THE HOME OF A NATURALIST. 313 



literally nothing in it but air, the skin being hard and 

 elastic as if made of horn. A ' chuck ' under the chin, 

 and off tumbles its head, so as to allow a full view of 

 the interior. Lift the creature, and the hand flies up 

 with its lightness, as when one takes up an empty ewer 

 thinking it to be full of water. 



Almost anything may be done with the skin when 

 once prepared after this fashion. Should it be stuffed 

 abroad, it may be cut in twenty pieces for the conve- 

 nience of package, and put together again without a 

 mark to betray the junctions. See, it can be crumpled 

 between the fingers and squeezed like a sponge, return- 

 ing to its original shape by the strange elastic firmness 

 which the skin has now attained. It can be picked up 

 by a pinch of hair and swung about without damage. 

 Its fur can be rumpled and pulled about until it sticks 

 out in all directions, and then replaced with a few 

 strokes of a brush. It may be kicked downstairs, or 

 flung from the top of the Monument, without showing 

 a sign of ill-usage. It may be squeezed flat as a pan- 

 cake, and, when the pressure is removed, will resume 

 its shape with the elasticity of a hollow india-rubber 

 baU. 



But better still, it is totally impervious to insect 



foes; it has no unpleasant smell such as is found in 



skins stuffed after the ordinary fashion ; there is no 



horrid arsenical soap to endanger the sight, impair the 



appetite, and loosen the teeth of the operator; the 



creature stands boldly in the open air, with a simple 

 y 2 



