26 TAXIDERMY. 



of the abdomen, turn back the hairs to the right and 

 to the left, and open the skin in a line from the 

 arch or hollow of the pubis to the stomach; we 

 may even prolong the opening as far as the collar 

 bone, but as we acquire more dexterity, we are 

 able to decrease or shorten it. Great care must be 

 taken not to injure the muscles of the belly, or the 

 intestines would fall out and soil the skin ; we must 

 also, in cutting the skin, pay attention to the 

 arrangement of the natural parts to be able to ren- 

 der them apparent in the preparation. These pre- 

 cautions taken, we separate the skin from the flesh, 

 both to the right and left of the belly, placing pads 

 of tow or linen between it and the body as we se- 

 parate it, continuing to do so as far as possible to- 

 wards the posterior part. We disengage the anus, 

 which we separate from the rectum; we cut the tail 

 interiorly, and then separate each thigh at its junc- 

 tion with the bones of the pelvis. Until this mo- 

 ment the animal has remained on its back, but we 

 must now lay it on its side, the posterior part to the 

 left, and the paws turned towards us. In this posi- 

 tion the thighs, being separated, recede towards the 

 right, and give more facility for skinning the back ; 

 this last part is always the easiest. It is sufficient, 

 for quadrupeds of a middling size, to take the skin 

 in one hand and the body in the other, and by 

 drawing them in contrary directions, to unskiii 

 the body as far as the scapulae, or rather to the 



