Preservation of Animals^ Birds, Fishes, ^c. 53 



more necessary in the case of mammiferous animals. Although this 

 method secures the preparation from insects, it must nevertheless 

 in warm climates, before the time of transportation approaches, be 

 carefully preserved and packed with aromatic substances. 



We may also remark that in the case of some birds the head is 

 larger than the neck, as for instance some kinds of ducks, etc. so 

 that the skin cannot be drawn over it without injury. In this case 

 an incision may be made from the eye to the neck, on whichever 

 side the plumage may have been injured. The skin may then be very 

 easily drawn over the head and the process conducted as before de- 

 scribed; after which the incision should be sewed up. 



There is also another method of preparation for small birds, viz. the 

 Humming Bird species. To avoid skinning these small birds a wire 

 should be inserted in the vent, in order if possible, to extract the en- 

 trails. Then as much arsenical soap should be injected as the cav- 

 ity will contain, and the opening closed with paper. A similar pro- 

 cess should be applied to the head by introducing a wire through the 

 mouth into the cavity of the chest, drawing forth the contents and 

 injecting diluted arsenical soap. The mouth should then be entirely 

 stopped with paper, the bill bound close, the wings bound close to the 

 body, the bird suspended, and, when dried, carefully preserved till 

 the time of transportation as above described. 



(c) Amphibious animals and fishes are best prepared in spirits of 

 wine in the manner above described, only in the case of larger am- 

 phibious animals the body should be sawed in two [as for instance 

 tortoises] or cut in two [as in the case of crocodiles] and then pre- 

 pared in the same way as the skins of Mammiferous animals. The 

 larger sort of fishes should be skinned. The animal should be laid 

 in the sun till one side is somewhat dry, it should then be slit open on 

 the opposite side from the tail to the cover of the gills, the skin should 

 be peeled ofF, and the bones of the fins cut with shears leaving the 

 fins on the skin. The whole body should be taken from the skin 

 and then the skin and the cavity of the mouth, and those cavities oc- 

 casioned by removing the gills together with the sockets of the eyes 

 should be laid over with arsenical soap and all the parts filled with 

 cotton, when the preparation should be dried. 



(d.) Soft and small crustaceous animals should merely be preserve 

 ed in spirits of wine. The larger species should be taken out and 

 filled with arsenical soap and cotton. 



