48 THE NATURALIST'S GUIDE 



down towards the head, until the forelegs appear ; sever 

 these at the knee-joint, and clean the hone as before. Draw 

 the skin over the head, cutting off the ears close to the 

 skull. Use caution in cutting the skin from the eyelids 

 and in severing the lips from the skull, so as not to in- 

 jure their outward appearance. The skull is to be detached 

 entirely. Cover the inside of the skin well with arsenic, 

 and, if large, rub it in well with the hand ; but be sure 

 that every part is poisoned. 



If there is any blood upon the hair, after the skin is 

 turned into its former position, if it is dry, remove it with 

 the stiff brush; if wet or very bloody, wash and dry with 

 plaster, as explained in birds. 



Wind the leg-bones with sufficient hemp or cotton to 

 supply the place of the muscles ; then fill out the head, 

 neck, and the rest of the body to their natural size. Sew 

 up the orifice through which the body was removed neatly 

 over and over, drawing the edges of the skin together 

 nicely. 



Label the skin by sewing a bit of card-board upon one 

 of the feet, or, if the animal is large, upon the ear, with 

 the number of the specimen and the sex marked upon it. 

 Clean the skull as much as possible with the scalpel ; if 

 it is a large animal, the brains may be removed through 

 the orifice where the spinal cord enters the skull. If this 

 opening is not large enough to remove them, they should 

 be left in. Roll the skull in arsenic, then label it with a 

 number corresponding to the one upon the skin, and lay 

 it by for future cleaning. The arsenic prevents insects 

 from attacking it. 



Place the skin, if a small one, upon its side, with the 

 legs bent neatly ; if a large one, upon its breast, with the 

 legs stretched out on each side, the forelegs pointing for- 

 ward, the hind ones backward. This is what is technically 

 called a " mammal's skin." 



