PAET IV. OSTEOLOGY. 



CHAPTEE XXXVI. 

 COLLECTING SKELETONS. 



IT is really strange that so few American collectors are taught 

 the scientific value of skeletons, and the need to collect them, 

 especially when in the haunts of rare animals. AVhile hundreds 

 of collectors gather bird skins by the cord, perhaps not one out 

 of the whole lot saves a rough skeleton. Any one who is wholly 

 unaccustomed to the preparation of skeletons is apt to stand 

 appalled at the thought of preparing one from the beginning; 

 and, indeed, the final work of cleaning and mounting is no 

 child's play. But let me assure you that, so far as the field work 

 is concerned, you can easily become a successful collector of 

 skeletons of all kinds, even though you may never learn to 

 clean and mount one. All you have to do in the field is to 

 "rough out" skeletons from the flesh, and dry them in com- 

 pact bundles for shipment. 



A ROUGH SKELETON of a mammal, bird, reptile, or fish, is sim- 

 ply the complete bony framework of the body, from which the 

 most of the flesh has been cut away with a common knife, after 

 which the skeleton and remaining flesh has been dried prepara- 

 tory to its being, at some indefinite time in the future, taken in 

 hand by a professional osteologist. The work of preparation on 

 such specimens is very simple, and when once learned is easily 

 performed. 



SELECTION OF SPECIMENS. "When a choice is possible, select 

 large and perfect adult male specimens as subjects to be skele- 

 tonized. The skeletons of young animals are always imperfect 



