Read Ebook: Taxidermy without a Teacher Comprising a Complete Manual of Instruction for Preparing and Preserving Birds Animals and Fishes by Manton Walter Porter

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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.

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.

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.

SKINNING AND MOUNTING MAMMALS.

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.

SKINNING.

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 vertebrae, 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.

MOUNTING.

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.

SKINNING AND MOUNTING FISHES AND REPTILES.

FISHES.--SKINNING.

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 vertebrae. 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.

MOUNTING.

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 , 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.

REPTILES.--SKINNING.

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.

MOUNTING.

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.

EGGS AND NESTS.

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.

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 o?logical 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.

GUM PASTE.

Melt, and label "Gum Paste, for closing the holes drilled in eggs," etc.

SKELETONS.

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 . Skeletons should be mounted on wires fixed in a wooden standard painted black.

HUNTING AND HYGIENE.

THE GUN.

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.

LOADING.

CARRYING.

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.

TRANSPORTING.

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.

COLLECTING SUIT.

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.

EATING.

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.

AT HOME.

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