THE BIG GAME OF AFRICA 



very necessary to carefully measure the different parts of 

 the animal before the skin is taken off. For nowadays the 

 mounting is not done by " stuffing," as formerly, but in 

 such way that a carefully proportioned plaster cast is 

 made, over which the skin of the animal is then drawn and 

 sewed together. For this purpose it is necessary to take 

 a number of measurements, such as, for instance (i), the 

 full length of the animal from tip of nose to end of tail; 

 (2) measurements of the neck behind the ears; (3) the 

 neck by the shoulders; (4) height of the animal at the 

 withers; (5) the same at pelvis; (6) the girth of chest; 

 (7) the same of the belly; (8) the size of the legs at the 

 body; (9) at the knee; and (10) just above the hoofs. 

 From such measurements, carefully and tightly taken, a 

 cast can be made of exactly the same shape and size as the 

 identical animal, the skin of which is to be mounted. 



In skinning smaller mammals it is not necessary to cut 

 open the legs, but just to make a slit on the chest and belly 

 and on the top of the neck, as by so doing the whole animal 

 can be skinned without any more cutting. The skins of 

 larger animals are sometimes taken off in sections so as 

 to make them easier to cure, preserve, and transport, but 

 this is not necessary. I have myself brought home to New 

 York City several skins of rhinos, eland, and giraffes, 

 which were beautifully prepared by Mr. Lang and his 

 black helpers in one single piece. This, of course, requires 

 the supervision of a skilled taxidermist and a great deal 

 of care and hard work, for the heavy hides have to be cut 

 thin with large knives from the thickness of an inch and 

 more to that of an ordinary antelope or deer skin. 



The hides of wild animals are generally prepared in 



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