[11] PREPARATION OF ROUGH SKELETONS LUCAS. 



A moose or buifalo can be cnt up still more by separating the leg- 

 bones at each joint and making several sections of the backbone. 



Occasionally it is necessary to reduce a skeleton to its smallest possi- 

 ble dimensions, and then, in addition to the above measures, the breast- 

 bone must be separated from the ribs by cutting through the cartilage 

 just heloic the end of each rib. The ribs can then be detached from the 

 backbone, and thus dismantled a good-sized skeleton can be packed in 

 a flour barrel. Barrels, it may be remarked, are very useful for pack- 

 ing purposes. 



Boxes should be tight, so as to shut out hungry dogs and prevent 

 entirely the attacks of rats and mice. I have frequently seen valuable 

 skeletons that were ruined in a single night by the ravages of one or 

 two rats. 



Care should also be taken not to leave boxes open over night while 

 being packed, lest mice should make a nest in the packing material and 

 be shut up with the specimens. 



Straw or hay is the best packing material, but Spanish moss, shav- 

 ings, " excelsior," or cocoa fiber will serve the purpose. Usually but 

 little is needed, the main point being to prevent the skeletons or loose 

 bones from rattling about. 



Beware of sea weed for packing. No matter how dry it appears to 

 be, it contains so much salt as to become wet when exposed to a moist 

 atmosphere. 



Never put alum on a skeleton, nor soak any bones in a solution con- 

 taining alum. 



In hot, moist climates it is occasionally allowable to sprinkle a little 

 salt on the bones of a large animal in order to keep the flesh from 

 putrefying instead of drying. Some aquatic animals, such as seals 

 and porpoises, can be packed in salt without detriment to their bones, 

 a fact that is often of great advantage when such animals are collected 

 on shipboard, where it is often difficult or even impossible to dry large 

 skeletons. 



Small skeletons should on no account be salted, nor should large ones 

 be boiled to remove the flesh. 



