THE SKINNING OF A HORNED HEAD 149 



papillated mucous membrane ; a large mass of the cartilage of 

 the nostrils ; large bags formed by the eyelids, and a large mass 

 of cartilage at the roots of the ears. 



Commencing with the latter, the first operation will be to cut 

 away any superfluous flesh which may have been left upon the 

 skin or the cartilage at the base, and, after freeing the cartilage 

 for some little distance all round, grip the freed base of the 

 ear with the left hand — the remainder of the ear lying, mean- 

 while, within the reversed skin of the head, the back of the ear 

 upwards, — and, discarding the knife temporarily, proceed, with 

 the thumb and finger of the right hand, to work up between the 

 outer and inner skins of the ear, until the ear turns partially 

 inside out like the reversed finger of a glove. Probably this 

 process will not have separated the skins to their extreme 

 edges ; resume the knife, therefore, which must not be too sharp, 

 and with rather more of a scraping than a cutting motion, 

 assisting also with the thumb-nail of the left hand — the middle 

 finger being meanwhile opposed to the thumb on the other side 

 of the skin, — gradually expose the cartilage to the extreme 

 edge on each side, and to the extreme tip. Recollect that, in 

 this operation, a great deal more is done with the fingers than 

 with the knife. Within the skin of the head, the reversed 

 ear is now presented as a large mass of skin and cartilage 

 like a huge finger of a glove, this finger exhibiting an apparent 

 seam down the centre, the cartilage being white, the actual 

 skin appearing blue. Repeat the process with the other 

 ear. 



Taking next the bag of the eye, this, after all superfluous 

 flesh has been trimmed therefrom, must be entirely freed from 

 the actual skin until the black rim or outer edge of the 

 eyelid is reached. When pulled through the orifice of the eye, 

 the bag — which is, however, without a bottom — should project 

 quite half an inch, but must, of course, be returned within 



