1 835.] of Objects of Natural History. 467 



should be smoothed down ; a cone of paper, with the top cut off, to allow of 

 the protrusion of the bill, is then made, and the bird put into it, and hung- 

 up to dry. 



In the" above process, there are some points in which the common 

 rules of preserving the skins of birds are departed fr >m in the following 

 particulars: in the first place, the skinning process is different from that 

 generally followed, in as much as the skin of the neck is never everted in 

 this as it is in the common way, so that all the stretching of the skin and de- 

 rangement of the feathers, which invariable accompany th^ other plan, are 

 avoided ; and the inconvenience arising from which, in birds having large 

 heads and slender necks, is very great : so much so, indeed, that in some 

 birds, it is impossible to draw the head through the neck, and the making 

 an incision, even, at the back of the head has been recommended. The 

 rump is only half cut through, instead of being taken almost entirely out, 

 whereby the feathers of the tail are faster and are carried better than 

 they otherwise can be ; and if plenty of arsenical soap is used, no incon- 

 venience fullows from this. The wings are less deranged than in the com- 

 mon way; and by commencing to take off the skin from the fore part of 

 the bird, there is less danger of damage to the feathers from blood, 

 oozing from the inside, than if the hinder part is skinned first. By the eye 

 too being taken out from the inside of the mouth, the feathers at the side 

 of the head, which generally are of delicate colours and structure, are not 

 so frequently injured as by their being removed through the eyelids. Upon 

 this point it may likewise be remarked, that the eye may be left in altoge- 

 ther, if the cornea is touched with the before-mentioned solution of corro- 

 sive sublimate in spirit of wine: and when the specimen is dry, the eye 

 may then readily be cut out, and a ball of wet cotton put in its place ; and 

 the eyelid becoming soft, may be arranged as before. 



Before a bird is skinned, it is well to notice several points that may be 

 useful to the naturalist, as well as to the person who eventually stuffs and 

 sets up the skin. 



The colour of the eye should be noted down, taking care to define the 

 shade as accurately as possible. The weight of the bird, its length, from 

 tip of the bill and crown of the head, to the end of the middle toe, to the 

 rump, and tip of the tail, should be taken ; as well as the expansion of the 

 wings. If there are any naked parts about the base of the bill, or the 

 head, their colour must be particularly noted, as the colour of these parts 

 is apt to change, as will indeed sometimes that of the bill and legs : these 

 latter therefore should be mentioned too. In short, every thing that strikes 

 the observer as peculiar about the bird, should carefully be noted down. 



Reptiles. 

 In the preservation of reptiles, no great trouble is required. When 

 taken, every thing likely to interest the naturalist, or any future observer, 

 it is well to record ; while their dimensions and weight should always 

 be mentioned. They may be divided into three kinds for the purpose of 

 this essay. 1st, Chelonian reptiles, or those having a hard covering, as 

 the tortoises; 2nd, four-footed scaly-skinned reptiles, forming the Lacertan 

 or lizard tribe; 3rd, the Batrachians, or frogs and toads ; 4th, Serpents. 



Chelonian reptiles are best preserved, by carefully removing the inside 

 by an incision made in the soft parts, by the side of the fore or hind legs ; 

 though in some, particularly in large specimens, it is necessary to separate 

 entirely the upper shell from the lower, cutting through the hard parts 

 at the sides, before the inside can be removed. The less disturbance, 

 however, of the shell, the better, and the less the bones are deranged, the 

 greater the use of the specimen. When the inside, or so much of it as 

 can well be got out, is removed, the shell should be smeared on the in- 

 side with preservative, and the outside may be brushed over with the cor- 

 rosive sublimate solution. The brain of reptiles is very small, and enclosed 

 in a hard long case ; and it matters not much if it is removed or not, as 



