2 
pegs, one driven at the top of the shoulder, the other at the soles or 
hoofs of the forefeet, the legs being straightened and held in the posi- 
tion natural to the animal when standing in life, with the bottoms of 
both forefeet on the same plane, and against the stake. A tape — pref- 
erably a steel one — should be used for all measurements. The weight 
of large animals should be recorded whenever possible. 
THE OPENING CUTS. 
Make a single straight slit down the middle of the belly, extending 
from the front end of the breastbone to the base of the tail. In large 
animals (such as deer) this cut should be carried forward to the throat 
and backward to the tip of the tail ; and in skunks and other fat animals 
the tail should be slit on the underside. In all large mammals four 
/ additional cuts should be made, one extend- 
/ ing down each leg. Begin at the foot (be- 
/ tween the hoofs in the case of a hoofed ani- 
/ / mal ; at the base of the toes in a clawed 
r __-^— — / animal) and carry the cut along the back 
r/ or inner side of each foot, and up the hind 
Fl) . 3 side of each leg, to join the main cut (fig. 5) . 
In humid regions, especially in the tropics, 
it is often necessary to treat mammals the size of a skunk in the same 
manner, and to slit the tail for its entire length, on the underside. If 
the legs and tail are not opened the hair is likely to slip and the skin 
to rot instead of drying. In the case of all soft-footed mammals, the 
sole of the foot must be slit open to the toes in order to remove as much 
flesh and fat as possible and to allow direct application of the preserva- 
tive. The cut should be made along the inner side of the footpads. 
REMOVING THE SKIX. 
After making the cuts, work the skin back until the '' knee 1 joint can 
be pushed up and unjoin ted, leaving the lower bones attached to the 
foot. Skin the legs and feet (down to the toes if possible) and cut the 
meat away from the bones, leaving the leg turned inside 
out. In small mammals and those up to the size of a ^ / 
coyote the bones of the lower part of the legs should be J t 
left attached to the skin ; in large mammals the leg bones \*?-^ 
should be cut off at the ankle joint. Work the skin over ^£ A 
the rump to base of tail, and. after cutting all clear ex- • ' 
cept the tail bone, make a short slit or two on the skin fk;.4. 
of the underside to assist curing, and draw out the bone. 
If this can not be done easih r , use two sticks (or a split stick) and draw 
the bone through to get it out of the skin. If this fails, slit the under- 
side for its entire length and skin out the tail bone. After skinning the 
legs and body, continue working the skin over the neck and head, cut 
the cartilage of the bases of the ears where they are attached to the skull, 
and skin over the eyes, nose, and lips. Special care is necessaiy in 
order to avoid cutting the eyelids. The skin is now free from the car- 
cass. Before anything further is done, unjoint the skull, taking great 
care not to cut the bone. Then tie a numbered tag to the skull so that 
the skin to which it belongs may be certainly identified. 
When the skin is off, clean it of adhering bits of fat and flesh, and 
finish work on the feet, making sure that the skin is separated from the 
bones as far down as possible. The skin of the head requires special 
