C. J. Maynard

“ I have had nearly all species of our owls, hawks, and eagles, and have kept herons, gulls, terns, pelicans, auks, and almost countless numbers of smaller birds, and in this way I have become so familiar with them that I can tell at a glance whether a bird is mounted in an easy attitude. ”

“ Never strike a bird, no matter how large, with a stick, but in case of hawks, eagles, etc., the talons of which are dangerous, seize them first by the tip of one wing, then by the other, work the hands downward until the back is grasped, then apply the pressure to the lungs. There is no danger from the beak of even the most formidable species after the pressure is put upon the lungs, for I never knew a specimen to bite while being killed in this way; the only thing necessary is to keep out of the way of their talons. ”

“ Hawks and owls haunt meadows in search of mice, and invariably light upon a solitary stake, if they can find one, in order to eat their prey or to rest, and thus are very apt to put their “foot into it,” in a manner decidedly agreeable to the collector, if not so pleasing to themselves. Steel-traps may also be set on boards nailed to trees, in the woods or on hill-tops, but they should in this case be baited with a small mammal or bird. I have succeeded in capturing marsh hawks by tying a living mouse to a steel-trap, and placing it in a meadow which was frequented by these birds. ”

“ Warblers then should be looked after nearly everywhere, among willows by the brookside, on the barren hill-tops which scarcely support a scant growth of pine or cedars, and on the blooming trees of orchards. Some species are exceedingly shy, so as to require [Pg 15] a heavy charge of dust-shot to reach them, while others are so tame as to peer inquisitively into the very face of a collector as he makes his way through their chosen retreats. ”

“ I have endeavored to inculcate the idea in the following pages that he who wishes to be a successful taxidermist cannot accomplish his end without the utmost care; he must exercise patience and perseverance to the extreme; difficulties will arise, but he must overcome them by severe application to the study of his art, and, as years pass by, experience will teach him much that he never knew before. ”

“ For ordinary collecting, a twelve-gauge is perhaps better than any other, as such birds as ducks, hawks and crows can be readily killed with it. For warblers, wrens, and other small birds, however, a much smaller gauge gun is almost indispensable, as a large gun sends the shot with such force that it not only penetrates the body of the bird, but also goes out on the opposite side; thus each shot makes two holes, when one is all that is necessary to kill. ”

“ The feathers of all birds, especially aquatic species, are covered with a delicate oil, and all extraneous matter glides off the plumage if they are not soaked in water. In catching wounded herons, take them by the beak to avoid the danger of losing an eye from a lunge of the sharp point. When a bird is to be placed in a basket or on a bench, do not throw it down, but lay it gently on its back, always bearing in mind that the smoother a bird is kept before it is skinned the better it will look when preserved. ”

“ American Warblers.—These gems of the woodland and of wayside thickets abound throughout the length and breadth of our country. During the migrations they are generally distributed, it not being uncommon, then, to find even the Blackburnian warbler, which, during the nesting season, is pre-eminently a bird of the deep woods, feeding in the open fields, while I have taken the Cape May warbler, which occurs in summer in the thick evergreens of the north, feeding among the oranges and bananas in the gardens of Key West. ”

“ On large birds, like eagles, I draw the wire through the body twice before clenching, to make all secure. This work must be well done if the bird is to be mounted nicely, as it must stand firmly on its feet. As a rule, use wire large enough, at least, to support the weight of the body and skin without bending, but wire [Pg 70] one-half the size of the tarsus is generally large enough to do this. Cut a tail-wire which is at least as long as the entire bird. Insert it under the tail, so that it enters the muscles in which the feathers are embodied, taking care that it does not spread them apart ”

“ In making skins of all birds where the back of the head is opened, the orifice should not be sewed up until after the wire has been inserted in the upper mandible, as it may be necessary to add more cotton through here to make the throat or back of the head as full as in life. Sew up this orifice by taking fine stitches in only the extreme edge of the skin, and the same caution must be exercised in sewing up accidental tears in the skin. Very tender skins may have tears mended by pasting tissue-paper neatly over the holes from the inside. ”

