and Laboratory Methods. 



1839 



time is not strictly a condition of success. The washing should be supplemented 

 by some scrubbing of the spinal column and thorax with a brush (old tooth 

 brushes are " just the thing " for this with moderate sized animals). This will 

 reach into corners and get out residues that resist the stream of running water. 

 After the washing has been done as thoroughly as you deem necessary the skele- 

 ton can be put to soak in formalin ; we have used a one-half to one per cent, 

 solution. This deodorizes and preserves. It enables you to keep the skeleton 

 till later in case you haven't time to go on. We have found it very inadvisable 

 to let the skeleton dry at this point, or indeed at any time till it is completed, if it 



Fig. 2.— Skeleton of Sea Gull. 



can possibly be avoided. The ligaments never regain the condition they are in 

 at the close of maceration, and this interferes later with " setting up " the frame. 

 A word about "rough drying" will be in place here. One often comes into 

 the possession of good material for osteology when he is away from home. In 

 that case what can be done ? Figure '2 is a skeleton made from such a case. 

 The gull was given to me at a camp where I hadn't the means for preparing it. 

 I removed the skin, viscera and most of the muscles and exposed the frame to 

 the warm air. It soon dried without becoming putrid. If not enough flesh is 

 cut away the frame will putrefy, including the ligaments at the joints. After my 

 return to Saint Paul Mr. Tyrrell took the rough dried skeleton, removed the 



