680 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. [1885. 



SELECTION OF SPECIMENS — BREAKAGES. 



Where time allows, select a series of skeletons of different ages ; but 

 where only one skeleton can be prepared, choose a fully grown, adult 

 animal, as free as possible from breakages. If an animal is shot or 

 trapi)ed it is impossible to avoid breaking some bones, and such must 

 be allowed to pass, but where it has been beaten to death, fracturing 

 the skull and limb bones generally, the animal had better be thrown 

 away at once. 



If the skull alone is broken, select if possible another of the same 

 size and send both with the body. When convenient send with a broken 

 leg or wing another of the same size, but on no account throw away 

 the fractured limb. 



TOOLS. 



A knife and a pair of scissors are all that are absolutely necessary, 

 but if these can be supplemented by one or two steel scrapers, the work 

 will be greatly facilitated. 



"ROUGHING OUT." MAMMALS. 



If an animal is rare, the skin should be very care- 

 fully taken off and preserved ; otherwise, remove 

 the skin roughly and diseiubowel the specimen, tak- 

 ing care not to cut into the breast-bone, especially 

 the disk-shaped piece of cartilage in which it ends. 

 Animals destined for skeletons should on no account 

 be split u]) the breast as though they were being 

 dressed for market. 



Detach the legs from the body and remove the 

 flesh, taking care in so doing not to remove the col- 

 lar-bone or knee pan with the meat. In the cat 

 family the collar bone is very small, and lies loose 

 in the flesh between the shoulder-blade and front 

 end of breast- bone. The collar-bone of weasels is 

 very minute and difficult to find, while, on the other 

 hand, climbing and burrowing animals usually have 

 this bone well developed and uniting the shoulder- 

 blade with the breast bone. 



Deer, antelope, bears, and seals have no collar- 

 bone. 



In small quadrupeds it will not be necessary to 

 detach the legs, but, whenever convenience in rough- 

 ing out or packing renders this needful, cut the col- 

 lar-bone loose from the breast- bone and leave it 

 fastened to the shoulder-blade. 



The legs being finished, disjoint and clean the 

 skull. Be careful in removing the eyes not to thrust 



Fig. 1.— Sk.'leton of Fox 

 ready for packing. 



