T. J. McConnaughay

“ Since his day taxidermy has rivaled the plastic art, and today, it has reached such a degree of perfection that the most artistic and æsthetic effects may be wrought by the hands of any operator who possesses artistic faculties. ”

“ After skinning as directed, make a frame, EE, and take a straight piece of wire long enough to reach from the point of the nose to the other end of the body, fasten this to the frame, EE, at the upper end, by wrapping them together with a small wire or cord, leaving the frame EE as near the center as possible. Take cotton or tow and wrap the wire that is to run lengthwise of 77the body, say one-fourth as big as the body, then insert it in the skin and proceed to stuff with cotton, being very careful to get the natural shape. ”

“ Divide the skin right and left, putting cotton or paper on the body as the skin is removed, or sprinkle with corn meal, as directed for birds in Article I, to prevent the fatty matter from soiling the hair. When you come to the hind legs, pull the skin down over the thigh joint, and unjoint it, cut the leg off and skin down to the knee joint and unjoint there, taking out all the flesh down to the foot, then treat the other hind leg the same way. Now skin down over the rump and back to the tail. The tail is hard to skin. ”

“ Take some cotton and put it in through the ears with a wire, placing it where needed to give the head a proper shape; arrange the skin around the eyes, nose and mouth; then let dry before lining. Put a good supply of the alcohol and corrosive sublimate on the ears, nose and lips, as soon as head is dressed. Now for the lining, procure a sufficient amount of felt to line it, say of a dark green color; then get enough to make a strip one and a half inches wide and long enough to go 125around the edge of hide ”

“ When partly dry take it up and rub and pull it until soft, which completes the tanning. We are then ready to place the skull in position. After skinning the head, remove the brains and eyeballs, and then boil the skull until all the flesh can be scraped from the bones. The skull being ready, fill the eye sockets with plaster paris made with water into the consistency of a plaster, and then set in a pair of suitable glass eyes, being careful to so adjust them as to give them the appearance of natural eyes. ”

“ Dress the bird as others, letting the hoop or tail support extend out under the tail. After it is all stuffed and set on the board, bend the tail support up back of tail, and fasten the feathers of the tail to it by tying them, one at a time, with a heavy thread, in such a way that when all are fastened to the wire they will stand as when the bird was strutting. Arrange the wings and body to suit and let dry. ”

“ When you have a customer in the chair, first put a clean towel on him and proceed to make the 41lather using warm soft water. Lather the face and scour the beard, and then lather again with a good heavy lather. Proceed to shave, drawing the razor with a sawing stroke, and make the strokes as long as practicable. Hold the skin tight to throw out the beard, and go over the face the first time as quickly as possible. Then wash the soap from the face, and go over it a second time, keeping the skin somewhat stretched, and wet with soft water. ”

“ Have some cotton and old newspaper with you, 78and as soon as you kill a specimen, stop up the shot holes with the cotton, and it is sometimes best to stuff some in the nostrils and mouth. If any blood has run out on the hair, or feathers, as the case may be, wipe it off carefully, then wrap the body in paper and pack it in the game sack, using all care not to bend, break or soil the feathers, for if once soiled it is hard to make the work look well again. ”

“ Cut a hole in the bottom of each foot, and probe the legs with a knife or the blunt end of a wire; pour 87in some of the solution of corrosive sublimate, or work in enough of the powder to preserve the flesh; if the tail is a large one, it should be treated in the same way, and all sewed up. Now set it on a board and tack the feet to the board in as near the way it would hold them while walking as you can. Pull the neck out a very little, and put a little block or a small roll of cotton under it to hold it up in position while drying. ”

“ You must not only work but you must embrace every opportunity to improve your qualifications, if you would achieve success in this age of advanced knowledge and skill. You should always be on the alert, and never miss an opportunity to acquire useful information. Knowledge is power, and it behooves you to gain all the knowledge you can, especially of your own business. ”

“ Next comes the water hone which is simply a fine grit stone, and then comes the glass hone which is but little used. A few barbers use it to take off the wire edge of over-honed razors. Hones should be handled with great care. In honing the razor should be run well out to the ends to prevent hollowing the hone. Should a hone begin to hollow, work it down with fine 40sand paper to a perfect face and smooth it with the rubber used on the water hones. I prefer olive oil on an oil hone if carefully used. Of course lather may be used on an oil hone the same as on the Swatty and glass hones. ”

“ Insert the knife at the top of breast-bone and cut the skin from there 50to the tail. Great care should be taken not to cut too deep over the intestines, as it is only necessary to cut through the skin. Now begin where you first inserted the knife and proceed to separate the skin from the flesh, either with the fingers or the back of the scalpel or knife. Tear some small pieces of paper, say about an inch square, and put under the skin on the flesh as you get them separated, which will keep the feathers from sticking to the flesh and becoming soiled ”

“ The leg wires should be bent so as to allow the foot to rest on board, and when dry the wires should be cut off at bottom of feet, and the projecting neck wire at end of nose should also be cut off. Anoint the feet, nose and ears with the preserving fluid once a day for a few days. The wood and wire frame is used in heavy animals, the wood simply taking the place of the wire along the back. ”

“ We should, of course, always put our own impress upon all our work. Our observations on the methods of others should supplement but not supplant our own originality and our own reason. A noted artist when asked how he mixed his paints to achieve such wonderful results, replied: “I mix them with brains.” ”

“ Take a forked stick, and after pressing the skin as far down on the tail-bone as possible, holding the bone as tight in the fork as you can, pull downward and the bone will slip out. 65If the animal is not too large it should be swung up with a rope or cord tied around the body just in front of the hind legs, or by attaching a hook to the rope which fastens into the flesh. ”

