4. PREPARING SKELETONS 31 



4. PREPARING SKELETONS 



Specimens intended for skeletons are not completely prepared in the field 

 but only roughed out and dried so that they will reach the museum intact. 

 Special care is needed to ensure that all the skeleton, including the small 

 bones of wings and tail, reach the museum, and that none are lost during 

 field preparation. 



Preparation 



If the identification of the species is positive, remove the plumage. If the 

 identification is in any way doubtful do not remove any plumage but only 

 eviscerate and sex as described below. Whenever possible refer the specimen, 

 by number, to an identical skin or spirit specimen which was collected at the 

 same time (i.e. "this specimen identical with no. G21"). Unidentified 

 specimens without plumage are useless, while wrongly identified ones may 

 cause serious mistakes and confusion if they are put into collections. 



The plumage is best removed with the skin, care being taken to damage no 

 bones. Skin right over the skull and as far as possible down the legs. The 

 eyes, brain, windpipe, and tongue are left in place. Wing and tail feathers 

 are removed by plucking, and here again care is needed to ensure that the 

 small end digits of the wings and of the alula or bastard wing, and the end 

 vertebrae of the tail, are not pulled off. If it is difficult to remove the feathers 

 without risk of damage to the skeleton, the feathers may be clipped off short. 

 After removing the plumage open the body cavity and remove the contents, 

 including heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and intestines, leaving the body cavity 

 empty, but identifying the sexual organs and sexing the bird during this 

 process (see p. 27). Note the sex and size of organs for labelling. Scissors 

 should not be used during evisceration, nor should any ribs be cut. To 

 assist the drying of larger birds, it is advisable to make several longitudinal 

 cuts with a knife through the breast muscles. With unidentified material 

 the breast plumage should first be deflected to one side by rough skinning 

 and then repositioned after the cuts have been made into the muscle. 



Drying 



The specimen should be made into a compact bundle by gently folding the 

 head and neck forward on the breast, folding legs and wings inwards against 

 the body, and holding the whole in position by binding it round with fine 

 string or thread. The carcase is then hung on a line in a sunny spot until 

 completely dry. In very humid climates some measure of artificial drying 

 may be necessary. It is inadvisable to label the specimen fully at this stage 

 since the labels may become illegible through soiling with blood or fat. All 

 the data should be noted in a field notebook or on data sheets, with a collec- 

 tor's number for each specimen. A relatively indestructible label bearing 

 this number should then be firmly tied to the specimen. The best type has 

 been found to be a thin non-corrosive metal garden label on which the 

 number can be embossed with a pointed, but not sharp, instrument, and 

 which can be attached to the specimen with fine wire or strong thread. Such 

 labels can be cut into smaller tags with scissors for more economic use. 



