276 THE SNAKES OF SOUTH AFRICA. 
natural shape, coil it in the position desired, and leave it aside to 
dry. When quite stiff and dry, take out the pins or stitches from 
the lips, clean off any loose bits of clay, etc., and give the whole 
skin a coating of gold-size varnish. Place it upon a board prepared 
for the purpose, and finally put it in a glass cabinet or case. A 
nice attractive stand can be made by imitating the natural sur- 
roundings of the snake. 
If you dip the snake’s head in a solution of permanganate of 
potash before beginning to skin it, and during the process, there 
will be little, if any, danger of getting poisoned. A safer plan 
when skinning a venomous snake is to make a longitudinal 
incision in the throat a few inches from the head. Skin round 
the body, then sever it and skin off the neck and head first. Then 
remove the body portion of the snake. 
Flat skins may be made by ripping the abdomen from chin 
to end of tail and removing the body. Rub the preservative 
mixture on the inner side of the skin and tack it out on a plank, 
until dry. Then turn it over and give it a coating of gold-size 
varnish. When quite dry, roll up and put away. 
To make a skin permanently proof against the attacks of moths 
and mites, steep it for ten minutes or so in methylated spirit, or 
ordinary alcohol in which a pinch of powdered corrosive sublimate 
(Bi-chloride of mercury) has been dissolved. It is best to have 
a stock bottle of it. Take a pint of methylated spirit and put as 
much powdered corrosive sublimate into it as will lie heaped on 
a three-penny piece. Shake, and allow to stand for a day. It 
is then ready for use. Instead of soaking the skin in the solution, 
it may be painted on with a brush. Be sure that both sides of 
the skin are well painted. This substance will cure a skin as 
well as render it insect proof. It is a capital preparation to 
poison beetles, butterflies, etc., with, before pinning them out in 
your cabinet. Corrosive sublimate is a poison, so be careful to 
label the bottle suitably. 
KAFIR SUPERSTITIONS. 
The Kafirs are intensely superstitious. The instinct of 
reverence when rightly trained, and guided by an educated 
intellect, strongly impels the individual to be genuinely and 
