Of raccoons and rodents

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Daniel and I were wasting time wandering through an Arts & Crafts Mall and saw a small birchwood canoe being paddled by a half dozen raccoons. Some taxidermist had gone berserk, was our first thought. Our second was where it would look best in the apartment ...

At any rate, that rather surreal experience popped into mind when I ran across this ad on Amazon:

Mouse - A Taxidermy Workshop Manual [Kindle Edition] $4.90

Margot Magpie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 9, 2013

A complete guide to creating your own naturalist or anthropomorphic taxidermy mouse.

If you've ever fancied enlivening your mantelpiece with dancing, singing, pipe-smoking or motorbike-riding mice, then this book is for you. Taxidermy has been accepted, both as a craft and an art, for centuries, and is once again making a place for itself in the homes of thousands of enthusiasts. All it takes to learn to stuff your own animals is a little basic knowledge and a creative imagination.

Margot Magpie, who teaches the perennially sold-out taxidermy course at The Last Tuesday Society in London, takes you through the step-by-step process of mouse taxidermy: from ethically sourcing your rodents, to preservation, stuffing, and positioning. By the end, you'll have a happy little mouse, a quirky talking point for your living room and a new experience to tell your friends about.

Seventy easy to follow steps that teach you to skin, prep, preserve, mount and position a mouse in under four hours.

A fully illustrated guide. Each step is accompanied by a close up photograph of the author at work.

I would think the photos of Margot Magpie at work would be worth the $4.90.