MAMMALS OP THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 51 



in some institution of standing; it will surprise the average 

 sportsman to find how gladly they are received and what scien- 

 tific interest is attached to material he assumes to be worthless. 



The making of study skins of small mammals is really a very 

 simple process and one of considerable interest ; and the pleasures 

 to be realized from trapping add greatly to a traveler's expe- 

 riences. A small pamphlet issued by the United States National 

 Museum gives instructions for preparing specimens of mammals 

 in the most approved styles for scientific study. To the sports- 

 man, the greatest interest naturally lies in the medium sized and 

 larger mammals, the skins of which, when intended chiefly for 

 study, are easily prepared. A primary incision should be made 

 from the breast to the tip of the tail, and other incisions from 

 the sole of each foot up the leg to the main longitudinal cut. 

 In horned mammals, an additional cut from the base of the 

 head to between the horns, branching in a Y to around each horn 

 is necessary; the skull in these being removed through this 

 opening. The skin is then removed entire, special care being 

 taken to skin out the feet, tail, ears, and lips. The skin should 

 then be well salted, the salt rubbed in on the most fleshy parts 

 and around the edges. It is a good plan to separate the skin of 

 the ear from the cartilage and force salt to the tip, salting the 

 feet well also. The skin may then be rolled up for a few hours, 

 as over night, and afterward spread out in the shade to drain 

 and dry. As the drying process advances, the skin may be 

 folded, before too dry, into a convenient bundle for transporta- 

 tion. The skull, which should always accompany the skin, may 

 be disjointed from the vertebrae, care being taken not to cut or 

 otherwise injure its base. The flesh should be roughly cut off, 

 the brain removed through the natural opening at back of skull 

 with a folded and bent wire, and the skull dried in the sun or 

 near a fire. The skin and skull of the same individual should 

 always be tagged with the same number so that there wiU be no 

 uncertainty as to what skull belongs with a particular skin when 

 the specimens reach the museum. 



Even when it is not possible to save the skin, or when it is 

 desired for other purposes, the skull of a medium sized or large 

 mammal should always be saved. Large series of skulls from 

 all localities are greatly desired for study and comparison. 

 Where the sportsman wishes to retain the horns they may be 

 sawed oflt, either alone or with a portion of the bone of the 

 frontal region, and the specimen will still be of great service to 

 the specialist, to whom the teeth and lower surface of the skuU 

 are more important than the horns. When this is done a pho- 



