Stuffing And Mounting Birds

T he following description of the most approved proces3, f'roin the pen of Mr. W. H. White, we print it for the benefit of such readers as niay take an interest in the growing taste for taxidermy : Remove the skin by making an incisión from the lower end of the breast to the anus. Separate skin on both sides of the body until you reach the knee and expose the thigh : take the leg in one hand and push the knee up and loosen the skin until you can place a sharp-pointed scissors under, and separate joint and muscle ; sprinkle arsenic in powder on skin to prevent adhesión ; loosen skin about the base of the tail ; cut through the back bone at the ,last joint, using care not to sever base ot' quilla ; suspend by a wire hook in back or runip, and invert the skin, loosening carefully from the body. On reaching the wings, loosen skin around the flrst bone and through the middlo of it, or if the bird be smal], separate from the neck at the elbow. - draw it over the neck till the skull is exposed ; loosen the ears from the skull without cutting or tearing ; cut membrane around the eyeballs and dig out the eyes' clean the sockets and rub over with powdered arsenic, and fill with tow or wool ; take out the throat, tongue and and all the fleshy parts ; clean the skull of brains, &c, from the back part of the skull, treating the cavity to arsenic, and filling with tow, cotton or wool. Rub the inside of the skin wellwith arsenic in powder. Take a wire the length of the bird, pass itinto the skull and out at the tail ; take two other Dieces, pass one through the winga olose to the bone, the other thjough the sole of the foot along the leg bone on to the wire on the back ; fasten securely leg, wing and back wires where they cross each other ; force the glass eyes into the socket. Make a roll of r.otton or two same length and size of the original neck, and push it up to base of the skull ; fill the body with the same material, forming it to natural shape. Sew up the {skin, commencing at the upper end and passing needie frora the inside outwards. Press the body into the natural shape bending wires to suit. Lay away till it dries, and the skin bocomes hard, when it may be fastened to a base by the wires from the legs being stuuk into it. In removing the skin great care is needod to preserve it neat, clean, and without rufning the feathers.so that when the bird is set up it will look aa smooth as a well groomed carriage horse without a single hair being out of place.