Aaron A. Warford

“ One of the chief difficulties to contend with, in setting up Monkeys and Apes, is the preservation of their hands and hind hands, or what we commonly call their feet; because we must not attempt to deprive these limbs of their flesh, as we never could again supply its place anything like what is in nature. The hands must therefore be dried, and then well imbued with turpentine and the solution of corrosive sublimate, repeated eight or ten times at least, at intervals of four or five days. The other parts of the stuffing should be exactly similar to that recommended for quadrupeds generally. ”

“ Reptiles.—The chief thing to be attended to in skinning reptiles is not to injure the scales; and in the lizard kind care must be taken not to break the tail. But for all the smaller and middle-sized species the best mode is to preserve them in spirits; and of the larger kinds, which are skinned, the skeletons ought to be kept. The flesh should be taken away with knives and scalpels as well as possible, and the bones thoroughly dried and packed in a box with cotton or grass, and they can be articulated after they are brought home. ”

“ All the varnish colors have a tendency to shine, which, it will be evident, is not the character of any part of the skin, or caruncle of the bird described. As soon, therefore, as it is thoroughly dry, which will be in about an hour, the whole surface must be gently rubbed with very fine sand-paper, which will completely remove the gloss and give the appearance of nature. ”

“ In the preservation of the feathers of Birds, little else is required to prevent the dissipation of their colors than to keep them as much as possible from air and light. These two agents, which were indispensable to their beauty and perfection in a living state, now exercise their influence as destroyers, and that influence will sooner or later work its ends according to the quality, texture, or color of the object with which it is contending. ”

“ In doing this, you must remember the ordinary position of a bird when alive, and, therefore, instead of passing the wire the whole way within the skin of the leg, when you get to the part where you have cut off the bone—that is, the knee-joint—pass it through the skin to the outside, where the knee would come naturally in the attitude of standing or perching—it makes little difference which. This is essential, because, if the wire be passed the whole way inside the skin, it produces a wrong placing of the legs. ”

“ The Hermit-Crab always takes possession of the shell of some turbinated Univalve as its domicile. These are easily preserved by pulling out the animal after it is dead. An incision is made in the soft tail of the animal, and the contents allowed to run off; it is then filled with cotton and imbued with the preservative; some cement is then put on the tail and the animal returned to its shell, which completes the operation of preserving.
In sending home crustaceous animals, the larger species should be emptied of their fleshy matter, which, however, is not necessary with the smaller species ”

“ The best manner of conveying loose eggs to a distance is to put some cotton at the bottom of the nest, and then another layer above them. The nests should all be put up in separate boxes, if possible, and so packed that the pressure of the lid may not injure the eggs, or a box with several compartments should be used, taking care that each is carefully marked. It would also be of consequence to have the nests attached to the branches, with those species which build on trees, which will enable us to trace the ingenious means employed by those little animals in constructing their habitations. ”

“ The legs are now successively skinned by pushing out the bones and inverting the skin over them until the foot-joint is visible; every portion of flesh and tendons must be cut away, and the bone cleaned thoroughly, and a coating of arsenical soap laid over it as well as the skin. Wrap tow, or cotton, or any other suitable material, round the bone, bringing it to its natural shape, and draw the skin over it again. Do this to each leg in succession, and the body itself is ready for stuffing and mounting.
The utmost care will not prevent accidents ”

“ The colors of the rapacious tribes are not so evanescent as those of many others, as they, for the most part are composed of intense browns and blacks, which are not so easily absorbed by light or air, so that they continue for a very long period without any sensible difference. There are, however, certain other points which are liable to almost immediate change of color after the death of the animals, and these are the cere and skin of the legs and feet, and the naked skin on the heads and necks of Vultures and their congeners. ”

“ When the bird is killed, the blood must be carefully wiped away, and a little cotton must be put into the bill to prevent the blood flowing from it to injure the feathers. The wound should also be stuffed with cotton.
Birds should be skinned as soon as possible, as the feathers are apt to fall off if kept too long. The os coccygis must be kept attached to the skin. If several individuals of the same species be killed, one should, if possible, be preserved entire in spirits, with the whole muscles of the body. If the bird has a fleshy crest, it ought to be preserved in spirits. ”

“ The easiest way of destroying the Caterpillar is by immersion in spirit of wine. They may be retained for a long time in this spirits without destroying their color.
Mr. William Weatherhead had an ingenious mode of preserving Larvæ. He killed the Caterpillar, as above directed, and having made a small puncture in the tail, gently pressed out the contents of the abdomen, and then filled the skin with fine dry sand, and brought the animal to its natural circumference. ”

“ As blood will have often issued out, before you have laid hold of the bird, find out the shot-holes, by dividing the feathers with your fingers, and blowing on them; and then, with your pen-knife, or the leaf of a tree, carefully remove the clotted blood, and put a little cotton on the hole. If, after all, the plumage has not escaped the marks of blood, or if it has imbibed slime from the ground, wash the part in water, without soap, and keep gently agitating the feathers with your fingers, till they are quite dry. ”

