8 
The skull should be carefully disarticulated and the brain removed 
through the hole at its base, the flesh being cut away from the 
head so far as this can be done without injuring the bones. The 
backbone should be divided into sections, if necessary, the 
divisions recommended on p. 3 being equally suitable for Cetacea. 
In the case of large specimens it may be necessary to separate the 
ribs from one another. In doing this, avoid injury to the breast- 
bone, and disarticulate each rib from the backbone in such a way 
as not to damage it. 
Many species of Cetacea have been described on the evidence 
of skulls or other bones, no information as to the external 
appearance of the living animals having been given. In other 
cases the reverse has been true, species having been described 
from their external characters without reference to the bones. 
It is accordingly specially important to make sketches or take 
photographs of the external appearance of a Cetacean before 
preparing its skeleton ; and work of this kind may be important 
in helping to decide difficult questions relating to the species. It 
is specially desirable to obtain information, based on actual 
specimens, with regard to the species of Dolphin which inhabit 
the open ocean, far “from land. 
If the entire skeleton is not prepared, the skull and the two 
flippers (complete, with skin intact) should be secured, the external 
characters of the living animal being noted and sketched. 
Hyery specimen should be carefully labelled with locality, date 
of capture, total length of specimen and sex. The male organ of 
Cetacea can be completely retracted, and when it is thus concealed 
it may be possible to mistake a male for a female. The female 
may be recognized as a rule by the occurrence of a longitudinal 
slit in the skin, on each side of the reproductive opening, “this. slit 
usually concealing the retracted nipple. The length of the interval 
between the vent and the opening of the reproductive organs should 
be stated in the measurements of the fresh specimen. 
British Muszum (NarurRan Hisrory), 
CROMWELL Roap, 
Lonpon, S.W. 
March, 1917. 
LONDON: PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED, 
DUKE STREET, STAMFORD STREET, S.E., AND GREAT WINDMILL SYREET, W. 
