THs OREGON NATURALIST. 
marked with wedge shaped blotches of darker 
color sparsely distributed on the anterior portion 
but growiug more'and more numerous toward 
the tail, In fact the ventral surface is of far 
greaterimportance than the dorsal from a scien- 
tific point of view, and ifthe skin is to be pre- 
served for scientificstudy and must be cut open 
longitudinally it would be far better to make 
the slit down the back. Ifthe ventral surface 
is openedat all the slit should never reach as 
far back as the anal plate. 
My own method of studying snakes is to keep 
them in “a roomy comfortable terrarium where I 
can observe their habits for awhile and then to 
liberate them. Occasioually, however, one 
may find it desirable to preserve the skin of a 
specimen, The method of doing this, which I 
learned partly from the Rev, J. Wood’s books, 
and which I have practiced successfully is as 
follows: 
Open the specimens mouth very wide and 
with a sharp knife sever the spinal column where 
it joins the head. —‘ The skin at this point isso 
close to the bone that there is danger of injuring 
the skin. To avoid this insert a bodkin or 
blunt. darning needle between the skin and 
bone and then cut through the bone to the nee- 
dle. If you have an assistant have him grasp 
the severed back bone with his fingers, or better 
still with a pair of pinchers.. If you are alone 
secure it to some convenient hook so that you 
can use both hands to pull off the skin. 
In skinning venomus serpents great care must 
be taken to avoid scratching yourself on the 
venom fangs but with the harmless Colubrid 
snakes no such caution is necessary, Catch 
hold of the upper and lower jaw and pull back, 
The places where the skin is firmly attached to 
the body are a narrow line along the ventral sur- 
face, and another line along the back. Along 
these lines the skin must be frequently loosen- 
ed with the knife. In using the knife along the 
back great caution is necessary to avoid cutting 
the skin which is extremely close to the sharp 
projections on the vertebre. 
When the vent is reached sever the cloaca 
close to the skin. In preparing large speci- 
145 
mens it is best to tie a string tightly around the 
cloaca to prevent the escape of the foul smell- 
ing contents when it is cut. 
Nearing the tip of the tail it is again neces- 
sary to go slow, for the skin there is extremely 
liable to be torn off, and the end of the tail is 
often of scientific value. 
When the skin is removed from the carcass it 
should be turned right side out at onceand this 
is often a work of some difficulty, I have found 
it convenient to press the skin of the tail tip in, 
ward with the b.unt end ofa steel umbrella rib, 
and then gradually draw the skin back over this 
rod. 
When the skin is turned it is time to give 
your attention to the head, cutting away al! the 
flesh you can and being careful! to save the 
bones and teeth. 
This done you have a long, narrow, pointed 
sack which you should at once fill with fine, 
dry sand. Pourin the sand until the tail is 
full, fill the skin with cotton at the vent,which 
must then be closed with needle and _ thread, 
and then fill the rest of the skin. A funnel 
with a long tapering point will be found useful 
in this part of the work, The mouth, where 
the sand would escape, must be stuffed with cot- 
ton and then when the head has been pressed 
into shape you mus: sew the lips together. 
Except about the head it is not necessary to 
apply any preservative, for the skin is quite thin 
and soon becomes very dry and stiff. In fact 
the skin dries out so quickly that it is often 
necessary to wet it to keep it pliable while it is 
being handled. 
When the skin is properly filled and the 
mouth closed bend or coil it in the shape in 
which you wish it to remain and leave it todry, 
I usually bury my fresh specimens in a box 
of dry sand. When the skin is perfectly dry 
cut the stitches at the lips, remove the cotton 
and pour out the sand. The empty skin will 
be extremely light, but will hold its shape as 
long as it is kept dry. 
This is the best method of preparing reptile’s 
skins known to me, bnt the skinningof snakes 
is not to be recommended. Let the animal 
