134 TAXIDERMY. 



without vertebrae, perfectly succeeded, and it was 

 not until after many researches and experiments, 

 that he discovered the simplest and easiest means. 



The spirituous liquor to be used, must be from 

 16 to 22 degrees of the areometer of Baume ; if it 

 be stronger, it entirely destroys the colours of the 

 animals. We only make use of it at 22 degrees for 

 mammifera. Gin, arrack, rum, brandy, in short, all 

 spirituous liquors are equally good, but we prefer 

 those that are least coloured. Before we put the 

 animal in the liquor, we must take away all the 

 mucosities which surround it with a brush, and free 

 it from the dirt which would soil it ; we must then 

 take precautions that it may not touch the bottom 

 of the vessel ; without this, it not only sinks down, 

 but becomes corrupted. M. Peron proposes to 

 fasten the animal to a flat piece of cork, which holds 

 it suspended in the liquor. We can thus place 

 several animals in the same vessel, either by the 

 side of one another, or at different heights, they 

 will float in the liquor without touching, and the 

 mucous substances which detach themselves from 

 them, fall to the bottom of the vessel. M. Peron 

 affirms, that thus floating in the liquor they cannot 

 be injured, although the bottle or vessel may be 

 shaken, or overturned. As this method is not very 

 easy, we may content ourselves by placing each 

 animal in a bag of very fine linen, or in a net, r we 

 tie these bags to the cork, and they remain sus- 

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