56 THE taxidermist's guide. 



The flesh must be extracted from the large claws of Lobsters 

 and Crabs, by breaking the smallest possible piece from their 

 points and introducing a small crooked wire ; in the smaller 

 claws the flesh must be allowed to dry, and to facilitate this, ex- 

 tremely small perforations should be made in opposite sides of 

 the shell, by means of a sharp triangular awl, so as to allow the 

 air to pass through it. 



In Lobsters, the branchiae and all the intestines must be cut 

 away ; the latter is effected by separating the body from the 

 lower parts, and then extracting the internal parts with any sharp 

 instrument ; it should then be dried and cemented together, 

 * after being well anointed with the preservative. In Crabs, the 

 body, with all the limbs attached, is pulled separate from the 

 back shell, and the whole fleshy matter carefully picked out, and 

 preserving powder and the solution of corrosive sublimate ap- 

 plied to the different internal parts. In drying Lobsters, Crabs, 

 &c. , they should be exposed to a free current of air, but not to 

 the sun's rays, as it reddens the shells of crustaceous animals. 



It need hardly be mentioned, that before applying the preserva- 

 tives, the shells should be well washed with cold water. 



The Hermit-Crab always takes possession of the shell of some 

 turbinated Univalve as its domicile. These are easily preserved 

 by pulling out the animal after it is dead. An incision is made 

 in the soft tail of the animal, and the contents allowed to run off ; 

 it is then filled with cotton and imbued with the preservative ; 

 some cement is then put on the tail, and the animal returned to 

 its shell, which completes the operation of preserving. 



In sending home crustaceous animals, the larger species should 

 be emptied of their fleshy matter, which, however, is not neces- 

 sary with the smaller species ; they should be packed in middling 

 sized cases, and each wrapped in separate papers, with a thick 

 bed of cotton or flax between each. In Lobsters, and the species 

 which are allied to them, great care must be exercised in preserv- 

 ing the tentacula or feelers which emanate from their heads, as 

 these become very brittle after they are dried. In proceeding to 

 set up specimens which have been sent home, they should be 

 immersed in cold water for some time, to give pliability to the 

 tentacula and other parts, without which it will be impossible to 

 set them up in any way without their breaking. 