“ Although the foregoing list gives the locality in which a given species may be found, as a rule, it is always well to bear in mind that birds have wings, and by the use of them may stray into unaccustomed localities far distant from their usual habitance. For example, a burrowing owl was shot on the marshes of Newburyport, and a petrel, which has hitherto been known to science through a single specimen which was taken many years ago in the southern hemisphere, was picked up, in an exhausted condition, in a ploughed field of the interior of New York. ”

“ I do not, as a rule, recommend binding freshly-skinned birds, nor do I consider it necessary excepting in instances where feathers are rough. If a bird be properly mounted a few more clamps on the wings will keep it in form; then the feathers can be made to stand out as they do in nature, not lie down close to the body as if the birds were badly frightened. This is particularly noticeable with owls; a perfectly happy and contented owl, who is pursuing his vocations, has apparently a body nearly or quite twice the diameter of one that is frightened. ”

“ If the cotton body has been placed in the proper position the neck will be full, but not over stuffed, and of just the right length to form a skin that has the appearance and size of a freshly-killed bird lying on its back with the head straight. The bill should be horizontal with the bench on which the bird lies, and from which the specimen should not be raised while at work on it. Now roll the skin over and examine the back; see that the wing feathers, especially the scapularies, lie in regular rotation, and that they have not been pushed one above the other ”

“ Ascertaining the Sex of Birds.—Although the sex of many birds can be ascertained with tolerable certainty by the plumage, yet this is never an infallible guide, and to make perfectly sure of every case the internal organs should be examined. I always advise dissecting such plainly-marked birds as scarlet tanagers or red-winged blackbirds, and by practising this habit I was once fortunate enough to discover a female painted bunting in full male livery. ”

“ Cats often bring in these little mammals and leave them lying around, as they rarely eat them. A pit dug in an open field or a barrel set down with the top on a level with the ground and half filled with water will be the means of capturing many rare, small mammals which fall into it accidentally. Mink, weasel, otter, rabbits, skunks, etc., may be trapped or shot. A variety of bait may be used to decoy animals of this class, and the contents of the scent-bags of any of these species are good; as well as fish, birds, or small mammals. ”

“ A very good stand may be made by simply winding a wire with cotton and painting the cotton. The cotton can be made into a species of papier-maché by soaking it in flour-paste. Rock work is made of either papier-maché, cork, blocks of wood, or pieces of turf painted and sanded, or by pasting stout paper over pieces of wood, and the whole structure painted and sanded. If papier-maché be used the effect may be heightened by sticking in pieces of quartz or other rock. Natural stumps, branches, etc., may be manufactured into stands or cases to advantage ”

“ Then turn the skin, detach the skull from the body, by carefully cutting between the atlas, the last vertebra joint, and the skull. The skull should be boiled to remove all the flesh and brain; or, if this cannot readily be done, and if the mammal be very small, roll it in preservative, and lay it one side; if the animal be large, cut off all the flesh possible, and work out the brain through the opening in the base of the skull. It is always, however, best to remove the flesh by boiling ”

“ In a twelve-gauge gun, two drachms of powder behind [Pg 9] an ounce of shot is sufficient to kill a bird like a jay or golden-winged woodpecker, at a distance of thirty or forty yards; then if more penetration is necessary, more powder may be used with the same quantity of shot, but this will cause the shot to scatter more. A good collecting gun, one which will kill small birds with a very small amount of ammunition and little noise, has long been a desideratum. ”

“ Next among the true thrushes are the olive-backed, hermit, and allied species. These occur usually in woodlands, and are rather shy, keeping at a distance. The wood thrush inhabits deeply-wooded glens. The mocking thrushes prefer thickets in the neighborhood of dwellings,—for example, the cat-bird. The brown thrush also inhabits thickets, but are not, as a rule, fond of the society of man, while the smaller thrushes, of which the golden-crowned is an example, prefer the woodlands ”

