66 THE NATURALIST'S GUIDE. 



of the hole thus formed ; skin the legs down to the toe- 

 nails, removing everything ; skin the head and neck ; cover 

 the inside of the shell and skin with arsenic. Turn the 

 feet and neck back, and stuff them to the natural size 

 with cotton. Fill the neck with bran ; roll up a small ball 

 of grass, place it inside of the shell; then force a piece 

 of wire through it into the head, and clinch the end in 

 the ball. Pack cotton or hemp around the grass in the shell, 

 to keep it firm, and to fill up the empty space ; then re- 

 place the piece of shell taken out, and fasten it with glue 

 or putty. 



Now put the animal in the proper attitude upon a piece 

 of board, and arrange the feet in the natural position, and 

 pin them until dry ; place the head naturally. The eyes 

 should be removed from the outside, and artificial ones 

 substituted. If it is not convenient to skin a turtle, place 

 it in boiling water a few moments, when the softer parts 

 can easily be removed from the shell. In this case, how- 

 ever, the bones and skull should be cleaned, labelled, and 

 preserved with the shell. 



For scientific specimens, toads and frogs must be pre- 

 served in alcohol. But they may be skinned in the follow- 

 ing manner : Open the mouth as wide as possible, and cut 

 through the bone of the neck or back from the inside ; do 

 not cut the skin ; then separate the flesh on the inside 

 all around. Take hold with the thumb and forefinger, or 

 with a pair of pliers, of the backbone, and press the skin 

 downwards, and draw the body out. When the forelegs 

 appear, cut the bone and flesh oft' to the toe-nails, and pro- 

 ceed to perform the same operation with the hind legs. 

 Cover the skin with arsenic, and turn it back, the legs 

 may be easily turned by blowing into them with the 

 breath. Fill the body with bran, and support the head 

 in a natural position with cotton until dry. Remove the 

 eyes from the outside, and supply their place with artificial 



