5 



A little whiting or chalk dusted on the skin will help the knife to take 

 hold. Care should be taken that the knife is pushed straight down ; 

 if it slips sideways it will cut the skin (see figure 2, c). By turning 

 the skin about in the frame, all the corners and edges can be reached. 

 If the skin is held taut in the frame and whipped vigorously with an 

 old buggy whip, this treatment will fluff out and clean the fur. A nice 

 smooth finish can be secured by sandpapering any rough or thick spots 

 on the flesh side. 



Dressing Rabbit Skins. — The skins of our wild rabbits and hares are 

 so thin that their pelts are difficult to dress. The large domesticated 

 fur rabbits, on the other hand, such as the Black Flemish, Checkered 

 Giant, and French Silver, have thick hides which may be readily tanned 

 at home. Rabbit skins are usually taken off flat (figure 1, & ) . In flesh- 

 ing any rabbit skin it is advisable to start at the tail and work toward 

 the head. After the skin is fleshed it should be thoroughly salted and 

 then put aside, rolled up, for a couple of days. It should then be hung 

 up in a cool place and stretched loosely so that the skin will dry without 

 any folds or large wrinkles. 



When dry, the skins should be tanned by the method given in the 

 present paper ; or, if more convenient, after being thoroughly relaxed, 

 they may be placed in a barrel or crock containing the following 

 tanning solution: Water, 5 gallons; salt, 3 pounds; commercial sul- 

 phuric acid, 16 ounces. The skins should be stirred up frequently 

 when first put into the tan liquor. Thin skins should remain in the 

 tan liquor three weeks, thick skins four weeks. The skins should then 

 be neutralized in a salsoda solution and finished as previously described. 



It is best to dr^- rabbit skins slowly, working them each day until 

 they are properly softened and thoroughly dry. 



Transmitted March 7, 1921. 



