DRESSING AND SOFTENING SKINS AS LEATHER. 197 



well briislied with stiff horse or carriage brushes, and afterwards 

 wiped down with turpentine, followed by benzoline. 



When a skin is properly cleaned and finished, it may be lined 

 with red or black cloth, or baize, and a " pounced " border of 

 cloth attached. The tools for " pouncing " are to be bought at 

 most saddlers' or ironmongers'. 



I have been asked many times what to do, if camping out 

 abroad, supposing you shot a tiger or a bear, and wished to 

 preserve the skin as a " flat." Simply lay it on the ground and 

 slit the skin underneath, in a straight line through the under 

 lip to the tip of the tail, then make four cross cuts from the 

 median line along the inside of the limbs down to the toes, and 

 skin out the body by stripping it in a careful manner, not 

 allowing any pieces to be cut away, in case you might change 

 your mind and wish it mounted as a specimen. Take out the 

 skull, clean and preserve it, and though skinning out the toes 

 completely, be careful to retain the claws in their seats. When 

 the body is removed, "flesh" the skin, which means scraping 

 and cutting away all superfluous flesh and fat, then lay it out 

 flat and rub it well in with the burnt alum and saltpetre 

 (Formula No. 9). In dressing thick skins, it will be advisable to 

 make a paste of the alum and saltpetre by mixing it with a little 

 water, and repeatedly rub this mixture into those parts where the 

 skin is thickest, such as around the lips, eyes, ears, &c., taking 

 care that not a wrinkle in any part escapes a thorough dressing, 

 otherwise it will assuredly " sweat," and the hair come off in 

 such places. The skin may now be rolled or folded together 

 for travelling, but the next day, when settled in camp, it must be 

 dressed again — twice will be quite sufficient for any but the 

 thickest or most greasy skins ; after that it must be exposed 

 day by day to the sun and air, taking care meanwhile to guard 

 it against all possible enemies. Treated in this manner, it has 

 no "nature" in it, but is "as stiff as a board;" before this 

 happens, however, it will be advisable to roll it, unless you have 

 plenty of space at disposal on the floor of a travelling waggon, &c., 

 in which case it may be folded to fit. A folded skin is, however, 

 worse to treat, subsequently, than a rolled one. Yaluable skins 

 should be, when practicable, sprinkled with insect powder, tur- 

 pentine, or pepper, and sewn up in sacking until they can be 



