CLEANING AND MOUNTING SMALL SKELETONS. 287 



you scrape from the middle of a mammalian or avian bone to- 

 ward either end, before you are aware of it, you have loosened 

 the attachment of the ligament, and have nothing left to hold 

 the joint together. By beginning 1 on the ligament itself, and 

 working away from it, you can scrape it down so thin at the 

 point of attachment that its identity is quite lost, and the point 

 where it ends is hardly visible. This principle applies to the 

 scraping of all ligamentary skeletons, except a few reptiles. 



In cleaning bird skeletons beAvare of injuring the little tack- 

 like points which project downward from each of the cervical 

 vertebrae. Have a care also for the soft bones of the coccyx, 

 and the uncinate process which projects backward from the pos- 

 terior edge of each rib. In fishes the greatest difficulty lies in 

 leaving the ribs attached to the remainder of the skeleton, for 

 if the operator is at all as the writer used to be in the days of 

 his youth, he will be prone to scrape some of the ribs loose, 

 and be obliged to glue them in place in the dry skeleton, with 

 glue and cotton batting that has been clipped up finely with ;i 

 sharp pair of scissors. 



While a small skeleton is undergoing the scraping process it 

 must not be allowed to get dry until it is finally set up in posi- 

 tion. When the skeleton is not being worked upon, it must be 

 kept soaking in clean water ; but remember that this cannot go 

 on very long, or maceration Avill set in, the ligaments will give 

 way, and the bones will all come apart. A little borax in the 

 water serves to arrest decomposition, and will allow a skeleton 

 to remain soaking for several days longer than could otherwise 

 be allowed. After a skeleton has been well scraped, in order 

 to get it as white as possible and free from grease, it must be 



treated with 



JAVELI,E WATER. 



% pound chloride of lime. 



1 pound common washing soda. 



1 gallon of boiling water. 



Keep this on hand in a glass-stoppered jar, in the dark. In 

 using it, draw off a small quantity in a broad, shallow, earthen 

 dish. Lay every small skeleton in it, and with a soft tooth- 

 brush of the right size, brush all the bones thoroughly for 

 about five minutes. At the end of that process wash the skele- 



