OF ARTIFICIAL SKELETONS. 97 



known to clean the skeleton of a mouse or small bird in three 

 or four hours,, while Ants would require a week to effect it. 



When the animal is of a large size, the ligaments are some- 

 times unable to sustain the weight of the bones, in which case, 

 an iron wire, of sufficient thickness, is passed through the cen- 

 tre of the back-bone, which must pass out anteriorly, so as to 

 fix the head to the cervical vertebrae. It is made in the form of 

 two forks, the one for the support of the anterior, and the other 

 for the exterior part ; for this purpose two pieces of iron- wire 

 are taken the length of the skeleton ; they are twisted together, 

 leaving a fork at each extremity, and are then both fixed to 

 the board on which the skeleton is to be placed. One of these 

 should enter the ribs and encompass the back bone, between 

 the scapular bones on each shoulder, the other two should pass 

 between the bones of the pelvis. 



It not unusually happens that pieces of the skeleton detach 

 one from another, in which case, two holes are bored in the 

 ends of the bones, which are separated, and are re-united by 

 means of small brass wires. 



OF ARTIFICIAL SKELETONS. 



Skeletons of man and animals of a middling and large size, 

 cannot be made in the manner described for natural skeletons. 

 In this case, the bones, covered by the flesh, are immersed in 

 water, and allowed to remain without changing it, until the 

 soft parts begin to get putrid, when the animal matter is easily 

 removed ; and by repeating the maceration two or three times, 

 it may all be completely abstracted. The duration necessary 

 for the first maceration will depend upon the state of th 

 atmosphere, being always much shorter in summer than in 

 winter. 



After the fleshy matter has been completely freed from the 

 bones, they should be exposed on the roof of a house, or other 

 convenient situation, until they are rendered quite white, and 

 free from grease. 



The fat in bones bears a close resemblance to the fixed oils. 

 In the bones of whales it exists fluid like oil. In the long 

 bones of oxen, horses, and other large quadrupeds, it is semi- 

 fluid, constituting the marrow. When, therefore, this is pre- 

 i 



