88 TAXIDERMY AND ZOOLOGICAL COLLECTING. 



tlie cabinet without the necessity of removing- the animal. Mr. 

 Greegor s plan is to soak the shell in alcohol for a few days, to 

 completely preserve the animal, and then dry it thoroughly to 

 cxpol all the water from it. "When that is done, the final step 

 is to pour into the shell, through a rubber tube, a little thick var- 

 nish, or hot beeswax mixed with a little vaseline to make it 

 ilow readily, and thus cover the dried-up remains of the animal 

 with an impervious coating which does away with all odors 

 which might otherwise arise from it. This part of the process, 

 be it understood, is to be attended to after the cleaning and pol- 

 ishing has been done. 



Removing the Epidermis. The epidermis is so tough and hor- 

 ny, and sticks so tightly to the shell that tools cannot remove 

 it successfully and it must be done chemically. Make a strong 

 solution of chloride of lime and water, by putting into a jar 

 one-fourth its bulk of chloride of lime, two-fourths water, and . 

 leaving the remaining fourth part of the space for the froth that 

 will rise. Soak shells in this pasty solution for a short time, 

 and it will eat the epidermis off. 



Removing Limy Accretions. The bulk of all these thick, ir- 

 regular coatings must be removed with steel tools file, scraper, 

 knife, sand-paper, or hammer to suit each individual case. The 

 tool that Mr. Greegor most relies upon is a small and very light 

 hammer, made especially for him, which is shaped somewhat 

 like a square-headed tack-hammer, with the pointed end drawn 

 out to a blunt cutting edge, like the edge of a cold chisel. With 

 this cutting edge a skilful hand can peck the lime or coral in- 

 crustations off a shell very neatly, and without injury to the sur- 

 face of the specimen. Acid will not remove the thick, limy de- 

 posits, and they must be cleaned off by mechanical means. 



After the bulk of the limy deposits have been removed by 

 means of tools, the shell usually has a dull, lustreless appearance, 

 and appears to require something that will remove the remain- 

 ing particles of lime, impart to it a permanent gloss, and bring 

 out its beautiful colors. Fortunately there is a way to do this 

 to perfection, which consists in dipping the shell in a weak so- 

 lution of muriatic acid and water, boiling hot. The strength of 

 this solution must vary according to the nature of the specimen. 

 For thick and strong shells, which by their solid character you 



