Chapter XXIII: Section VI: MOUNTING DRIED SKINS.--Soften as directed in making over

dried skins, observing the caution given under that section, and have the skin very pliable. The cavities of the eyes may be filled from the mouth or from the inside of the skin. If the skin be too tender to turn, rasp it down by working through the orifice. Mount as directed in fresh specimens, but dried skins almost always require to be bound with winding cotton in order to keep the feathers in place. They also require rather more harder filling with cotton. This should be wrapped around the bird in as continuous a string as possible until all the feathers lie smoothly. They may be arranged under the bindings with small tweezers. Avoid binding too closely or too tight, and above all things bind evenly, that is, do not make depressions nor allow elevations to appear, for, as a rule, these will always remain after the bindings have been removed. Small birds should be allowed to stand at least a week in a dry place before the bindings are removed. Birds mounted from skins dry more quickly than from fresh specimens. Large birds should stand from two weeks to a month, especially if the wings be spread. To remove the binding threads, cut down the back, thus taking it all off at once.