io8 TAXIDERMY AND MODELLING 



of the tail ; the greatest width in the centre of the body ; the 

 greatest depth ; and, what is, perhaps, most necessary, the 

 distance between the inner borders of the fore and hind limbs, 

 i.e. between the humerus of the one and the femur of the other. 

 A rough tracing of the shape may in some cases assist the 

 pupil. Laying the animal stomach uppermost, take knives 

 Nos. I and 4, and, with the latter, make an incision along the 

 median line, commencing at some distance below the fore limbs, 

 and continuing the cut to within an inch or so of the tail, but 

 being sure not to make the cut too high, as it should be 

 remembered that this can always be lengthened if necessary, 

 and that the incision from which the body will ultimately be 

 removed ought to be made as small as is practicable. Nearing 

 the lower portion, care must be taken not to cut the membrane 

 which retains the bowels. Now taking the broad knife. No. i, 

 it will be found easy, by working with a scraping movement, 

 to release the body at the sides without leaving any fat or 

 flesh upon the skin — which is, of course, an important matter, 

 — and for this purpose, it need hardly be remarked, the knife 

 must have a rounded, or partially rounded, point. 



Continuing the scraping movement on both sides, the hind 

 limbs will begin to show, and, probably, about here some little 

 fat may obscure the view of, the actual flesh, in which event 

 the fingers should be dipped into dry plaster of Paris kept 

 by the side for that purpose, and, by working with them and 

 with the knife, all the fat may be removed, but very carefully, 

 otherwise the thin skin may be torn. Working now with the 

 fingers of one hand to free the skin from around the thigh 

 (femur), push the foot up into the skin with the other hand, 

 and continue working until the fingers meet, inside the skin, 

 at the junction of the tibia with the femur, when the shears 

 (No. 8), or, better still, the knife, may be slipped underneath and 

 the femur disunited from the trunk at the pelvis. This, being 



