be
found quite loose. Detach the tail end, and remove
all muscle from the remaining vertebræ.
Cut through the body at the base of the skull;
clean brain cavity thoroughly, and remove eyes.
This latter operation may require some assistance
from the scissors, on the outside. All muscles
about the eyes and skull should be carefully removed.
When your skin is ready, poison it well
with the arsenic-alum powder.
The artificial body for your specimen may be
made of the same materials as used in stuffing
birds and mammals, of clay, plaster of Paris, or
the skin may be simply dried. A tow body may
be made and covered with a layer of clay, to give
it a smooth, even surface. You may form a
mould by pressing your specimen into damp
clay, allowing this to dry and then coating the
mould with colored varnish. When this is dry,
pour plaster of Paris of the consistency of cream
into the mould and let dry. The other side of
the fish must be treated in the same way, and the
two halves united by the solution of plaster.
When your body is ready, place it in the skin
and sew up. Place the specimen in the required
position and fasten to a board by stout pins
driven on each side. Spread the fins, tail, etc.,
by means of the wooden clamps already mentioned
(Fig. 3, L), and set the specimen away to
dry. A very convenient way of treating many
specimens, especially hard-scaled fish, is to bring
the sides of the opening together by a few
stitches, and glue a strip of cloth the entire
length of the incision. Before this is done, however,
the end of the tail beyond the anus must
be stuffed out with cotton. Take a few stitches
through the gills to hold them down while drying.
Now place a tin tunnel in the fish's mouth,
and fill out the skin with fine sand. Place a wad
of cotton in the throat, to keep the sand in; put
the specimen in the desired position; remove the
tissue paper with sponge and water; and set
your specimen away for several weeks, to dry.
When you are ready to mount your specimen,
make several small holes in it, to let the sand out,
and when quite empty fasten to a board; mount
in a case, or in any way which your taste may
suggest. It is sometimes desirable to retain
only one side of a specimen. That side should
be covered with tissue paper, as directed, and the
other side, soft parts, bone, etc., cut away.
Poison, place the skin on a board, and pin or
nail the edges fast, that it may not contract while
drying. Mount specimens with glass eyes, and
brush over with a coat of varnish. If spots, etc.,
fade, they must be touched up with paint.
Snakes, frogs, etc. may be opened along the
belly, or they may be skinned through the mouth.
If the latter, open the mouth as wide as possible,
and with the scissors cut through the body and
first vertebra. Seize the stump with a pair of
forceps, and carefully push the muscles from the
skin, at the same time drawing the body out of
the mouth. This, of course, inverts the skin.
Poison thoroughly.
The best way to treat frogs is to fill out the
skin with sand, and when dry let the sand out of
it through pin holes. Put in eyes and varnish.
Snakes may be stuffed out with sand, or a body
may be made. For the latter, take a piece of
annealed wire, rather shorter than the specimen,
wind with tow to the required size, and place in
the skin. The wire enables you to give the specimen
any position desired; while, if sand is used,
the specimen must either lie coiled up or straight.
If the mouth is to be kept open, a tongue may be
made of fine wire and painted red.
CHAPTER V. EGGS AND NESTS. — GUM PASTE.
A full set of eggs is always desirable, if they
can be obtained, but, as the old saying is, "A
half-loaf is better than no bread." The contents
may be removed by making a hole in the side of
the egg with an egg drill, and sucking out the
white and yolk with a glass blow-pipe, or by
means of a little syringe with a bit of rubber
tubing attached to the nozzle. If the young have
already formed, a squarish-shaped hole may be
made on one side, and the contents hooked out.
The hole may be afterwards closed by pasting a
bit of film or tissue paper over it. While drilling
through the shell, the egg should be held over
water, so that if dropped it may not be broken;
or an arrangement made of wire resembling a
pair of scissors, the ends terminating in a ring or
oval, may be used. The ends are then covered
with netting; thus forming a soft, yet strong,
resting-place for the egg. (Fig. 5.)
Fig. 5.
The name of the specimen, together with size,
date of collection and collector's name, should be
written on the shell of each egg, and the entire
hatch returned to the nest.
It would be a good plan
to give the eggs the same
number as the parent
bird, if this is obtained,
together with a number
of their own. You can then note them in your
ornithological ledger, or, if you choose, you can
keep an oölogical ledger separate.
Nests should be preserved, if possible, attached
to the branch on which they were found.
This stem should be from three to six inches
long, and be attached by its base to a block
standard. Or, nests may be placed in little glass
trays, made of pieces of window-glass held
together by strips of paper glued over the edges.
If the nest is not cared for, or cannot be obtained,
the eggs may be placed on cotton, in
little boxes, and arranged in the cabinet to suit
the collector. A very good and safe way of
transporting eggs, is to place them between two
layers of cotton in the nest, which must be
packed closely, but without pressure.
Melt, and label "Gum Paste, for closing the
holes drilled in eggs," etc.
CHAPTER VI. SKELETONS.
During the busy collecting season, rough
skeletons may be made by removing skin, viscera,
and as much muscle as possible, covering
the body with the arsenic-alum powder, and
allowing it to dry, when the specimen may be
wrapped in paper and laid away for future use.
To prepare skeletons for the cabinet, remove as
much of the fleshy parts as possible, and boil the
bones until the remaining flesh is softened and
can be easily removed. Then boil in water in
which a piece of lime as large as a hen's egg has
been dissolved. Remove, dry, and if necessary
wire.
Another way recommended is to remove all
the soft parts, and scald the hard parts in boiling
water containing a few drops of hydrochloric
acid. Leave the bones in this solution for ten
minutes, wash, and boil in plain water until all
the muscle, etc., is softened. Clean this away
with a brush or by a stream of water. Boil in a
strong solution of soda, wash with soap and
water, and when perfectly clean, dehydrate with
boiling alcohol (Junker). Skeletons should be
mounted on wires fixed in a wooden standard
painted black.
