Taxidermia. 275 
for the skin soon becomes dry along the edge, and curls so 
that the hair cannot possibly be secured from soiling without 
ihis precaution. e then are to attempt stripping the skin 
from the tail, by eae it down on all sides with our nails to 
the very extremity. This business is attended with much dif- 
ficulty, expecially in such animals as have very delicate 
tails, but we’ may render it less satiate by twisting 
the tail soaerd, as you would a withe, until a sligh 
crashing is heard. But great care is necessary with the 
mures (glires.) especially “the naked tailed, for the skin, as 
well as every other part of these a is of so slight a tex- 
ture, that they tear with the slightest 
tail being stri we separate “the skin at the anus, 
—_ te shears, from the body, and then go on with the parts 
eration. We then are to strip the legs one after the 
hee yon to the nails, claws or hoofs, and then proceed to 
cut loose from the muscles the bones, so that, entirely freed 
from the flesh, they still retain their connecting ligaments in 
the joints; but we separate in the knee joint the upper thigh 
bone from the lower, leaving it in the body, as useless for our 
p 3 but all the other bones are to remain in their con- 
nésion int the skin. We may indeed leave a part of the thigh 
bone, and this may be some assistance in forming the artifi- 
cial leg (thigh ;) but we must not leave the whole ; perhaps 
half is sufficient. : 
The hind legs being done, the skinning is prea to- 
wards the breast, anti] we reach the shoulder blades. Here 
we go _ oe as we did at the hind legs, et divide at 
pect cosa? 
the j 
ier re Sage we pr iwi the: dant 
About the neck this is soon eee ormed. We then come to 
the head, a part which nate be managed with much care, if 
we wish to succeed. 
The stripping of the pres the pentetmidvapods <wies 
for the skull of some of them are provided with horns, Meise! oak 
ers they are wanting. As the hornless are the most numer- 
ous division, I will describe the treatment of these first. But 
there are also two ways of preparing these heads for stuffing. 
The most certain, particularly for Eee is this: Strip 
_ skin loose as far as the ears, and then endeavour to raise the 
with all their skin out of their cavities with the knife ; 
