38 TAXIDERMY AND ZOOLOGICAL COLLECTING. 



ments between two points, not following curves ; and curved 

 lines indicate circumference measurements. 



Record all measurements in feet and inches, and fractions of an 

 inch. If you would have your records understood by the few 

 rather than by the many, then bow to the dictates of the French 

 and German naturalists, who, as a rule, care not a brass farthing 

 for American science or zoological nomenclature, and employ 

 the metric system. The chances are as twenty to one that no 

 one outside of the English language will ever care a continental 

 about your measurements, and for this reason United States 

 measurements ought to bo good enough for us. There is no 

 more reason why 120,000,000 English-speaking people should 

 adopt the metric system for a few Europeans who might care 

 for their measurements, than that we should write all our zoo- 

 logical books and papers in French or German. If you wish 

 to make your records available' to the pec.plc, who will care for 

 them, make them in the United States language. 



1. Length of head and body to root of tail (Plate III., A-A). 

 -In taking this measurement, lay the animal upon its side, 



stretch the head straight forward as far as it will go, and hold a 

 stick perpendicular against the tip of the nose. Erect another 

 perpendicular rod under the tail, close to where it joins the 

 body, at the angle formed by the lines A and II, then measure 

 between these two perpendiculars. 



2. Height at the shoulders (B-B). This is a difficult measure- 

 ment to take, because it is subject to the management of the 

 operator. Plant a perpendicular rod close against the shoulders 

 at the highest point. Then hold the foreleg perfectly straight, 

 at a right angle to the axis of the body, and bend 'up the foot 

 into the position it would assume if the animal were standing 

 upon it. In short, place the foreleg and foot exactly as they 

 would be were the animal alive and standing, with its weight rest- 

 ing upon it, and measure from the bottom of the heel in a straight 

 line to the perpendicular at the shoulders. 



3. Girth behind foreleg In taking this, always measure at 

 the point where the girth of a saddle touches the horse, and 

 draw the tape-line taut upon the skin. If the hair is thick and 

 long, part it. 



4. Circumference of the neck. 



