METHODS I.V THE ART OF TAXIDERMY. -j^q^ 



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bone forceps or an old chisel separate the pelvis or hip bone from the 

 upper shell and skin out the tail. Sever the neck from the body, skin to 

 base of skull, disjoint the neck bones and remove the brain. Scrape 

 away as much flesh as possible from the back of the skull. Unlike 

 most other animals, the eyes of turtles must always be removed from 

 the outside, care being taken not to cut the eyelids. Be sure to re- 

 move the small muscle from the outer hind portion of the jaw; other- 

 wise it shrinks in drying, and creates an unsightly depression. Snap- 

 ping turtles, and others with small under shells, are skinned in the 

 same manrer as sea-turtles. It is not positively necessary to make a 

 cut under the foot of these, but it will be found to greatly facilitate 

 turning the legs and the manipulation of the clay during the process 

 of mounting. 



" Tortoises and other turtles, whose legs can be withdrawn under 

 the plastron, cannot be properly skinned by the method just described, 

 owing to the impossibility of sewing up a cut along the hinder edge 

 of the under shell. True, they often are thus skinned and mounted 

 with the edges of the skin simply tucked in, but the result is unsightly, 

 and the only gain is in time of preparation. Turtles of the last class 

 should be skinned through an opening made by removing as large a 

 section of the under shell as is practicable, drawing out the legs to 

 their full extent to lessen the danger of cutting through the skin. The 

 process of skinning is a somewhat difficult one, but the absence of un- 

 sightly seams after the animal is mounted amply repays the trouble. 



" The smaller turtles may be mounted immediately after skinning, 

 but all preferably, and the larger ones invariably, should be soaked for 

 a few days in the usual bath of salt and alum. Always poison thor- 

 oughly, especially around the feet and back of head. 



" As the skinning of a sea-turtle has been first described, it is con- 

 sequently in order to proceed with the mounting. It must be borne in 

 mind that the skin of turtles shrinks considerably in drying, and the 

 sewing should, therefore, be done very solidly ; also all wrinkles should 

 be somewhat exaggerated, as they disappear in drying. Therefore, a 

 turtle must not be filled out, but the skin should be left loose and the 

 apparent excess will vanish. 



"The main principles in mounting large turtles are similar to 

 those in mounting mammals, except that as sea-turtles lie flat on the 

 ground much lighter wires may be used. First, make the tail, by 

 winding coarse tow on an iron rod until it has the same shape but not 

 quite the size of the original. Now cover this with clay, prepared ac; 

 cording to ]\Ir. Hornaday's directions, by mixing with soft clay a quan- 



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