APPENDIX II l8l 



altitude above sea (in metres or feet), and your signature ; on the 

 back the following measurements in millimetres, taken in the flesh : 

 (i) length of head and body; (2) of tail without end hairs; (3) hind 

 foot without claws ; and (4) ear, from notch at base to tip. In the 

 case of the first two measurements, the body should be straightened out 

 as much as possible, and the tail bent upwards at a sharp angle, and 

 the measurements should then be taken from a point in the angle (see 

 illustrations on page 183). The label should also have on its back any 

 notes that may strike you about the habits of the animal, its native 

 name, or the character of the locality. 



EXAMPLE OF LABEL 



FRONT 



P DATE /ff flalvs SEX <T B.M. No. 

 | O^ 



85 ALT . 



BACK 



H. * 8. &T. FIELD NOTES 



TL - " 



. 

 EAR a 9 SKULL. 



It is important that the positions of the different items, the method 

 of writing dates, and the direction of the writing (away from the thread) 

 should be exactly as in the example, so that skins from different sources 

 may all be similarly labelled. 



2. Open the skin by cutting up the belly from the anus to the 

 hinder end of the breast-bone ; first push one and then the other knee 

 through the opening, and cut through the legs at the knee-joints, leaving 

 in the shin-bones ; clear off the chief muscles of the leg-bones, and 

 separate the skin from the body all round the tail; then, holding the 

 skin at the base of the tail firmly between the finger- and the thumb- 

 nails, or in the fork of a cleft stick, pull over the vertebrae from 

 inside with the forceps ; then, gradually turning the skin inside-out, 

 skin it up over the body, shoulders, and head, separating the fore limbs 

 at the elbow-joint, and taking great care not to cut it in passing over 

 the eyes ; skin it entirely off over the mouth, cutting carefully round 

 the lips. Throughout the operation plenty of fine sawdust will be 



