TAXIDERMY loi 



It will be enough to mention that plants require 

 to be either pressed or kept in a dry or living state ; 

 insects either have to be pinned or papered, or 

 put away in carbolic or other preservative, accord- 

 ing to the family, and the reptiles and fishes in 

 spirit. 



The animals and birds have to be skinned, and the 

 sportsman who wishes to devote part at least of his 

 trip to this work, or who only proposes to bring home 

 a few pretty and striking specimens for casing, must 

 first learn how to skin and make up into neat objects 

 the various birds and beasts he hopes to secure. This 

 requires a small outlay of patience until he becomes 

 somewhat practised, and he must not be disheartened 

 if his first attempts are not successful. 



At the same time he must learn to identify the 

 sex, which is a very important matter and requires 

 very great accuracy to be of any use, but it is not 

 really a difficult matter, and also how to label the 

 specimens properly, and in the case of mammals to 

 take a few necessary simple measurements. 



His labels should bear on one side the date when 

 killed, sex, locality, his name or initials, and on the 

 reverse side the soft parts, i.e., eyes, bill, and legs and 

 toes in the case of birds ; and the measurement in 

 millimetres of the head and body, tail, hind foot, 

 and ear of mammals ; however large the beast, these 

 should always be recorded in millimetres when 

 possible. 