“ If the bird is to be placed on a limb perch, bore the holes through the limb, place the bird on, and draw the wires tight, and drive a wooden wedge in beside the wire to hold it, then file the wire off close to the under side of the perch. Pose the bird in as natural a position as you can, imitating nature as near as possible. ”

“ Never be afraid of putting too much of the preserving powder on a hide.
Never be afraid of charging a good price for a well dressed specimen.
Always use the best material, such as eyes, tow, cotton, wire, etc.
Always try to improve on each specimen you dress that you may excel others in the art.
TANNING HIDES WITH HAIR ON. Very little has ever been written in regard to tanning skins with the hair on. ”

“ Turpentine is also a good preservative, and is sometimes used in place of corrosive sublimate.
THINGS WORTH REMEMBERING. Never attempt to dress a bird when its feathers are broken or badly blood stained, unless it is a rare specimen.
Never dress a bird after the feathers begin to slip.
Never dress an animal after the hair begins to slip.
Never let a hide get dry before applying the preserving powder.
Never stretch a hide out of shape while taking it off.
Never forget to stop all wounds and 117the mouth and nostrils with cotton as soon as you kill the specimen. ”

“ Treat every customer as though your success depended upon him and him alone, and always exert your utmost to do good work. Much depends upon the barber's ability to shave well. To 37accomplish the great desideratum of being able to shave well each one of the various customers with their varying qualities of beard, you must diligently study the temper of your razors with reference to the peculiar beard of each customer. Again much depends upon the lather, the brush, the hone, the strop, etc. ”

“ DRESSING BIRDS WITH WINGS SPREAD. To dress a bird with wings spread, either flying or sitting, it will be necessary to put in wing wires to hold the 61wings out. The easiest way is to use the wire and board frame, using the front leg wires as used in animals, for the wings. ”

“ The best artisans and artists admit they owe much to the accumulated knowledge and experience of both their predecessors and their contemporaries. Indeed, to assert any claim to advanced knowledge and skill, without due acknowledgements for the help received from others would savor of an inexcusable egotism. The man who professes 4to be a self-made man is always notorious for worshiping his maker. ”

“ Purchase every good book pertaining to your business, study diligently and practice what you learn, and you will soon stand abreast with the best and most progressive barbers. You should be prompted by no meaner ambition. ”

“ Wishing to stand animals, such as squirrels, groundhogs, etc., on the 70hind legs, they have to remain on a block or perch; so procure a suitable block or perch, and varnish it before putting the specimen on. Animals and birds can be stuffed with hay, or anything that you can get into them in good shape. I often mow fine bluegrass and dry it carefully, and find it makes splendid stuffing, especially for the bodies of animals and large birds. ”

“ Moreover, while you should attend well to the proper equipment of your mind, you should not neglect the proper cultivation of your social character. Especially should you cultivate what might be termed a practical business social tact. ”

“ I have a friend who is experimenting on a new line with very encouraging prospects of successfully producing hair on bald heads. If any party interested will address me a few months hence, I may be able to advise them how to reproduce hair on bald heads. ”

“ Melt together and stir till cool. This I have found one of the best salves for all skin diseases I have ever tried. Apply twice a day, but use with care since it contains mercury.
HAIR OILS AND HAIR DRESSINGS. While oiling the hair is a thing of the past, we might indulge a few remarks as a matter of history. Thirty years ago almost every customer used oil on his hair, and every barber was expected to know how to mix his own oils. A favorite preparation was made as follows: 1 pint of alcohol and 11⁄2 pints of castor-oil were shaken together, and then perfumed with citronella or bergamot. ”

“ Water to be used for shampooing should always be warm.
EGG SHAMPOO. This favorite preparation should be used immediately after mixing.
Take 1 fresh egg, 1 teaspoonful of silver gloss shampoo, and 1⁄4 teaspoonful of powdered borax. Mix together with an egg beater, and then use as other shampoos.
20 A CHEAP SEA FOAM. Take 2 ounces of the silver gloss shampoo, 2 ounces alcohol, 1 ounce glycerine and 1 pint water; shake well together and perfume to suit your fancy. ”

“ Without a frame of this kind it is almost impossible to cut them to set level with stool and floor. In fact, it is more difficult than it would be for a carpenter to cut molding to fit corners, etc., without a mitre box. It is very simple and is made as follows: For a frame large enough to cut four horns, take a fencing board and cut off a piece from it two feet long. The board is supposed to be about six inches wide and one inch thick. Saw off another piece the same length and nail it to the edge, as shown in cut. ”

“ The first thing to be done is to kill it, which is the hardest part of the operation, 85as it clings to life tenaciously, and large ones are very strong and hard to manage. One way is to get it to open its mouth, and catch it by the under jaw with a pair of strong pliers, hold its mouth open and make it swallow a quantity of the solution of corrosive sublimate ”

“ It requires some skill to make a smooth job of the first; yet by going slow, any one should do a fair job. Next make a board to screw on the back of this, which should be made in diamond shape or rounding on both ends, and about six inches longer and one inch wider than the skull board ”

“ The horn is now ready, after polishing, to be placed on the stool. It can also be placed on a board and used for a hat hook, or for holding back window curtains, etc.
102 ARTICLE XII.
DIRECTIONS FOR POLISHING HORNS, HOOFS, ETC. Go to a hardware store and buy two good wood rasps, flat on one side and round on the other; then get three grades of emery or sand-paper, say No. 1, No. 0, No. 00; then go to a drug store and buy ten cents' worth of sweet oil and ten cents' worth of rotten stone. Get an old felt hat and an old case knife and you are ready for business. ”