Guide to Taxidermy 



CHAP. 3"Mouutin^ Animals 

 Part 1— Small Mammals 



The mounting of mammals can best be divided 

 into two parts : small^ such as squirrels and rodents, 

 and carnivorous animals up to the size of a fox or 

 coyote. These are mounted by the semi-modeling 

 process as will be described in the following pages ; 

 large mammals above the size of a fox, and short- 

 haired animals like many of the dogs are mounted 

 by the full modeling process as described in the 

 next Part. 



Skinning 



We will take for our subject for this lesson, a 

 gray squirrel. 



You will have at hand, ready for use, a scalpel; 

 scissors ; large scissors or bone shears ; a box of fine ^yj^\ t,^;^ 

 sawdust, lacking which you can use corn meal. 



As in the cast with birds it is better not to at- 

 tempt skinning for a few hours after the death of 

 the subject, or until it has relaxed from the "rigor 

 mortis" that sets in soon after death. Bend the 

 legs of ypur specimen wide apart so as to relax all 

 the joints. Make your opening cut from between 

 the forelegs, down through the middle of the breast 



