SKINNING AND PRESERVING MAMMALS. 137 



yoTi must bear in mind, tliat altliongli you liave perfectly cured 

 tlie skin — turning it, in fact, into a species of leatlier — you liave 

 not rendered it proof against tlie attacks of insects; it must, 

 therefore, be waslied over with one of the preparations given in 

 Chapter lY. 



The preceding method of skinning and stuffing an animal is 

 given, not because it is the most scientific, but because it is the 

 most satisfactory to the learner, and is, indeed, the method 

 which obtains with the majority of taxidermists. Though 

 perfectly efficient as far as it goes, it yet possesses the disadvan- 

 tage of allowing a certain percentage of shrinkage, and that 

 caused solely by the yielding nature of the tow used to fill out 

 the places where the muscles formerly rested. To an educated 

 eye this defect is at once recognised by the uneven contour of 

 the cheeks, superciliary muscles, and various parts of the limbs, 

 and also by the generally " wooden " appearance of the. specimen. 



The system on which I will now give a lesson is far more 

 tedious in its application, but certain in its effects, being, in fact, 

 substituting hard for loose stuffing, and differing from the fore- 

 going in one essential particular, viz., the modelling of the head 

 and limbs with a medium of an unyielding nature. To illustrate 

 this, we will take another fox or similar animal. After skinning 

 it, as in the foregoing lesson, you will, instead of leaving the leg 

 bones in the skin, cut them completely out down to the claws, 

 which may best be done by skinning down as far as you can, 

 cutting the bones off at the last joint, then making an in- 

 cision above the pads, and slipping the bones completely out ; 

 this allows you to work right down to the last joint of the 

 phalanges or toes, at which point you cut the bones free. 



The head is now to be considered. When it has been cut off 

 as before, skin down to the eyelids, and instead of leaving them 

 attached at the lower angles, cut them completely away. Now 

 take the skin off all round the skull, until the return of the 

 skin of the side of the mouth is arrived at. Skin well under 

 the jaw to the very tip, and now begin under- cutting at the 

 sides, coming up to the return angle — keeping, however, well 

 to the side of the skin. By cautious working you can skin in 

 between the inner and outer skins until you can touch the tips 

 of the lower teeth at the point of the jaw with your fingers. 



