COLLECTING SKELETONS. 



277 



of the last joint will get lost or cut away by mistake. More- 

 over, when you come to tie up the skeleton, the primaries will 

 afford valuable protection to the ribs. 



With a bird, the entire skeleton should be roughed out be- 

 fore any disjointing" is done, and even then none is necessary, 

 save to cut off the legs of large birds, especially those with long 

 legs. Study carefully the accompanying figure of a bird skele- 



FIG. 67. Rongh Skeleton of a Bird. (After F. A. Lucae.) 



ton (Fig. 67), and then it will be hardly necessary to say more 

 than to roughly, but carefully, cut off the flesh with a cartilage 

 knife or scalpel, and remove all the viscera. Look out for those 

 delicate little points on the neck vertebra?, and also be very 

 careful not to cut off those curious little appendages (called un- 

 cinate processes) that project backward from the middle of each 

 rib. Leave the hyoid bone in its place, and also the bony ring 

 surrounding the eyeball of the great blue heron, the owl, and 

 other birds of prey. If any portion of the windpipe reveals 

 any bony structure, the entire windpipe should be saved. 

 Whenever any tendons are found to be partly ossified, as they 

 will certainly prove to be in the " drumstick " of your Thanks- 

 giving turkey, leave them in place for the osteologist to do 

 with as he pleases. 



IVJien in <t<>>/f>f (ilxmf any special part, give the osteologist the bene- 

 fit of the donhl IHJ Caving the special part for him. 



If the bird is a large one, cut off the head, and after cleaning 

 it pack it away in the chest 'cavity. If the bird is small, you 

 can leave it attached to the neck, and remove the brain by bend- 

 ing the head down and cutting it half off from above, thus ex- 



