Unexpected beached whale is unexpected...

In other words, I've received something of a windfall in that a package from my father showed up on my doorstep this afternoon.

A packaged containing ( two pheasant tails and some extra feathers. )

Unlike the last time Dad tried to give me a pheasant tail, these are nicely dried and clean -- with birds, it's vitally important to get all the fatty tissue, like the oil gland, off the skin. Once that's done, with a bit of care, the skin dries into something rather like parchment without the need for extensive tanning steps.

I'm thinking I'll use them in hat-making, because seriously, some of the feathers are over two feet long.