70 TAXIDERMY AND ZOOLOGICAL COLLECTING. 



The dotted lines in the figure show all the opening- cuts that 

 are necessary. The skin is left attached to the front of the 

 plastron for apparent reasons, but the plastron is turned up 

 and over the head to completely expose the interior. In the 

 case of a sea-turtle, which has the front linibs developed as 

 broad, flat flippers instead of feet, the opening- cut must extend 

 on up the leg, quite out to the extremity of the flipper. 



The animal's legs, tail, and neck are now skinned precisely as 

 those of a mammal would be, with the exception that each of 

 these members is detached from the body and pulled inward in 

 order to turn the skin wrong side out. Of course all flesh is to 

 be removed from the animal, precisely as with a mammal, and 

 unless the skeleton is to be preserved, the shoulder girdles and 

 pelvis may be cut out with the flesh and thrown away. 



Having removed all flesh from the entire subject, wash it 

 clean, and if it is not to be preserved in alcohol apply arsenical 

 soap and alum to the skin, putting some of the latter 011 the 

 outside as well as inside, and make up the skin otherwise as di- 

 rected for dry skins of ordinary mammals. The neck, legs, and 

 tail should have the right quantity of filling to prevent their 

 shrinking and shrivelling up to the point of unsightliiiess. Re- 

 member that the specimen may remain as you preserve it, and 

 be studied for years as a dry skin. 



The box turtles are so constructed that when they desire to 

 retire from the world nothing whatever save the hard shell re- 

 mains exposed. They cannot be opened up as described above. 

 It is necessary to meet their wants by simply sawing a big rect- 

 angular section out of the plastron, leaving only a rim remain- 

 ing, and through the hole thus made the animal can be skinned, 

 and also stuffed when the time comes. 



