230 ANIMAL COMPETITORS 



Preparation of skins. The preparation of 

 skins requires some care, but no special imple- 

 ments or preservatives. The opening and only 

 cut is made with a sharp-pointed knife, begin- 

 ning on the bottom of one hind foot and extend- 

 ing up to the hind side of the leg to the vent 

 and thence down the other leg to the foot. The 

 entire body is removed through this opening, 

 using the knife to separate the skin when 

 necessary, and proceeding down over the head 

 to the lips, where the final cuts are made. Thus 

 the skin is turned completely inside out. The 

 -tail bone must be carefully withdrawn, prefer- 

 ably by the use as a vise of two firmly-held 

 sticks (or a split stick), through which the bone 

 is passed. To facilitate this it may sometimes 

 be necessary to slit the tail on the under-side. 

 The skin is then carefully fleshed that is, all 

 the fats and bits of flesh adhering to it are re- 

 moved. To dry the skin it is slightly stretched 

 on a long, narrow, somewhat tapering board 

 with a blunt, rounded end. After slipping 

 over the board (hair side in) it should be hung 

 in a cool, dry place, and allowed to dry gradu- 

 ally. Ordinarily no preservative is necessary, 



