COLLECTING AND PRESERVING MAMMALS. 45 



or three weeks, when the whole mass will become decom- 

 posed ; then on the top will be found a thin layer of a 

 clear liquid having an ineffably disagreeable odor. This 

 fluid should be poured off carefully into a small phial and 

 closely corked ; it is to be used in the same manner as the 

 other scents.* 



Bats may be shot, or taken during daylight beneath the 

 shingles of buildings, or in hollow trees. One or two spe- 

 cies, however, remain outside, suspended to a branch or 

 leaf of a tree. 



Plaster may be used to absorb the flow of blood from 

 mammals, as well as from birds. 



SECTION II. Measuring. To measure a mammal pre- 

 paratory to skinning : Place it upon its back, then with the 

 dividers measure the distance from the tip of the nose to 

 the front side of the eye, record this as " the distance from 

 the tip of the nose to the eye," then from the tip of the nose 

 to the ear ; this is "the distance from the nose to the ear"; 

 then from the tip of the nose to the occiput, or back of the 

 head, for " the distance from the nose to the occiput." With 

 the rule find the distance from " the nose to the root of the 

 tail," also the distance from "the tip of the nose to the tip 

 of the longest toe of the outstretched hind leg"; then 

 with the dividers find the length of the vertebra of the tail 

 from the root ; this is " the length of the tail to the end of 

 the vertebra." With the dividers, measure the hair on the 

 end of the tail for "the length of the hair." Measure the 

 length of the hind leg from the knee-joint to the tip of the 

 longest claw of the longest toe for " the length of the hind 

 leg." Measure the length of the front leg from the elbow- 

 joint to the tip of the longest claw of the longest toe ; this ia 

 " the length of the front leg." The width of the hand is 

 found by measuring the width of the outspread forefoot or 



* This receipt was kindly given to me by Mr. George Smith of Wal- 

 tham, who has used it successfully, as I have personally witnessed. 



