Couldn't find what I was looking for in the archives. I will be using a Ferebee mallard form and was wondering about the attachment points on this specific form. Are the leg attachments on this form typical of a standing or flying mount? Also, when using this form, how much of the humerus ball is incorporated into the form? (would you cut the ball off or dermel out the area) Any other tips on using Joe's forms would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Jamie
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You should simply refer back to the tracing you made of the carcass when you skinned the bird. Some of the things that should be indicated iclude the point at which the thigh bone (femur) attaches, the length of the femur, and the arc through which it pivots. I usually just indicate the rearmost and forwardmost positions and then connect them with a curved dotted line.
The rearmost position is only seen rarely, like when the bird is stretching, and the forwardmost position is used when they are sitting resting or scratching their heads. Regular standing legs should usually attach fairly close to the forward position (within 1/2" or so) and flying legs usually go at about the midway point on the arc or slightly back from that.
Reference tracings are part of Taxidermy 101. Even if you don't use them to make your own forms they contain a wealth of useful information and only take a couple of minutes to make. You don't have to trace EVERY bird - just a typical one from each species and gender.
After that, you can just make a note to yourself if a particular bird in question is larger or smaller than the norm and purchase or make your form accordingly.
I like those A -Z expanding paper files for storing my contact sketches. They will hold many hundred.
Nancy M.
Thanks Nancy. As always you are wealth of knowledge. I still have the carcass (and a fully intact bird of equal size). I will be making these traces on every bird from now on.
Thanks again.
Jamie