SKELETONS OF BIRDS. 421 



row-bladed knife should be introduced into its mouth, and taking hold 

 of the tongue (A) by the fingers or forceps, the muscles (B B) by which 

 it is attached to the lower jaw should be severed as far as they can be 

 reached, care being of course taken not to puncture the windpipe, (C C ;) 

 and, later in the operation of skinning, when dividing the body from 

 the neck or head, not to cut into or through it. This done, the wind- 

 pipe can be easily withdrawn entire and separated from the neck, and 

 then, the sternal apparatus being removed as before described, its 

 course must be traced to where, after branching off in a fork, (D,) the 

 bronchial tubes (E E) join the lungs. At these latter points it is to 

 be cut off. Then rinsing it in cold water, and leaving it to dry par- 

 tially, it may, while yet pliant, be either wrapped round the sternum, or 

 coiled up and labelled separately. 



By following the above suggestions, it is fully believed that a field 

 naturalist may, with but trifling additional labor, double, or even 

 treble, the scientific value of his ornithological collections, and conse- 

 quently confer very great benefit on the study which he seeks to pro- 

 mote. 



In most cases it will be well to mark the name and number of the 

 specimen with a pen directly on the sternum, especially where the 

 bone is not too greasy to receive the ink. This will obviate any dan- 

 ger arising from an accidental loss of a label. 



