■H7 MR. C eODEN KLOSS ON 



otlierwise the skin there cannot be freed IVoiii the bone (Fig 6, nnbrjlvei^ 

 lines).! Cut away all muscles and teiidons about the hoot's and lower 

 >egs. 



Work the knife deeply roui>d the bases of the hoofs and treat, 

 those places liberally with preservative. Afterwards a few stifcches at 

 intervals will be sufficient to draw the edges of the openings together. 

 Ill horned animals the neck should be severed' after it has been skinned 

 as f:ir as possil^le from the body end. To get out th^ head, a V shaped 

 incision is mule between the bases of the horns and continued down 

 the nape in the form of a Y ^s far as is necessary. The skin surround- 

 ing the horns is cut through close to the base of the latter. (Fig. 7.). 



In medium-sized and kirge animals the lips shoukl be pocketed 

 or split from the inner .side where tbej^ were freed from the jaws, and 

 much of the flesh between tho skin and the mucous membrane cut 

 away. 



Working from the )>ase where they were cut from the skull, the 

 skin of the ear.-i should be separated as far as possible fiom the cartilege 

 within, and treated with plenty of preservative. 



If the skin is thickened anywhere, as on the shoulders of pigs, 

 it shoukl be freely and deeply cross-hatched with a knife on the inner 

 side, to allow the preservative to work through to tlie outer surface. 



Animals of the size of tlie barking-deer or larger should have 

 ]ilenty of preservative rulihed into the skin, especially about the thicker 

 jiortions, feet and lips. For twelve to twenty-fnur hours the skin 

 should then remain rolled up into a bundle to sweat, hair side out- 

 wards and head and limbs in the miifdle, before it undergoes any 

 further treatmeni . 



If it is to be filled out with stufiiug mateiid it should not be 

 rammed too full of the latter. Flatten it by beating or pressure, 

 arrange the fore-limbs against the neck, and bend the hind-limbs 

 forward at the groin until they lie along tlie sides of the bell}', the 

 hoofs pointing slightly outwards. The tail should be bent round 

 against the belly. Keep the limbs in place while drying with a lashing 

 of string, and make the ears dry close against the nape. It is often 

 convenient for purposes of handling, to strengthen the si>ecimen by 

 thrusting a stout pointed stick through tlie body from mouth to 

 vent. 



Mammals above the size of a barking-deer make rather bulky 

 specimens if their skins are filled out, and they are generally pre- 

 served flat unless specially intended for mounting. An excellent 

 method of dealing with inediuni-siz/'d mammals, however, is to make 

 ••cased"' skins of them in the first instance, and afr.ervvards, when they 

 are nearly dry, to remove the filling matei'ial from the neck and body, 

 llatten out these ]iarts and then double the skins across the middle 



1 " Ciiseil"' skins are those vviiich are (inly jiintly ojicncJ, and are thus 

 distinguislicil fi-nm " flat" skin-;, wliirli Axr fninpleicly niicni'il. 



.Jul UN. N'.\T. III.-^T. .SOC. 81.\M 



