70 PRACTICAL TAXIDERMY. 



of corrosive sublimate ; in twelve hours draw it off into a clean 

 bottle, dip a black featber into tbe solution, and if, on drying, 

 a whiteness is left on the feather, add a little more alcohol. 



Care must be taken not to handle the bird more than abso- 

 lutely necessary after this operation, for reasons which I will 

 give below when speaking of the following recipe, which I have 

 extracted from a little book professedly written by a well-known 

 taxidermist, though I believe he knew nothing at all about it 

 until it was published. 



The preparation referred to, which should be labelled " Dan- 

 gerous ! JSTot to be used ! " is as follows : 



No. 6. — Gardner's Preservative. 



Arsenic, 6oz. 



Corrosive sublimate, 3oz. 



Yellow soap, 2oz. 



Camphor, loz. 



Spirits of wine, i-pint. 



"Put all these ingredients in a pipkin, which place over a slow 

 fire, stirring the mixture briskly till the several parts are dis- 

 solved and foi-m one homogeneous mass. This may then be 

 poured into a wide-mouthed bottle and allowed to stand till 

 quite cold, when it will be ready for use. Of course, these 

 quantities may be increased or decreased according to the size 

 of the animal to be operated on ; but the proportions here given 

 must be preserved." Did it ever occur to the gifted author of 

 this that stiiTing camphor and spirits of wine briskly over a 

 slow fire would be as quick a way as could be invented of sum- 

 moning the fire brigade; also, that nine ounces of poison to 

 eleven ounces of other ingredients, well worked into the hands, 

 at different times, a,s it must be, when handling or returning 

 skins painted with it, would not tend to lengthen the life of the 

 learner? Corrosive sublimate being a mercurial preparation — 

 i.e., bichloride of mercury — I ask any chemist amongst my 

 readers what effect thi-ee ounces of that dangerous preparation, 

 six ounces of arsenic, yellow soa,p, and spirits of wine would 

 have upon the constitution ? Would it not be readily absorbed 

 through the hands into the system ? and next comes salivation, 

 and then — the last scene of all ! 



Yet another little treat for the amateur desirous of com- 

 mitting suicide under the transparent pretence of studying 

 taxidermy. This, which I have culled from the pages of 



