lanJom I0te0 on latural |tetort). 



Vol. II. PROVIDENCE, OCTOBER 1, 1885. 



Entered at the Providence Post-Offiee as Seeond-Class Matter. 



No. 10. 



■]|anbijm fobs on !f atitml 1istort|, 



A Monthly Devoted to the Distribution of Use- 

 ful Knowledge Concernino the Various De- 

 partments OF Zoology, Mineralogy, and 

 Botany. 50 Cents a Year. 

 Address all communications to 



SOUTHWICK & JENCKS, 

 358 Westminster St., Providence, R. I., U. S. A. 



Mammal Skins. 



Remove the skins with the least possible 

 dela}', particularly in warm weather, and 

 from the smaller specimens. Make a 

 straight cut from the breast, between the 

 fore legs, along the belly, to the vent. Be 

 careful not to cut through into the cavity and 

 intestines, and do not at an}' time stretch the 

 skin. Cut off the legs close to the bod,y, so 

 as to leave all the bones in them. Push 

 them carefull}' out of the skin, down to the 

 claws, or as far as can possibly be done, with- 

 out cutting it entirely free. Clean all the 

 meat thoroughly from the bones, if the speci- 

 men is to be made up dry. Cover them and 

 the skin with Arsenic Preservative, or Ar- 

 senical soap, wind a very little cotton or tow 

 around them, to prevent their contact with 

 the skin, and turn them back. Then with- 

 draw the bones from the tail ; this can be 

 done by the nails of the finger and thumb 

 of the left hand, or two flat slender pieces of 

 wood held firmly at the root of the tail, or 

 place around it the small opening that oc- 

 curs in a pair of scissors, just back of the 

 blades and forward of the finger holes, then 

 with the right hand pull the bones stead- 

 ily, and they will come out of the skin. 

 Now turn the whole skin backward, (inside 

 out) until the junction of the ears and skull 

 is reached ; use particular pains in separat- 

 ing these and the e^'es from the skull. If 

 the lids of the e^'es are cut they will often 

 tear further and make a conspicuous damage. 

 Cut the ears oS" close to the skull ; careless- 

 ness in this respect leaves a large and un- 

 sightly hole where the ear opens through 

 the skin. On large specimens it is well to 



skin the ears as far as possible, and thor- 

 oughly poison the whole, putting back the 

 cartilege. Proceed to the mouth, and cut 

 the lips off close to the gums. In the thick 

 lips and eyelids of large animals, pass the 

 knife between the inner and outer skin, and 

 see that the preservative is well introduced 

 there. 



Clean the whole skin thoroughly, from fat 

 and flesh, (the specimen will soon become 

 next to worthless unless this is done), 

 poison every part thoroughly. It is a good 

 plan to puncture the tip of the tail. In the 

 larger specimens with long fur, like foxes 

 and wolves, raccoons, etc.. it insures the in- 

 troduction of the poison the whole length, 

 and admits to air for uqick drying. 



The lips are now caught lightly together 

 b}' two or three stitches on the inside, the 

 skin turned back, and filled lightly with 

 cotton or tow, to its proper shape, and 

 the opening stitched lightl}' together. It is 

 well to introduce a wire or small stick into 

 the tail when it is small and slender, as with 

 mice, rats, etc. Long and large tails should 

 be brought forward between the legs, or 

 turned over the back ; the legs should be 

 brought snugly together under the bod}', and 

 the whole specimen thoroughl}' dried, not 

 in the sun or by a fire. Do not leave skins 

 turned wrong side out ; do not leave them 

 to dry twisted out of shape, and the legs 

 pointing in every direction. A well made 

 skin of a small mammal is as prett}^ as that 

 of a bird, and will sell better and mount 

 better than the offensive looking specimens 

 commonly seen. Clean the skull thoroughly, 

 poison it, and mark it distinctly on a label to 

 correspond with the number of the skin, or 

 fasten it securely to the hind legs of the 

 specimen. 



On account of the space they occupy, and 

 cost of transportation, large skins should 

 be filled out but ver}' little, or not at all, and 

 after drying can be folded as snugly as 

 possible. 



In curing skins use always, when it is to 

 be obtained, arsenical soap or a mixture of 

 powdered alum and arsenic, in proportions 



