Zoological Society. 297 



May 5, 1833. It referred to various animals of Marocco which Mr. 

 Willshire is in expectation of procuring for the Society. It also stated 

 the opinion of the writer that "the M'horr Antelope [recently described 

 by Mr. Bennett as a distinct species, as noticed in Lond. & Edinb Phil. 

 Mag. vol. ii. p. 477,] will be found to be of the same race as the 

 Nanguer of Senegal ;" Mr. Willshire " having traced the existence of 

 the M'horr to Whadden (or Hoden on the maps), and even further 

 to the southward, thus approaching near to Senegal." Mr. Willshire 

 adds that he considers that "the Antilope Leucoryx is almost beyond 

 a doubt the Bekker-al-voash of the Arabs of this neighbourhood." 



Mr. Willshire forwarded at the same time the following account 

 of the method practised in dressing skins in Marocco, the results of 

 which are excellent as regards the preservation and colour of the 

 fur and the flexibility of the pelt. 



" Wash the skin in fresh water to deprive it of the salt ; as soon 

 as this is done scrape the flesh off; when take 



" 2 lbs. alum, 



" 1 quart buttermilk, 



" 2 or 3 handfuls barley meal, 

 " which mix well together, and lay on the fleshy side of the skin 

 equally j fold up and press it together carefully, and let it lie two days. 

 On the third day take it to the sea side, wash the skin well, and when 

 clean and free from the mixture, hang it up to let the water run 

 from it: then take 21bs. rock [Roche~)alumfinelypowdered, and throw 

 or spread it equally on all parts of the skin ; again fold up as before, 

 and allow it to lie three days, when it will be in a proper state to 

 dry in the sun, laid flat without taking away the powder. When it is 

 dry, take a pint or two of fresh water and sprinkle it upon the skin, 

 and again fold it up carefully for about two hours to imbibe the 

 water j then lay it on a table, and after scraping it free from the 

 mixture and flesh, take a sand stone (rather rough) and rub the 

 skin well until it becomes soft and pliable, then hang it in the shade 

 to dry. The process is then complete. 



" When the skin is perfect, having the head, horns, &c, take off 

 the horns and fill their cavity with a mixture of equal parts of pow- 

 dered alum and ashes of charcoal, dissolved in water, and expose 

 them two days to the sun. Saturate the trunks of the horns with 

 8 ounces of alum dissolved in water, and fold up with the skin, and 

 apply the same on each occasion when employed in curing the skin. 

 The flesh on the head and jaws to be carefully taken off, filling the 

 same with powdered alum. It should remain in the sun until per- 

 fectly dry. 



* In addition to the foregoing description of the mode used in 

 this country in dressing skins, as related by the person employed 

 by me, it may be well to observe that the process does not take so 

 long here, as I have often received back skins of the Aoudad and 

 Leopard from the dresser, on the third or fourth, and never ex- 

 ceeding the fifth day, perfectly cured. Allowance has been made 

 by the dresser, in the foregoing description, for the difference in 

 the climate of London. 



Third Series. Vol. 3. No. 16. Oct. 1833. 2 Q 