CHAPTER VII. HUNTING AND HYGIENE. — THE GUN. — LOADING. — CARRYING. — TRANSPORTING. — COLLECTING SUIT. — EATING. — AT HOME. — POISONING.
To be a good collector, it is necessary to be
something more than a good marksman. You
must know at what time of day to go out to be
most successful, and the localities where you are
most likely to find the birds that you are looking
for. In the field, you must be all eyes and ears.
No thicket should be too dense, no tree too tall
for your quick eye to penetrate its foliage; no
chirp or rustle too small or weak for your active
ear to detect. In short, to be a good collector
you must understand wood-craft. Sometimes a
bird is seen just disappearing into the underbrush.
A very good call, which seldom fails in
bringing the bird from its retreat, is made by
placing the back of the hand to the lips and
sucking. By practice, this may be made to resemble
the cries of a wounded bird. Early
morning and just before sun-down have been
found to be the best hours for collecting, although
something may be done at any time of day.
During the noon hours, birds generally remain
hidden in the cool depths of the thickets and
woods. Birds are seldom found in the deep
forest; but, at the hours mentioned, trees and
bushes skirting roads, fields and meadows, will be
found teeming with life.
The choice of a gun for collecting purposes is,
of course, optional with the reader; but a good
twelve or fourteen bore breech-loading shot gun
will give better satisfaction than any other,
and will be worth the price of the gun in time-saving,
when in the field. The pistol-guns, introduced
within the last few years, often prove of
great service in collecting small specimens.
Several sizes of shot should be taken into the
field, ranging from dust or mustard seed, as it is
sometimes called, to No. 6 or 8. For all small
birds up to the size of a robin, dust shot should be
used; and I have even killed grouse and plover
with it, although, it must be confessed, at a very
short range. The larger sizes are used for hawks
and all large birds. With several sizes of shot,
you can vary your loads according to the bird
that you are pursuing. Here the breech-loading
gun is vastly superior to the old-fashioned muzzle-loader,
for it is but the work of an instant to
change from large to small, or vice versa. Be
careful not to load too heavily. Most of your
birds will be killed within a few yards, and it is
astonishing how little powder and how few shot
will produce the desired effect.
The most convenient and safe way to carry
birds in the field, is in a common fish-creel; or
in a basket which I devised and have used for
several years. It is simply a long, deep and
narrow basket, carried on the back by straps
which cross in front of the chest. At the back
of the basket, outside, is a netting for carrying
paper, etc.; and on either side a pocket or pouch
of cloth for cotton, etc. For all birds under the
size of a crow, this basket is very convenient.
Before going out provide yourself with a number
of sheets of stiff paper. As soon as a bird is
shot, fill the mouth, anus, and shot-holes with
cotton, and drop the bird head foremost, with bill
pointing downwards, into a cornucopia of the
paper, just the size of the bird's body, and fold the
edges over the tail, taking care not to rumple or
break the tail feathers. When birds are shot,
they do not always die at once; but they may be
put out of misery by placing the thumb under
one wing, and the forefinger under the other, and
squeezing. After a second or so, the bird will
give a gasp and die.
This cannot be done in the case of large birds.
To kill these, insert a thin knife-blade between
the skull and last vertebra, cutting through the
spinal cord; or break the back by pressing
upon it with the knee.
Skins may be either packed in boxes, between
layers of cotton, or they may be pushed head first
into cylinders of stiff paper having a diameter
equal to the largest part of the skin.
A serviceable and comfortable hunting-suit
may be made from any good strong stuff, such as
corduroy, etc. The pants should be made rather
loose, and have the seams firmly sewed. The
coat should be a mere succession of pockets, and
of course very loose. A soft, broad-brimmed felt
hat, and a pair of broad-soled, low-heeled shoes,
for ordinary wear; or, for shooting where the
country is wet and boggy, a pair of high top
boots may be substituted. This will be found to
be the easiest, most durable and least expensive
outfit that can be made.
Do not start out in the morning without having
first partaken of a lunch, however slight, as a
preventive, if nothing more; for tramping on an
empty stomach will almost always upset one for
the whole day.
As soon as you return from your day's tramp,
a good "wash-up" and a change of clothes will
rest you far more than sitting down. Especially,
if your feet are wet, lose no time in changing
socks, and all other garments that are in the least
damp. By doing this, you will save yourself
many a severe cold, and perhaps a fit of sickness.
In case of poisoning with the arsenic, while
preparing your skins, the advice of Dr. Coues, in
his "Field Ornithology," covers the whole treatment.
"Avoid," he says, "all mechanical irritation
of the inflamed parts, touch the parts that
have ulcerated with a stick of lunar caustic; take
a dose of salts; use syrup of iodide of iron, or
tincture of chloride of iron, say thirty drops in a
wine-glass of water, thrice a day; rest at first;
exercise gradually as soon as you can bear it;
and skin no birds till you have completely recovered."
If these do not cure, medical advice
should be procured.
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WRITING AND SPEECH-MAKING
BY
THOMAS WENTWORTH HIGGINSON,
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Transcriber's note:
The following alterations have been made:
p.44: Erroneous full-stop removed. Original read: Snakes, frogs, etc.. may be opened
p.[57]: Quotation mark added. Original read: "Oldport Days," Army Life in a Black Regiment,"
p.[57]: Corrected word 'similar'. Original read: Now that similiar suggestions
p.[57]: Corrected comma to full-stop. Original read: two together in a small volume, The last-named paper
).
This is made by winding the tow on the nucleus,
the same as with birds, and drawing the
string tight at different points to give it the required
form.
