I40 



THE MUSEUM. 



Scalaria pretiosa, Linn. — from China. Pure 



white, having many whorls; ornamented 



with Ribs. 



under side and skin either way from 

 it. 



Coil up the skeleton and it will 

 make a very compact bundle. 



CROCODILES. 



The breast- bone of crocodiles ex- 

 tends the entire length of the body, 

 and although the hinder portion of it 

 is not attached to the backbone, yet 

 great care is necessary in disembowl- 

 ing not to cut away any of the slender 

 bones of which it is formed. 



There are also cartilaginous projec- 

 tions on the ribs which should not be 

 sliced off in roughing them out. 



FISHES. 



Fishes vary so much in their struc- 

 ture that it is a difficult matter to give 

 any directions for preparing their 

 skeletons that would be of much ser- 

 vice. Almost invariably there are two 

 rows of ribs present, and these extend 

 backward for some distance. 



Proceed slowly and carefully, as 

 the edge of the scalpel will often give 

 notice of some unsuspected bone. 



Be especially careful about the head. 

 There is a chain of bones encircling 

 the eye, and the eyeball itself is often 

 a bony cup. 



Occasionally there are two or three- 

 bones attached to the back part of 

 the hinder portion of the head, and 

 the patch of f\e^\\ on the cheek is 

 about all that can be safely removed. 



Wash thoroughly, and when the 

 skeleton is hnng up to dry place bits • 

 of wood or other material between the 

 gills so that the air may circulate free- 

 ly and dry them rapidly. 



PACKING. 



First be sure that a skeleton, and 

 especially a small one is thoroughly 

 dry. Otherwise it is apt to "sweat" 

 and rot the ligaments. 



In case of a large skeleton this 

 would do no harm, but as the bones 

 of small animals are left attached to 

 one another by their ligaments and 

 are not wired together, any such sep- 

 aration causes serious injury. 



If the specimen is the size of a deer, 

 it will be necessary to disjoint the 

 backbone just behind the ribs in order 

 to make a compact bundle. 



A moose or bnffalo can be cut still 

 more by separating the leg bones at 

 each joint and making several sections 

 of the backbone. 



Occasionally it is necessary to re- 

 duce a skeleton to its smallest possi- 

 ble dimensions, and then, in addition 

 to the above measures, the breastbone 

 must be separated from the ribs by 

 cutting through the cartilage yz/.v/ bc- 

 loio (he Old of each rib. The ribs 

 can then be detached from the back- 

 bone, and thus dismantled a good- 

 sized skeleton can be packed in a flour 

 barrel. Barrels, by the way, are very 

 good for packing purposes. 



Boxes should be tight, so as to shut 

 out hungry dogs, and prevent entirely 

 the attacks of rats and mice. I have 



