282 JOURNAL OP THE TRINIDAD 



the fork of a cleft stick, pull out the vertebra from inside with 

 the forceps ; then gradually turning the skin inside out, skin it 

 up over the body, shoulders, and head, separating the fore-limbs 

 at the elbow joint, and taking great care not to cut it in passing- 

 over the eyes ; skin it entirely off over the mouth, cutting care- 

 fully round the lips. Throughout the operation plenty of fine 

 sawdust will be found of great assistance in keeping the hands, 

 and consequently the fur, dry and unsoiled. 



3. Clean the inside of the skin from blood, fat, dec, and 

 then brush it all over with arsenical soap*, being especially 

 careful that the insides of the limbs, get some put on them. 



4. Turn the skin back right side out and fill the cavity of 

 the body with cotton wool, putting it in as far as possible in one 

 piece, (in tropical climates a few drops of carbolic acid or other 

 disinfectant should be put on the avooI to keep off insects). Take 

 care just to fill out the skin without overstretching it, and try 

 to get all your skins filled out to about the same degree. Take 

 a piece of straight wire long enough to extend from the front end 

 of the belly opening to the tip to the tail, sharpen if necessary 

 one end of it, and wind round it enough cotton wool to fill out 

 the skin of the tail, then brush it with arsenical soap and push 

 the pointed end down to the extreme tip of the tail-skin, and fit 

 the near end into the belly, packing it round with the wool of 

 the bodv. Put a small piece of wool into the empty skin of the 

 arms and legs. Then stitch or pin up the opening down the 

 belly. 



5. If at all oily or greasy, the fur may be cleaned by being 

 wiped with a rag dipped in benzine, and then having fine saw- 

 dust gently rubbed into it, this being afterwards brushed out 

 when dry. 



6. Lay the skin on a board or piece of cork, draw out the 

 fore paws forwards and pin them down to the board by a pin 

 passed boldly through the middle of the paw. Take care that 

 they are pinned as close in to the sides of the n'eck or head as 

 they possibly can be, in order to prevent their claws catching in 

 other skins when all are packed together in boxes. Similarly 

 pin back, soles downwards, the hind feet close by the sides of the 

 tail. It is of considerable importance that neither fore nor hind 

 feet should project laterally outwards nor should curl up in 

 drying. 



* In damp climates powdered oxide of arsenic should be used, as it 

 helps to dry the skin, but caution should be exercised that it is not inhaled 

 during the operation, or allowed to get under the nails. 



