206 NATURE STUDY IN SCHOOLS. 



p sh the skin off the upper wing, and expose a portion of the fleshy part of the 

 forearm taking care, however, not to detach any of the secondaries from the 

 bone. I cut off the lower, or basal portion of this fleshy part of the fore- 

 arm diagonally, rub a little preservative on the cut end, and treat the other wing 

 in the same way. As you see, the skin is now turned over on the neck and 

 head. The eyes are removed with the point of the knife. The back of the 

 head is cut off and two cuts made from the lower part of the skull back. 

 This removes a portion of the back of the skull, and with this portion the 

 brains also come out all in one piece. Dust the skin well with preserva- 

 tive, place a ball of cotton in each eye socket, then turn the skin right side out 

 again, by pushing the skull forward through the neck. I give the skin a 

 slight shake and the woik is finished as far as skinning goes, and here will 

 end your first lesson." 



" Why," said Paul, who with the other boys, had given this interesting 

 operation their closest attention, "you have been only four minutes skinning 

 the nuthatch." 



"Yes," said his instructor, "I think I have been about that time, 

 but birds must be skinned quickly in order to look well when made up into 

 skins." 



" I saw you kept dusting the bird's body with preservative as you skinned 

 it," said George. "Why did you do this?" 



" In order to keep the blood and other fluids contained in the body, 

 from injuring the feathers," was the reply. " Now," continued the Pro- 

 fessor, "I want each one of you to take a bird and try and remove the 

 skin as carefully as possible. Then I Avill criticise your work." 



Accordingly, each of the boys, guided by the instruction of the Profegsor 

 selected a suitable specimen and eagerly went to work. The result of their labors 

 will be given in another chapter. 