“ It is not proper to place within a cage more than one species of Caterpillar, as many of them prey upon each other. Indeed, animals of the same species will devour each other, if left without food. The Caterpillars of insects, for the most part, will only eat one particular kind of food, so that it is better to have no more than one sort in a cage. ”

“ Macgillivray recommends that all skins, whether they are to be put away in a cabinet or stuffed, should receive a washing of spirits of turpentine sprinkled on, and gently brushed in the direction of the feathers or fur.
Not to trust too much to memory, it is desirable to measure and note the proportions of the animal before skinning, first taking the muzzle to the tail. Afterwards, from the junction of the tail to the tip. Secondly, from the middle of the shoulder-blade, or scapula, to the articulation of the femur, or thigh-bone. ”

“ The best method of securing the scales and colors of Fish, is, as soon as they are caught, to apply cambric or tissue paper to them, which will soon dry and adhere firmly; the body may be then taken out and the skin dried. When the skin is to be stuffed, roll it in a moist cloth, which will not only render it pliable, but also soften the tissue paper, so as it can be removed, when the colors will be found to be much brighter than by any other method with which we are yet acquainted. ”

“ Let the whole internal surface of the skin be well rubbed with the preservative. The body is then stuffed to its full size, and afterwards sewed up. The stuffing of the head must be completed through the orbits of the eyes, and also by the mouth. This finished, the glass eyes are inserted, as in other animals, and fixed by means of cement.
Many species of fish have semi-transparent cartilages connected with the eyes. These must be imitated with gum-arabic and powdered starch, as well as the cornea of the eyes. ”

“ Each bird has its own manner, and if you cannot hit the manner, or make your stuffed skin so far amenable as to assume the attitude, it is either ill-stuffed, or you want the requisite knowledge of that which you should copy. ”

“ Pursue the same plan with the other leg, and then twist the two ends firmly together, by the aid of a pair of flat pincers. For an animal of the size of a Cat the pieces left for twisting must be from five to six inches in length. After being twisted, they are bound on the under side of the body-wire with strong thread; the two legs are then replaced and put in the form in which we intend to fix them. The skin of the belly and top of the shoulders are then anointed, and a thick layer of flax placed under the middle wire. ”

“ To test whether the specimen is too decomposed to skin, try the feathers about the auriculars, and just above the tail, and if they do not move you may safely proceed.
Lay the bird on his back, and, parting the feathers from the insertion of the neck to the tail, you will find in most birds a spare space. Cut the skin the whole length of this, and, passing the finger under it on either side, by laying hold of one leg and bending it forward, you will be able to bring the bare knee through the opening you have made; and with your scissors cut it through at the joint ”

“ Branch for mounting a bird.
The best time for preserving specimens is in spring, because then the cock birds are in the best feather, and the weather is not too warm. In mild weather three days is a good time to keep a bird, as then the skin will part from the flesh easily. [Pg 25] If a specimen has bled much over the feathers, so as to damage them, wash them carefully but thoroughly with warm water and a sponge, and immediately cover them with pounded whitening, which will adhere to them. ”

“ Few objects of Natural History are more interesting than the nests of birds. To the reflecting naturalist, they open up a wide field for inquiry. Speaking of the examination of birds, in the exercise of their mechanical arts of constructing nests, Professor Rennie says: “This work is the business of their lives—the duty which calls forth that wonderful ingenuity which no experience can teach, and which no human skill can rival. ”

“ A NEW AND EASIER METHOD OF BIRD SKINNING AND STUFFING.
A fair specimen being obtained, take common cotton wadding, and with an ordinary paint-brush stick plug the throat, nostrils, and, in large birds, the ears, with it, so that when the skin is turned no juices may flow and spoil the feathers; you must then provide yourself with the following articles: A knife of this kind is very common; a pair of cutting pliers, a pair of strong scissors, of a moderate size ”

“ In the act of skinning a bird, you must either have it upon a table, or upon your knee; probably you will prefer your knee, because, when you cross one knee over the other, and have the bird upon the uppermost, you can raise it to your eye, or lower it at pleasure, by means of the foot on the ground ”

“ A hole is bored with a brass awl, the caliber of the wire which it is intended to use. The wire, which is to continue in the leg, is passed across the knee, and brought out interiorly, and, placing it into the ring above mentioned, the same operation is performed on the other side. The extremities of the wires of the legs, and the end of the central wire beyond the ring, are all twisted together with flat pincers, and then bent towards the tail. ”

“ The tail is now fixed on, by first attaching to it a quantity of cotton with the cement, and, when dry, it is fixed to the part intended as the rump.
The feet of the bird must be fixed into a piece of wood, as a perch, the ends of which must be left some inches beyond the body. The end next to the tail is fixed into a table-vise, with the belly upwards, and the head pointing toward the operator. The feathers are now put on, commencing under the tail, or crissum, with what are termed the under-tail coverts; a coating of cement must be previously laid on, to attach the feathers with. ”