16 



shall be ultimately stuffed. The incision down the throat, 

 however, should he avoided whenever the head can he skinned 

 and cleansed by drawing it through the neck. This can be 

 done with all except horned animals. The eyes should be 

 removed by pushing them in a forward direction out of their 

 sockets by a flat piece of wood, or the handle of the knife, 

 and cutting the nerve, when they will be displaced without 

 much difficulty. The whole of the flesh, tongue, and brains, 

 should be removed from the skull as cleanly as possible, the 

 last being extracted from the hole at the base of the skull by 

 a small wooden scoop, or by enlarging the hole so as to admit 

 a larger instrument; but this enlargement should be avoided 

 when possible, because of the injury it causes to the skull. 



The fore and hind legs may then be proceeded with, and 

 should be skinned down to the very hoofs or claws. The 

 flesh should be carefully removed from the bones of the legs, 

 but on no account should the bones be cut away ; they should 

 be left attached to the hoof or claws, and all saved as far as 

 the shoulder and the hip. The tail may be skinned by baring 

 the first joint or so, and tying thereto a stout string or cord, 

 fastening it to a beam, and slipping the remaining length 

 out of the skin by means of a cleft stick, with a square surface 

 made to clasp either side of the skinned joint, and smartly 

 pulling the stick to the end of the tail. 



The whole skin should now be examined, and all particles of 

 flesh still adhering must be carefully removed. The whole of 

 the inner surface, especially about the lips, eyes, and vent, is 

 to be well and amply smeared over with arsenical soap, or other 

 preservative, if this, the most valuable, be not at hand. The 

 leg bones must be well covered with the preservative, and, 

 after being slightly wrapped round with tow, or other material, 

 to prevent them from adhering to the skin, should be returned 

 within the extremities. The skull, having been well dressed 

 with preservative, should have its cavities slightly filled out 



