7 
This being done, make an incision through the skin only, from 
the lower end of the breast bone to the anus. Should the intestines 
protrude in small specimens, they had better be extracted, great care 
being taken not to soil the feathers. Now proceed carefully to sepa- 
rate the skin on each side from the subjacent parts, until you reach 
the knee, and expose the thigh ; when, taking the leg in one hand, 
push or thrust the knee up on the abdomen, and loosen the skin 
around it until you can place the scissors or knife underneath, and 
separate the joint with the accompanying muscles. Place a little 
cotton between the skin and body to prevent adhesion. Loosen the 
skin about the base of the tail, and cut through the vertebrae at the 
last joint, taking care not to sever the bases of the quills. Suspend 
the body by inserting the hook into the lower part of the back or 
rump, and invert the skin, loosening it carefully from the body. On 
reaching the wings, which had better be relaxed previously by stretch- 
ing and pulling, loosen the skin from around the first bone, and cut 
through the middle of it, or, if the bird be small enough, separate it 
from the next at the elbow. Continue the inversion of the skin by 
drawing it over the neck, until the skull is exposed. Arrived at this 
point, detach the delicate membrane of the ear from its cavity in the 
skull, if possible, without cutting or tearing it ; then, by means of the 
thumb nails, loosen the adhesion of the skin to the other parts of the 
head, until you come to the very base of the mandibles, taking care 
to cut through the white nictitating membrane of the eye when ex- 
posed, without lacerating the ball. Scoop out the eyes, and, by 
making one cut on each side of the head, through the small bone 
connecting the base of the lower jaw with the skull, another through 
the roof of the mouth at the base of the upper mandible, and between 
the jaws of the lower, and a fourth through the skull behind the 
orbits, and parallel to the roof of the mouth, you will have freed the 
skull from all the accompanying brain and muscle. Should anything 
still adhere, it may be removed separately. In making the two first 
cuts, care must be taken not to injure or sever the zygoma, a small 
bone extending from the base of the upper mandible to the base of 
the lower jaw-bone. Clean off every particle of muscle and fat from 
the head and neck, and, applying the preservative abundantly to the 
skull, inside and out, as well as to the skin, restore these parts to 
their natural position. In all the preceding operations, the skin 
should be handled as near the point of adhesion as possible, especial 
care being taken not to stretch it. 
