SOME HINTS ON NATURAL HISTORY SPECIMENS. 109 
It is important that the positions of the different items and the direction of 
the writing (away from the thread) should be exactly as in the example, so 
that skins from different sources may all ‘be similarly labelled. 
FRONT. 
(CIDE) a Ie SN Weimer Weer (Sex) 
| (Name) | 
(LB COYC) WIS A MeAt ape eae ace, um AMIR Galt Meaty eat ‘ 
(AMGIGOe) ieee ere (Collection): eee) akin nies 
BACK, 
(Measurements). (Notes.) 
Wsicere| arael laomhy a me allalelinasss 
| SDT ait Wo Men, iN) s 
ome rind Woot es : 
Ear 
A supply of these lables can be had on application to tke Honorary Secretary of 
the Society. 
AME Open the skin by cutting down the helly from the breast-bone to the 
anus; first push one and then the other knee through the opening, and cut 
through the legs at the knee joints ; clear off the chief muscles of the leg- 
bones, and separate away the skin from the body all round the tail ; then 
holding the skin at the base of the tail firmly between the finger and thumb 
nails, or in the fork of a cleft stick, pull out the vertebra from inside with tht 
forceps ; then gradually turning the skin inside out, skin it up over the body, 
shoulders, and head, separating the fore-limbs at the elbow joint, and taking 
great care not to cut it in passing over the eyes; skin it entirely off over the 
mouth, cutting carefully round the lips. Throughout the operation plenty of 
fine sawdust will be found of great assistance in keeping the hands, and con- 
sequently the fur, dry and unsoiled. 
[III). Clean the inside of the skin from blood, fat, &c., and then brush it 
all over with arsenical soap, being especially careful that the insides of the 
limbs get some put on them, Do not put any poison, and, especially, no 
powdered arsenic on the outer, furry side of the skins, But pepper, naphtha- 
line, or camphor may be used to keep off moth from the skins when travelling. 
[IV]. Turn the skin back right side out and fill the cavity of the body with 
cotton wool, putting it in as far as possible in one piece, or the skin may be 
reversed over the wool by putting the forceps up the furry side of the skin 
from the tail end, and grasping the wool-body through the mouth, (In tropical 
