Natural History 367 



(i) The TOTAL LENGTH is the distance between the tip 

 of the nose and the end of the tail vertebrae. It is taken 

 by laying the animal on a board, with its nose against 

 a pin or upright post, and by straightening the back and 

 tail by extending the hind legs with one hand while holding 

 the head with the other; a pin is then driven into the board 

 at the end of the vertebrae. (See Fig. 2.) 



(2) The LENGTH OF TAIL is the length of the caudal 

 vertebrae. It is taken by erecting the tail at right angle 

 to the back, and placing one point of the dividers on the 

 backbone at the very root of the tail, the other at the tip 

 end of the vertebras. (See Fig. 3.) 



(3) The HIND FOOT is measured by placing one point 

 of the dividers against the end of the heel {calcaneum), 

 the other at the tip of the longest claw, the foot being 

 flattened for this purpose. (See Fig. 4.) 



DIRECTIONS FOR THE PREPARATION OF SKINS 



Skin all mammals as soon as possible after death. 



Lay the animal on its back, and make an incision along 

 the middle of the belly from just behind the fore legs 

 nearly to the vent. Be careful not to stretch the skin 

 while removing it, and exercise great caution in skinning 

 around the eyes and Hps, which are easily cut. Skin as 

 far down on the feet as possible, but leave in the bones 

 of the legs. Remove the bone from the tail by pulling it 

 between the fingers (in the larger species a split stick 

 answers well). Take out the skull, being careful not to 

 cut or injure it in any way, and wash out the brains by 

 means of a syringe or jet of water. Remove the tongue, 

 and cut off the thick flesh from the sides and base of the 

 skull. Tie a tag to the skull, bearing the same number 



