DIRECTIONS 
FOR PRESERVING SUBJECTS IN NATURAL HISTORY. 
QUADRUPEDS 
Should be carefully skinned, leaving united to the skin the 
lower bones of the legs with the claws attached, the fail freed as 
much as possible from the bone, and the ske// and ears. The 
flesh and subcutaneous fat should be carefully removed from 
the skin, skull, &c. the tongue and eyes taken out, and the brain 
removed through the occipital hole, enlarged for that purpose. 
The skin should be preserved, brushing it over carefully with 
arsenical soap. The best preparation with which we are ac- 
quainted, is the arsenical soap, first prepared by Becceur of 
Metz. We extract from Boitard and Canivet’s ‘Manuel 
du Naturaliste Preparateur,” the receipt. 
White Soap, 2/bs. 
Salt of Tartar, 122%. 77- 
Powdered Chalk, 8024 
Powdered Arsenic, 2/bds. 
Camphor, 5oz. 
Cut the soap into small pieces, and melt it over a slow fire in an 
earthen vessel, with a small quantity of water, stirring it witha 
wooden spatula.—When all the pieces are entirely melted, 
take it from the fire, add the salt of tartar, and stir it till 
the whole be well amalgamated, then mix in successively the 
chalk and the arsenic, incorporating the whole well together. The 
camphor is to be added when the mixture has cooled, and not till 
then, as the least heat causes it to volatilize‘rapidly ; in. doing 
this the camphor must be moistened with a few drops of spirits 
of wine, then well powdered in a mortar, (or it may be dissolved 
at once in spirits of wine,) and stirred into the mixture (as pre- 
' pared abeve,) with the wooden spatula, 
