44 



TAXIDERMY AND ZOOLOGICAL COLLECTING. 



but no colors, or colors with no skill, then out with your " Ridg- 

 way's Nomenclature of Colors," make a large diagram or sketch 

 of the head, and mark the names of the respective colors upon 

 it. Whenever the skin of any animal has any noticeable color, 

 record the fact in as definite terms as possible. 



All the great anthropoid apes should have the opening-cut 

 for the body made along the middle of the back, up to the back 

 of the head, instead of along the abdomen and breast, which are 

 generally but thinly haired, and on tlie throat are quite naked. 

 By doing this, the sewed-up seam comes at the back of the 

 mounted specimen, in the hair, and out of sight. With adult 

 specimens of the gorilla, chimpanzee, and orang the skeleton is 

 quite as valuable as the skin, therefore every bone must come 



FIG. 9. Foot of Oraug-Utan, showing Opening Cuts. 



forth and be carefully preserved. Skinning the fingers is a 

 tedious task, and one which requires some skill, especially when 

 it comes to working the end off so that the nail is left in its 

 place in the skin, and without mutilation. But when the value 

 of a skin and skeleton runs up into hundreds of dollars, you can 

 well afford to spend a whole hour in skinning a hand, if you 

 cannot do it in loss time. The opening cuts for the hand and 

 foot of any ape or monkey are to be inado as shown by the dot- 

 ted lines in the accompanying sketch of the foot of an orang- 

 utan (Fig. 9). This is necessary even in skinning t mall quadru- 

 manes which are to retain their leg bones, because the skin of 

 each finger must be separated from- the bone so that the pre- 

 servative powder or liquid can get at the inside of it. 



The Eyes and Nose. Bo exceedingly careful in skinning the 

 face. The eyes are deeply sunken in their sockets, and if you 



