1885.] PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 681 



the point of the knife through the thin portion of the skull back of them, 

 and in deer, antelope, or other ruminants take care not to break through 

 the thin bone at the back end of the upper teeth. Also look out for 

 any projections of bone so as not to cut tlieni off. 



Remove as much of the brain as possible with a scraper, bent wire, or 

 small stick. 



In cleaning the ribs take care not to cut the cartilages joining them 

 to the breast bone, and, when the tail is reached, look for a few little 

 bones i)rojecting downwards from the first few vcrtebriB. 



If time allo\rs, soak the roughed-out skeleton in water for a day or 

 two to extract the blood ; at all events wash thoroughly and brush with 

 a good stiff brush. 



Fold the legs snugly along the body, or, if they have been detached, 

 tie them together with the skull on the under side, as much as possible 

 within the chest ca\ity 5 also tuin down the tail and tie it upon itself. 



Roll up in a bit of rag and fasten securely to one of the long bones any 

 bones which may have been detached or any splinters from a broken 

 bone. 



Hang up to dry in the shade,* where it will escape dogs, cats, and rats. 



Lastly, in case a small skeleton is likely to be some time on the road, 

 give it a very thin coat of arsenical soap to ijreserve it from the attacks 

 of Dermestes and other insects. 



SPECIAL POINTS. 



Embracing the upper part of the windpipe and connecting it with the 



base of the skull is a se- 

 ries of bones known as the 

 hyoid apparatus. This 

 should be carefully saved. 

 There are usually small 

 bones, termed sesamoids, 

 imbedded in the tendons, 

 where they play over the 

 under sides of the toes, 

 and on this account the 

 tendons should never be 

 cut off close to the bone. 



There are often one or 

 two small bones on the 

 back lower portion of 

 the thigh-bone, and these 

 should be left in place. 



In preparing the skeletons of rabbits, particular attention should be 



* In this the collector will necessarily be governed by circumstances, as in moist cli- 

 mates it may be needful to dry a specimen in the sun, or even by the aid of a fire, 

 although this should be doue only as a last resort. » 



Fig. 2.— ToDsue-bones 

 or hyoid of a Dog. 



Fig. 3. — Rijiht shoulder-blade 

 of aKabbit, showina; the back- 

 wardly-projecting process. 



