ORDER X.—CETACEA 
THE DOLPHIN, PORPOISE, &¢. 
The structure of these animals, as well as of the other spe- 
cies of the first family of this order, differs but little in gen- 
eral structure. 
In skinning these, an incision is made under the chin, and 
| continued to the extremity of the tail; the skin is then de- 
| tached right and left with the scalpel, ora sharp knife. When 
the skin has been cut back as far as possible, disengage the 
vertebree at the tail, and this will enable the operator to de- 
_ tach the skin from the back ; the vertebra are now cut close to 
| the head, and the whole carcase removed. 
All this tribe have a thick layer of fat under their skin. In 
| the operation of skinning it requires considerable dexterity to 
leave this fat, or blubber, adhering to the carcase. Practice 
alone will obviate this. When this has not been properly 
managed in the skinning, the only thing to be done after- 
wards is to scrape it thoroughly with a knife. The oil which 
flows from it, during this operation, must be soaked up with 
| bran, or plaster of Paris. 
There being no muscular projections in the skin of the Por- 
poise, there is no use for wires in mounting it. A narrow 
piece of wood the length of the body is quite sufficient to keep 
the skin stretched, and stuffed either with tow or hay. Some 
months are necessary to render it perfectly dry and stiff, from 
its greasy nature. The grease almost always leaves some dis- 
agreeable looking spots on the skin. To remove these, and 
prevent a recurrence of them, powdered pumice-stone steeped 
in olive oil, is rubbed thickly on the skin with a hand-brush. 
It is then gone over a second time with emery and oil. It is 
rubbed in this way till the skin has a glossy appearance, when 
it may be rubbed dry with a woollen cloth; and to complete 
the polish, a clean woollen cloth may be applied with some 
force to complete the gloss, which is natural to the skin in 
a living state. 
Where a very glossy appearance is wished, varnishes be- 
come necessary, but some difficulty has been experienced in 
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24 CETACEA, | 
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