SKULLS AND BREAST BONES. 99 



to the skull, and to the breast bone with its principal attach- 

 ments. These parts of the skeleton are, as a rule, so highly 

 characteristic that they afford in most cases invaluable zoo- 

 logical items. To save a skull is of course to sacrifice a skin, 

 to all intents ; but you often have mutilated or decayed speci- 

 mens that are very profitably utilized in this way. The breast 

 bone, excepting when mutilated, is always preservable with 

 the skin, and for " choice " invoices may form its natural ac- 

 companiment. You want to remove along with it the cora- 

 coids (the stout bones connecting the breast bone with the 

 shoulders), the merrythought intervening between these bones, 

 and the shoulder-blades, all without detachment from each 

 other. Slice off the large breast muscles close to the bone ; 

 and divide their insertions with the wing bones, scrape or cut 

 away the muscles that tie the shoulder-blades to the chest ; 

 snip off the ribs close to the side of the breast bone ; sever a 

 tough membrane usuall}^ found between the prongs of the wish- 

 bone ; then, by taking hold of the shoulders, you can lift out 

 the whole affair, dividing some slight connections underneath 

 the bone and behind it. The following points require atten- 

 tion : the breast bone often has long slender processes behind 

 and on the sides (the common fowl is one of the extreme illus- 

 trations of this) liable to be cut by mistake for I'ibs, or to be 

 snapped : the shoulder-blades usually taper to a point, easily 

 broken off; the merr34hought is sometimes very delicate, or 

 defective. When travelling, it is generally not advisable to 

 make perfect preparations of either skull or sternum : they are 

 best dried with only superfluous flesh removed, and besprin- 

 kled with arsenic. The skull, if perfectly cleaned, is particu- 

 larl}^ liable to lose the odd-shaped pronged bones that hinge 

 the jaw, and the freely movable pair that push on the palate 

 from behind. Great care should be exercised respecting the 

 identification of these bones, particularly the sternum, which 

 should invariably bear the number of the specimen to which it 

 belongs. A skull is more likely to be able to speak for itself, 

 and besides, is not usually accompanied by a skin ; neverthe- 

 less, any record tending to facilitate its recognition should be 



