BY WALTER P. MANTON Illustrated SECOND EDITION, REVISED AND ENLARGED BOSTON LEE AND SHEPARD PUBLISHERS NEW YORK CHARLES T. DILLINGHAM Copyright, 1882, By Lee and Shepard . All Rights Reserved. TO PROFESSOR J. W. P. JENKS, A.M., OF BROWN UNIVERSITY, This Second Edition IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR....

The success of this little book during the past six years necessitates a second edition. As a manual it is not intended to compete with the larger handbooks on the subject; but the attempt has been made to furnish the beginner with reliable instruction for the least money possible. The present edition has been thoroughly revised, and many additions made. As was said in the first edition: "I have employed the method given for a number of years, and with great success, and guarantee success to the

Brown University , Providence, R. I. Mr. Manton ,—Having perused your MS. " Taxidermy Without a Teacher ," I feel free to say, that its suggestions are eminently practical, and cannot fail to render such aid to the beginner as he most needs, and indeed must have from some source, at the outset of his efforts to acquire the beautiful art of preserving and mounting specimens in Natural History. Whatever induces the young or old to turn their attention to the study of nature, is a gain to society a

Well, here we are at last. Please turn the key in that door—to keep all inquisitive priers out—for the process into which I am about to initiate you is something of a secret, shrouded by the thin veil of mystery. You have come to me to-day to learn something of the art of Taxidermy, so we will take up, for your first lesson, bird skinning and mounting. But first let us see what we shall need to accomplish our end: a pair of good sharp scissors—surgical scissors, with long handles and short, stou

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 th

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. 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

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 t

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 c

During the busy collecting season, rough skeletons may be made by removing skin, viscera, and as much muscle as possible, covering the body with the arsenic-alum powder, and allowing it to dry, when the specimen may be wrapped in paper and laid away for future use. To prepare skeletons for the cabinet, remove as much of the fleshy parts as possible, and boil the bones until the remaining flesh is softened and can be easily removed. Then boil in water in which a piece of lime as large as a hen's

To be a good collector, it is necessary to be something more than a good marksman. You must know at what time of day to go out to be most successful, and the localities where you are most likely to find the birds that you are looking for. In the field, you must be all eyes and ears. No thicket should be too dense, no tree too tall for your quick eye to penetrate its foliage; no chirp or rustle too small or weak for your active ear to detect. In short, to be a good collector you must understand w