[7] PREPARING SMALL MAMMALS^ MILLER. 



oi^ in the sunlight — wherever the sknlls will dry most rapidly and thor- 

 oughly. Care must be taken that they are not stolen by cats, rats, or 

 dogs. 



10. Tear off a piece of cotton slightly larger than the body of the 

 animal. The exact size required can only be learned by practice. EoU 

 it roughly into shape and grasp its whole length with the forceps. If 

 the forceps are too short for this seize it by the end which is to go into 

 the head. Holding the cotton body by the forceps in the right hand, 

 slip the skin on with the left until the points of the forceps have reached 

 the mouth. Then grasp the head with the fingers of the left hand firmly 

 enough to hold the cotton filling in place. Remove the force] >s and with 

 the right hand work the skin back over the artiflcial body. This method 

 of i)utting the skin onto the body obviates the risk of stretching invari- 

 ably run in an attempt to push the body into a small skin. For animals 

 larger than a squirrel, stuffing of excelsior or tow is preferable to that 

 made of cotton, as it permits more rapid and thorough drying of the 

 skin. 



11. When the artificial body is in jdace the wires are to be inserted 

 in the legs and tail. Tear off a bit of cotton large enough to fill the 

 skin of the leg, and project well into the body cavity. Then lay a wire 

 on it, letting one end project a short distance beyond the edge of the 

 (jotton, Now twirl the wire with the fingers of the right hand, at the 

 same time pressing lightly with those of the left over the edge of the 

 cotton nearest the free end of the wire. The fibers will soon become 

 wrapped about the wire at this point so that the whole mass of cotton 

 will revolve with the wire, though fastened to it in a narrow region 

 only and elsewhere standing out in a light, elastic mass. 



Insert the wire into the position fqrmerly occupied by the leg bone 

 (or alongside the bone if this has been left in) and drive the point 

 securely into foot, talcing care not to distort heel. If the cotton has been 

 securely fastened, it will be carried with the wire so that it will now 

 shape itself to the inside of the skin and fill out the leg to its original 

 size. With animals the size of a skunk, woodchuck, or rabbit (in which 

 tlie leg bone is invariably to be left in place) it will be found more con- 

 venient to insert the wire first and then wrap wire and bone together 

 to the required size and form. 



If the tail is bushy the tail wire may be inserted without wrapping; 

 but the tvire mnst invariahh) he wrapped with cotton he/ore insertion into 

 closely furred or naked, tails. To wrap a tail wire requires considerable 

 practice. The process is exactly like that of wrapping a leg wire, 

 except that a long shred of cotton of very good, (luaUty must be selected, 

 and this twisted about the wire, tightly at the end that is to go to the 

 t\\) of the tail, more loosely toward the base, so as to produce a taper- 

 ing form like that of the tail bone. The tail wire must project slightly 

 beyond the cotton wrapping. Before inserting the wrapped tail wire it 

 is well to dip it into the arsenic, first moistening it slightly. Great 