“ I have taken brown pelicans, wild geese, and large hawks with number eight, and I once secured a frigate-bird with it, all at good distances. For very large birds like cranes, white pelicans, or eagles I have used a rifle very successfully. A thirty-two gauge Allen is my favorite gun, and I have killed birds at all distances from twenty to three hundred and twenty-five yards with it. Of course, nearly all successful rifle shots must be made at sitting birds, as I have met with but few who could bring them down when flying. ”

“ After bending the bolts so as to form the legs, place the ends in the holes and screw on the nuts, place the lower ends of the irons in the holes in the stand and screw on the nuts, thus the beginning of the structure will stand firm. Fasten the end of the fifth iron firmly in the brain cavity by filling in with plaster, or wedging in pieces of wood, and screw the lower end in place. Now wind excelsior on the legs to the proper size and form; cover it with a thin layer of cotton. Then place on the body in sections of excelsior of exactly the form and size of life, and cover with clay. ”

“ Now part the feathers of the abdomen with the left hand, and, excepting in ducks and a few other species, a space, either naked or covered with down, will be seen extending from the lower or costal extremity of the sternum to the vent. Insert the point of the knife, which is held in the left hand, with the back downward, under the skin near the sternum, and, by sliding it downward, make an incision quite to the vent, taking care not to cut through the walls of the abdomen. This can readily be avoided in fresh birds, but not in specimens that have been softened by lying too long. ”

“ Do not leave clotted spots of blood in the plumage, as the feathers never lie well over them, and such places are liable to be attacked by insects, and even a spot of blood under the wing should, in my opinion, always be removed. Before any attempt is made either to make a bird into a skin or mount it, it should be thoroughly cleansed. ”

“ Of all the vast numbers interested in the study of bird life, there are few who do not gather specimens. Years ago, in the beginning of the study, when the solitary naturalist had no one to sympathize with him in his pursuits, birds’ skins were usually made in what we would now consider a shocking manner. ”

“ The ovaries vary in size from that of half the size of an egg to minute points, depending, as in the male, on the season of the year and age of the specimen. In very young birds the ovaries consist of a small white body which under a magnifying glass appears somewhat granular. In both male and female are two yellowish or whitish bodies, in the former sex lying above the testicles, but further forward, and consequently just in front of the kidneys; and in the female they occupy about the same position. ”

“ Crested Birds.—If a bird has a crest it should be raised by gently pulling forward the skin, where it will remain in position after it is neatly arranged; but in case of a dried skin, it may be necessary to prop the crest up with a piece of cotton, moulded on the head of a pin, the point of which is sunk into the head. ”

“ Owls.—The burrowing owl occurs in the western plains and in a limited area of Florida. The snowy owl inhabits sand-hills of the coast in winter, and the short-eared occurs in the marshes, but all other species are birds of the deep woods, occasionally emerging, however, especially at night. The great horned and barred may be decoyed within shooting distance in the spring by imitating their cries, and the latter-named species will also eagerly fly toward the collector when he produces a squeaking sound similar to that made by a mouse. The small owls may be often found in holes of trees. ”

“ Too much care cannot be taken in forming the eyelids of all birds, especially large ones. Have the cavity occupied by the eye round, with the cotton lying smoothl [Pg 58] y inside, and not projecting in a ragged manner.
Section VI.: Labelling Specimens.—A skin is of little value unless labelled with date, locality, and sex. Never lay a bird one side without a label is firmly attached to one foot or other part. The sex of birds is indicated by the astronomical signs of the planets ”

“ In using steel traps, care should be taken to wrap the jaws with cloth, so as to prevent injury to the legs of the bird captured. Vultures may be taken in steel traps by simply baiting them with any kind of flesh. Many species of birds may be successfully captured by one or another of the methods given. In fact, we are in constant receipt of trapped birds during the proper seasons, and thus many hawks and owls which would have been difficult to procure are taken in numbers by our collectors. ”

“ The art of taxidermy is very ancient, and doubtless had its origin among the very early races of man, who not only removed the skins of birds and mammals for clothing, but also for ornaments. Birds and mammals were also frequently regarded [Pg vii] as objects of worship, and consequently preserved after death, as among the ancient Egyptians, who embalmed entire birds and mammals that were considered sacred. ”