60 THK NAVAJO TANNER. 



of the thighs, from the aukles to the abdominal division, making simi- 

 lar incisions on the inside of the fore-limbs. The legs were quickly 

 skinned, the small tail split up on its under side and the vertebraB re- 

 moved, while with his knife the hide was started on both sides from 

 the abdominal and throat incision and quickly removed in the direc- 

 tion of the animal's back. Thus it was that the skin was removed from 

 the entire body and up to the ears first; then as he arrived at these 

 latter, their cartilages were cut through close to the skull, leaving the 

 great ears of this species of deer attached to the hide. When he ar- 

 rived at the eyes, these were skinned round, much in the same way 

 as a skillful taxidermist manages the eyes in any vertebrate specimen 

 he may be preparing. Upon arriving at the muzzle he simply divided 

 the skin all around, posterior to the external nostrils, and the oper- 

 ation of removing the hide was completed. During the time he was 

 engaged in skinning the sides towards the back I succeeded in mak- 

 ing a successful photograph of him in the act. It forms one of the 

 illustrations of this paper. He next proceeded to dig a hole in the 

 ground (with a spade that stood near) of a capacity about as big as a 

 bushel. The bottom of this excavation was tramped hard with his feet 

 and the hide placed therein, hair side up, and immediately covered 

 entirely over with cold water from a neighboring spring. On top of the 

 hide he placed a camp-kettle, bottom side up, and braced it down with 

 the spade. This was to prevent the skin from drying and the kettle to 

 keep the ravenous Indian dogs from eating it up during the night. 



He now informed me that was all that was to be done to it at 

 present, and he would not touch it until I arrived there again in the 

 morning. Bright and early I was upon the ground, and he left camp 

 with an ax to soon return with the trunk of a small pine tree which 

 he had cut down in the meau time. At its thickest end it was about G 

 inches through, and about 4 at the smaller extremity. From one side of 

 the larger half he removed the bark, completely exposing the smooth 

 surface of the wood beneath it. He next cut a deep notch in the big end 

 of this stick, so as to assist in bracing it against the limb of a small 

 cedar tree near by, with smooth surface facing him and the small end 

 of the stick resting firmly upon the ground some 2 feet from the base of 

 the aforesaid cedar tree. Around about was plentifully bestrewn some 

 clean, short hay, to prevent the hide from being soiled upon the ground 

 beneath. We now returned to the hole where the skin had remained 

 over night, and it was taken out to be washed in clean water, when he 

 proceeded with a sharp knife to remove all superfluous tissue from its 

 raw side, skinned the ears carefully by removing completely the carti- 

 laginous parts, then cleared away the muscles which had remained at- 

 tached about their bases, trimmed off the remains of the panniculus 

 muscle, and indeed left nothing but a thoroughly clean hide, which 

 received its final dip in clean water. 





