SKINNING BIRDS. 
47 
impervious to the preservative, which must, in 
order to absorb oil, come in contact with it. 
Section V. : Other Method's of Preserv- 
ing Skins — Skins may be temporarily preserved 
by simply using black pepper, but the effect is 
not lasting. The same is true of tannic acid, but 
either of these, alum, or even common salt, will do 
as a substitute for the preservative until the skins 
can be got into the hands of a taxidermist, or until 
the collector can procure the proper preservative. 
I will here mention that the dermal preservative 
costs only twenty-five cents per single pound, and 
this quantity will preserve at least three times as 
many skins as the same amount of arsenic. 
A good method by which large skins may be 
temporarily preserved is by salting them. Simply 
coat the inside of the skin with fine salt, turn it, 
smooth the feathers and fold the wings neatly, 
then pack in paper. The salt prevents the skin 
from quite drying, and thus it can be moistened 
much more readily, and made into a skin or 
mounted. The advantage of packing large birds 
in so small a capacity is obvious to any one. Two 
collectors whom we have had out the past season 
have sent in some thousand large skins in this 
condition ; and these we shall endeavor to work up 
