TAXIDERMY. 47 



taking away as much as possible of the fat, and im- 

 bue it well with the preservative. The work of 

 the inside must be made as for ordinary quadrupeds. 

 Seals are always placed on the belly ; thus we cut 

 the wires close to the extremities. It is necessary 

 to put some spirits of turpentine on the naked parts 

 of the fins. 



Cetacea. 



The porpoise and dolphin differ but little from 

 each other, and are very common in our seas. 



We make an incision under the belly, from the 

 chin to the insertion of the tail, we detach the skin 

 right and left with a scalpel, cut the vertebral co- 

 lumn near the head, continue to disengage the body 

 as far as the tail, and separate the trunk. 



These animals have sometimes two or three 

 inches of fat under the skin, and it is very difficult 

 to take it all away at the first trial. We must 

 therefore renew this part of the operation very 

 often, and scrape away as much as possible with a 

 cutting knife. To soak up the oil, which flows 

 continually, we cover the parts with bran or pow- 

 dered plaster. 



The porpoise having a very smooth skin, with- 

 out any apparent projection, there is no occasion 

 for iron work to mount it ; only a stick the length 



