112 SPORTSMAN'S HAND BOOK. 



the bone. Both lips must be cut away close to the bone 

 and detached entirely from the skull. 



The skin is now entirely off the animal, and every par- 

 ticle of flesh adhering to it should be thoroughly cut or 

 scraped off. The lips are very thick and fleshy and 

 should be split from the inside and the flesh cut away. 

 Great care should be exercised or you will cut pieces out 

 of the skin, and especially is this the case with the face 

 around the lips which, by the way, is the worst place to dis- 

 figure an animal. Do not cut so deep that you will cut into 

 the roots of the whiskers and cause them to come out. 



The skin is now ready to be put into "pickle." (See 

 "Preservation of Skins.") 



Sever the skull from the body, clean it thoroughly and 

 draw out the brain through the occipital opening at the 

 back of the skull. This can be done with a long spoon 

 handle bent up at the end, or wire flattened at the end, and 

 bent in the same manner. 



The above directions are only applied to large quadru- 

 peds, like those of the bear, deer, antelope, elk, moose, 

 mountain sheep, etc. 



TO SKIN SMALL ANIMALS. 



The only difference in the skinning of a small animal 

 and a large one is, that the skin of the legs is not slit open. 

 It is only necessary to slit the skin open along the abdomen, 

 beginning at the point midway between the fore legs. Cut 

 off the legs at the shoulder and hip, the same as in the large 

 animals, and skin the legs by turning the skin wrong side 

 out as represented in leg No. 2, Fig. 2. 



