THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 127 



In shooting birds,, it is of much importance not to use the 

 shot too large ; indeed, it ought to be proportioned as nearly as 

 possible to the size of the bird to be shot at. When the bird 

 is killed,, the blood must be carefully wiped away, and a little 

 cotton must be put into the bill to prevent the blood flowing 

 from it to injure the feathers. The wound should also be 

 stuffed with cotton. 



Birds should be skinned as soon as possible, as the feathers 

 are apt to fall off if kept too long. Directions for skinning 

 will be found at page 25. The os coccygis must be kept at- 

 tached to the skin. (See plate I., fig. 1, m, w.) If several 

 individuals of the same species be killed, one should, if possi- 

 ble, be preserved entire in spirits, with the whole muscles of 

 the body. If the bird has a fleshy crest, it ought to be preserv- 

 ed in spirits. 



It is of the utmost consequence to procure the male, female, 

 and young, and these at different ages besides, as many species 

 are subject to great variety, in their progress from the young 

 to the adult state. This is more particularly the case with 

 Eagles and Hawks ; many of which have been described as 

 different species in their immature state. The eggs and nest 

 should also be procured. (See page 58.) 



REPTILES. The chief thing to be attended to in skinning 

 reptiles, is not to injure the scales ; and in the Lizard kind, 

 care must be taken not to break the tail. But for all the 

 smaller and middle sized species, the best mode is to preserve 

 them in spirits ; and of the larger kinds which are skinned, the 

 skeletons ought to be kept. The flesh should be taken away 

 with knives and scalpels as well as possible, and the bones 

 thoroughly dried, and packed in a box with cotton or grass, and 

 they can be articulated after they are brought home. When 

 the skeletons are too large, they may be separated into con- 

 venient parts for packing. 



FISHES. Many species are common to all seas, but there are 

 a vast number which are quite local. Unless, therefore, the tra- 

 veller is certain of the frequency of those he meets with in 

 his own country, he ought to bring them home. River and fresh 

 water fishes generally are subject to great variety, every lake 

 and river having varieties peculiar to itself, which the experi- 

 enced fisher, or naturalist, can at once detect. It is, there- 



