SKINNING AND PBESEKVING MAMMALS. 133 



to prevent ultimate shrivelling. Ton may get nearly to the 

 points of the toes in this manner, the only places it should hold 

 to the bone being the top of the last joint and at the tips of the 

 toes ; the actual pad, which you will find loaded with a thick 

 fat, must be trimmed as well as possible. Whilst doing all this 

 take notice of the points of attachment and shapes of sinews, 

 &c., which you remove, especially those of the hind legs. 



It will be recollected that although we have returned the 

 head, nothing has been done to the upper lip or nose from the 

 outside. Accordingly the knife must be slipped the whole way 

 round, beginning at the nose and keeping as close to the teeth 

 as possible, in fact, on the very edges of the gums. This is 

 important. Skin away now from the bone of the upper jaw 

 on each side; having bared this, come back to the nose, the 

 cartilage of which skin until you arrive at the extreme tip; in 

 point of fact, skin it entirely out, which is best done by cutting 

 a portion off inside, and then carefully skinning the little 

 bit which is left until the extreme tip of the nostrils is 

 arrived at. This requires great care, as the black skin on the 

 top of the nose is extremely thin. This is the very worst place 

 in which a cut could be made; and, although the cutting 

 out of the nose could be done in five minutes, the tyro will 

 do well if he completes it in half an hour. This being satis- 

 factorily ended, free the flesh from the bone, except at the 

 attachment previously left at the corner of the eye. There is 

 now a smooth and shiny skin between the upper lip and the cut 

 you made to free it from the gums ; this is the inner skin of the 

 lips ; the knife must, therefore, be slipped between this skin and 

 the outer skin, and it must then be carefully separated the 

 whole of the way round, to the extreme edge of the upper lip ; 

 this requires nice manipulation and great care. This inner skin 

 now hangs down from the inner lip, and forms a bag, the uses of 

 which will be seen hereafter. There still remains the inside of 

 the bone of the nose to be cleaned out with a pointed knife. 

 The lower lip is now attached only at the extreme tip; this 

 must be cut away from the gum at that place and the knife 

 pushed underneath, by the side of the canine teeth, to still 

 further free the skin. 



The skin is now ready for stufiing, when you have thoroughly 



