142 TAXIDERMY AND ZOOLOGICAL COLLECTING. 



5. The most perfect preservation of the skin and its covering 

 from damage by excessive handling-, beating, and wetting. 



6. The absolute perfection of form and attitude which is at- 

 tainable by this method only. 



Until you have fully learned the principles of manikin mak- 

 ing, do not attempt to mount by this process a skin that has 

 come to you with no measurements nor leg bones. Choose for 

 your first attempt a good-sized dog or sheep, or some quadruped 

 of similar size which you have in the flesh, and from which you 

 can take a full series of outlines, measurements, casts, etc. I 

 can probably teach you as well as any living man how to pro- 

 ceed when you have no measurements whatever, and will give 

 you a few hints presently ; but now I say, you must have your 

 first subject in the flesh. It is then within your power to secure 

 to yourself all possible advantages in what you are about to do. 



It is desirable to take the usual measurements before the 

 skin is removed, but by all means make another series of the 

 skinned body and limbs. In skinning, disjoint the leg bones at 

 the carpal joint,* which leaves only the bones of the foot at- 

 tached to the skin. When the skin is put on for the last time, 

 this joint must be re-articulated with two wires. When the skin 

 is out of the way, you can take the length of the body from the 

 back part of the thigh to the point of the shoulder ; the distance 

 between elbow and knee, from the elbow to the top of the shoul- 

 der ; the circumference and diameter of the body, neck, and 

 limbs, at various points ; the depth of the body, etc. You can 

 also measure from the highest point of the head of the femur 

 to a similar point on the humerus, and when the hind legs have 

 been cut off, you can easily determine the proper length for your 

 iron squares by measuring between the two hip sockets (os ino- 

 minata). Observe, now, if you never did before, that the front 

 edges of the tibia and the ulna have no flesh whatever upon 

 them, nor has the angle of the elbow, the knee-cap, nor the front 

 of the metacarpal bones. 



Save the bones of each leg complete, and without any farther 

 disjointing ; but, of course, the flesh must be carefully trimmed 

 and scraped away. Save the skull, of course, and it will be a 

 great help if you will hastily " rough out " the bones of the en- 



* At the hoof in the case of all hoofed animals. 



