44 collector's manual 



enter. Prop the mouth open with a cork or stick, and pull the 

 neck out of the shell as far as it will come. Then place in a 

 container of 75 to 90 percent alcohol for curing. After a few 

 days, if no "soft" (decayed) spots show on the specimen, it can 

 be wrapped in a cloth wrung out in alcohol and placed, with label 

 attached, in a tin shipping container, which should be soldered 

 shut. 



A larger turtle can best be made into a dried skin, that is, a 

 shell with the flesh removed from inside the legs, tail, and neck, 

 which remain attached to the shell by a part of their leathery 

 skin. The skull should be dried inside the head skin, as its 

 structure is rather delicate. If time is lacking, the shell alone 

 can be "roughed out," that is, cleaned of flesh, the legs discarded, 

 and only the head dried and saved with the shell. Labels for 

 large dried specimens may be made of flat pieces of wood on 

 which the data are printed with black pencil. 



Alligators and crocodiles present the same difficulties. The 

 ones preserved in alcohol undoubtedly are the best for later 

 scientific study; hence those less than 2 feet in length should 

 be so preserved. Many injections of pure alcohol or strong 

 formalin into the fleshy parts of the body are necessary. The 

 specimens may then be kept in 75 to 90 percent alcohol until 

 ready for final packing. 



Large lizards, alligators, and crocodiles should be skinned out, 

 leaving the legs attached as well as the head and tail. Salt may 

 be used as an additional preservative if the skins are slow in 

 drying. 



It is advisable to make measurements of any specimens in- 

 tended for skinning and drying, as well as to weigh them, if that 



