COLLECTING SKELETONS. 275 



the skeleton entire, and all the bones of each leg and foot united 

 by their natural ligaments. A skeleton prepared thus may 

 ultimately be mounted as a "ligamentary skeleton," or it may 

 be disjointed throughout, macerated, and mounted as a "dis- 

 articulate skeleton." Except for skeletons of bison, elk, and 

 other animals which are entirely too large to admit of transport- 

 ing their bodies whole, it is much the best to prepare all others 

 in the field as described above, and disarticulate some of them 

 afterward ; for this reduces to a minimum the chance of losing 

 some of the parts. 



SKELETONS OF LARGE MAMMALS. The process of roughing out 

 the skeletons of large mammals, 110 matter how large they may 

 be, is precisely the same as described above for small ones ; but 

 to make it possible to transport and box them, they must be cut 

 to pieces, or, I had better say, disjointed, for fear some zealous 

 partisan might interpret my words too literal!}', and go at a 

 valuable* skeleton with an axe. And right here let me publish 

 a law which is as fixed and unalterable as the laws of the Medes 

 and Persians, and admits of no exception : 



In disarticulating a large skeleton, no maffcr ]/</ large, <ni axe or 

 ha f chef must never be used for any purpose whatever. Use nothing 

 but the knife, and in a few cases a small saw to separate the 

 sternum from the ends of the ribs. 



To come down to the details of cutting up a large skeleton in 

 the field, and making it up into a number of separate bundles, 

 let us suppose that the skeleton lies before us, completely 

 roughed out, in accordance with previous advice. The bones of 

 each leg must be dislocated (at the " knees " in ruminant ani- 

 mals) either once or twice, so that the parts can be easily han- 

 dled. In a full-grown elephant the leg bones are so large it is 

 necessary to cut the ligaments at each joint, so that the scapula, 

 humerus, radius and ulna, and foot may each be handled separ- 

 ately. 



Of course, the head is to be cut off at the first cervical verte- 

 bra. Then, by careful work, and much coaxing with the sharp 

 point of the knife, dislocate the spinal column just Avhere tin- 

 neck joins the body. At first this will bother you, but have 

 patience and you will soon learn how to do it easily and quickly. 

 In dislocating the spinal column, take hold of the neck, move it 



