PREPARING SKINS FOR MANUFACTURE 119 



said to be 'cased.' The methods of skinning in use for common Cana- 

 dian fur-bearers are as follows: 



Cased — ^Fox, marten, fisher, weasel, otter, skunk, lynx, cat, 

 muskrat. 



Either Cased or Open — ^Raccoon, wildcat. 

 Open — ^Wolverene, badger, beaver, wolf, bear. 



The process of removing a cased skin is well described by the Fur 

 News Magazine as follows: 



"Slit skin on both hind legs on the under side of animal from 

 the heel to the vent; skin out the legs to the feet, and in the case 

 of miak, skin out the toes and leave them and the claws on the 

 skin. Skin, around the tail, leaving the tail on the back of the 

 skin, and after loosening the tail bone at the base, take hold of it 

 with your forefinger and pull it out of the tail. If the tail bone 

 is hard to remove, split a stock, insert the tail bone in split, and 

 with this to grip the bone, you should have no trouble to pull it 

 out. 



"Now turn the skin back and carefully pull it off the body. 

 Use a knife to start the skin if it does not come off easily, but be 

 careful not to cut the pelt. Skin so that as little flesh and fat 

 adhere to the skin as possible. When the front legs are reached, 

 skin around them near the body and then push them backward 

 out of the skin — turn them inside out, as we might say. Skin out 

 the legs to the paws in the case of mink, keeping them on the skin; 

 for the other animals cut off the legs at the first joint. Skin care- 

 fully around the head, pushing the skull back through the skin 

 until the ears are reached; these should be cut off as near the skull 

 as possible, so that they remain attached to the skin. Then care- 

 fully skin around the eyes, not cutting the eyelids, and when the 

 mouth and nose are reached use care also. Do not pull the skin 

 off the head, but remove carefully, for the heads of some animals are 

 used in manufacturing the furs, and all skins have a better ap- 

 pearance if the head is skinned out with care." 



Skunks and raccoons present some special problems. They fatten 

 in the fall and go to their dens in cold weather. Therefore, those de- 

 signed for slaughter must be segregated from the breeders before cold 

 weather sets in or they cannot be captured without disturbing the nest. 

 After skinning, also, a large quantity of fat adheres to the skin. This 

 must be scraped off or it may heat and decompose the skin. Skunk 

 fat should be kept and rendered into oil. In baled shipments, also, 

 the grease of these skins is liable to injure other skins in the same 



