46 THE NATURALIST'S GUIDE 



hand. Now measure the length of the ear on the back 

 side, from the skull to the tip, for " the length of the ear." 

 Measure " the width of the muzzle " between the two nostrils. 

 In animals larger than a gray squirrel, measure the "girth" 

 with a tape-measure, or piece of string, just back of the 

 forelegs. 



These measurements will answer for all excepting the 

 bats, in measuring which proceed as before ; but, instead 

 of the forelegs, find " the length of one wing," " the length 

 of the wing to the hook, or thumb," and " the stretch of 

 wings " as in birds. 



Seals also vary slightly ; instead of the word " leg " 

 use " nipper," and find the width of the hind nipper as 

 well as the width of the fore one ; also, in addition, " the 

 distance between the fore-flippers." The sex of a mammal 

 is easily determined without dissecting. These measure- 

 ments are to be first recorded upon a strip of paper, as 

 in the birds, and afterwards copied into a book, as seen 

 on the next page. 



Skinning. To skin a mammal, place it upon its back ; 

 make a longitudinal incision in the skin over the abdo- 

 men, extending 'from the root of the tail about one fourth 

 of the length of the body. Peel down each side, as in 

 skinning a bird, pushing forward the leg so as to expose 

 the* knee-joint ; sever the leg from the body at this place, 

 and clean the bone ; proceed in this manner with the other 

 leg. In small animals, sever the tail as close to the body 

 as possible, leaving the bone in ; but in large animals it 

 can generally be removed by placing two pieces of wood on 

 each side of the bone against the skin, holding them firmly 

 in place with one hand, and after giving a strong pull with 

 the other the tail will slip out easily. With some animals, 

 such as the Beaver, Muskrat, Skunk, etc., this cannot be 

 done ; then the skin of the tail has to be opened the whole 

 length, and the bone removed. Proceed to draw the skin 



