Excelsior

 Not all stuffing is created equal. That's what I learned after carefully separating the movable head from the vintage eagle mount. With age, and questionable exposure to water, the thick wire holding head to body had rusted and began to wiggle inside the bird's inner form. And for anyone wondering, that's all that can really be found inside a taxidermy animal-a workable form and some wires. 

But the form materials stuffed inside of a prepared animal's skin to give it shape are not always the same. As I discovered with this eagle mount, the taxidermist used wood wool, which indicates it was likely created in an earlier era. Wood wool, called "excelsior," was the typical material used decades ago. Taxidermists have since transitioned to largely using foam molds and can find many pre-made options today.