PRESERVATION AND LABELING. 101 



When the liver and stomach are free, draw them and the intes- 

 tines caudad, dividing the mesal peritoneal attachments (mesente- 

 rium) to a point 5-6 cm. caudad of the kidneys, but do not remove 

 the latter. 



Compress the rectum between the fingers so as to force its con- 

 tents in both directions ; ligate it in two places about 2 cm. apart, 

 and cut between the ligatures (Fig. 41). The viscera thus freed may 

 be thrown away unless wanted for some purpose. 



240. Place the block under the cat opposite the kidneys. Press 

 upon the thick muscles just caudad oi the kidneys, and about 2 cm. 

 laterad of the meson. The sixth lumbar diapophyses (see Fig. 30) 

 will be felt. With the arthrotome, divide all the soft parts on the 

 ventral aspect of the lumbar vertebrce between the tips of the sixth 

 diapophyses, and scrape them caudad for about 2 cm. This will 

 expose a transverse whitish swelling, the inter vertebral fibro-carti- 

 lage between the sixth and seventh lumbar vertebrae. 



If the kidneys are not to be kept, or if it is desirable to make the whole preparation 

 shorter, the columna vertebralis may be divided between the second and third or third and 

 fourth lumbar vertebrae. 



Push the arthrotome into this fibro-cartilage, and cut dextrad 

 and sinistrad as far as possible. Then cut latero-cephalad on each 

 side to the tip of the diapophysis ; then directly laterad so as to 

 divide the thick vertebral muscles. 



Grasp the cephalic part of the cat just cephalad of the incision, 

 and lift it from the tray. If this does not disjoint the zygapophyses, 

 bend the caudal part downward until the ligaments give way, and 

 the zygapophyses are separated. Cut the remaining soft parts and 

 the skin, and thus complete the transection. The caudal part may 

 be thrown away. 



Knead the thorax so as to expel the blood, place the cephalic 

 part which may be spoken of now as the cat upon a clean dry 

 tray, or upon paper laid in a tray, and remove the hair, as directed 

 in Chap. VI. ; note the precautions as to the disposal of hair, 197. 



241. Preservation. Tie the twine firmly about the last lum- 

 bar vertebra (which is the sixth if the directions have been fol- 

 lowed), and make a loop through which may be passed a second 

 piece of twine already attached to the ring of the jar cover, or, 

 better, an S-hook connected with the cover by a string of suitable 

 length. To the vertebra should also be tied a tag bearing the brief 

 record of the sex of the cat, its age or apparent period of growth, 



