88 PKACTICAL TAXIDERMY. 



arate the bones of a large skeleton, to clean them, and 

 the larger bones should be exj)osed to the sun, then 

 stripped and carefully scraped. 



The spinal . column requires more labor in cleaning, 

 than the rest of the skeleton, on account of its inconven- 

 ient shape and the work of removing the tough tissues 

 which connect the vertebrae. 



The quickest and best way to prepare a skeleton, is to 

 sink it in the sea, if practicable, in a small-meshed net 

 bag, with a buoy to indicate its location. The thousands 

 of small marine animals will clean out every cavity more 

 rapidly and thoroughly than man can do the work. Tlic 

 Bay of Fundy is one of the most favorable places in the 

 world for preparing skeletons. I have completed the 

 cleaning of very large seals in its waters, by sinking them 

 for a period of twenty-four hours only. So numerous 

 and voracious are the marine animals, that the frame 

 of a large fish will be bared in a single night. Portions 

 of a skeleton may also be buried in an ant-hill, and the 

 occupants will soon clean the bones. If the skeletol- 

 ogist is preparing his collections where marine animals 

 or ants cannot be utilized, and he wishes to accomplish 

 his work quickly, he will have to resort to boiling. 



The bones should be cleaned with a knife, and then 

 boiled until every particle of flesh leaves them. During 

 the process, the water should be frequently changed, so 

 that the grease will not settle in and discolor the skeleton. 

 The bones should be slowly boiled at first, and for several 

 hours, before the flesh begins to leave them. They should 

 occasionally be taken from the pot, and loose particles re- 

 moved, in order to hasten the work. Boiling frequently 

 causes the caps of the larger bones to come off, and weak- 

 ens the skeleton generally. 



Bones may be bleached by placing them in a lime-bath 

 and exposing to the sun. I do not recommend the use of 

 lime, as it eats the enamel of the bones. Cold water and 



