Taxidermia. 283 
eyes we are to place little paper pellets; and the toes must 
be stretched out, and held so by pins stuck into the board, 
Every thing being thus settled in a natural posture, it is to be 
placed in the sun, or in a warm stove, to be properly dried. 
If we intend that the attempt should succeed fully, it is ne- 
cessary to have a living animal of the same species, to cop 
the attitude and to produce the same hollows, projections, 
swells, &c. in the filled skin, by pressing, squeezing an 
pinching, as they appear in the living specimen, 
It being perfectly dried, the creature is loosened from the 
board, the mouth opened, and the sand all emptied out. The 
paper balls are taken out of the eye sockets, and the artifi- 
cial eyes, (sec. 4) fastened in with glue, gum arabic, or thick 
lac varnish. The skin, in order to give it the na 
is also to be covered with a light varnish. But, as in many 
of those animals that show brilliant colours, these are apt to 
fade, or grow dull and change, these are to be restored by 
painting with water colours, and then the whole covered over 
with a light Bernstein varnish, or the above described spirit 
lac. 
Frog-skins, thus prepared, need no other stuffing; they 
may then be placed in glass closets, where, secure 
clumsy handling and dust, they will not readily be attacked 
by hostile insects. 
If you fix them with gum arabic, on little stands decorated 
with moss, they will show very handsomely, and will keep 
unchanged for many years. 
..The larvee of the frogs (tadpoles) may also be stuffed in 
this. manner, only the greatest precaution is necessary, that 
the tender skin of _perishable. creatures be not torn. 
the frogs in our cabinets in all their various meta 
However, as easy as it is to prepare the frog in its perfect 
state, by this process, just as great, on the contrary, is the 
difficulty in managing them in their imperfect state. By this 
the, patience of the operator may be put to the test, and he 
who expects to succeed in all his attempts, must be an adept 
ie All the species of lizard, except the very large ones, are 
treated in the same manner as frogs and toads, only the free- 
ing of the tail is more difficult, it being very tender and aptto 
tear. In those that have a fleshy crest, it requires some sup- 
