PRESERVATION OP FOOD BY MEANS OP SALT, &C. 203 



and corrupted. Care must likewise be taken that the jars, 

 in which these substances are put, be hermetically sealed, 

 as otherwise the alcohol will be lost by evaporation. 



There is another way in which animals of a small size 

 may be perfectly preserved by means of alcohol ; of this I 

 am convinced by some experiments which I have made 

 with the most satisfactory results, upon birds, in the fol- 

 lowing manner. Having suspended the bird by the beak, 

 the vent being secured by a thread, I fitted a little tunnel 

 to the throat, and thus filled the crop and intestines with 

 very pure alcohol ; as soon as this was evaporated, I poured 

 in a fresh portion, and repeated this till the flesh was as 

 dry as tinder. In this way the form of an animal may be 

 perfectly preserved. 



The second means of preservation of which I spoke at 

 the commencement of this article, consists in bringing 

 these substances into union with such bodies as will form 

 with them indestructible compounds. The conversion of 

 skin into leather is the most striking instance I can bring 

 of this process : this is done by causing the tannin of 

 certain vegetables to combine with the gelatine, which 

 forms nearly the whole substance of skin : from this union 

 there results a hard, indestructible compound, preserving 

 the original form of the skin, but with increased weight. 



The third mode of preserving bodies, is to incorporate 

 them with salts unalterable by the air, which, penetrating 

 the whole tissue of the substance, prevent decomposition : 

 this is the most valuable and generally practised method of 

 preserving meat and fish, and the articles thus prepared 

 form an extensive branch of commerce between different 

 nations ; a supply of food which would otherwise be want- 

 ing, is thus provided. 



The best salted provisions were formerly furnished by 

 Ireland, and that country still carries on a very extensive 

 traffic in them, though the same methods practised there, 

 have been adopted by the Danes and other nations. I shall 

 here describe succinctly the modes made use of* 



For salting, the fattest oxen of from five to seven years 

 old are chosen ; before that age, the flesh has not suflicient 

 firmness, and afl:er that period, it is too hard. 



When the animals have been driven fi-om a distance, 



* The fullest statements may be found in the work of M. Martfelt, 

 translated from the Danish, by M. Bruun-Neergaard. 



