66 
THE NATURALIST’S GUIDE. 
of the hole thus formed ; skin the legs down to the toe- 
nails, removing everything ; skin the head and neck ; cover 
the inside of the shell and skin with arsenic. Turn the 
feet and neck back, and stuff them to the natural size 
with cotton. Fill the neck with bran ; roll up a small ball 
of grass, place it inside of the shell; then force a piece 
of wire through it into the head, and clinch the end in 
the ball. Pack cotton or hemp around the grass in the shell, 
to keep it firm, and to fill up the empty space ; then re- 
place the piece of shell taken out, and fasten it with glue 
or putty. 
Now put the animal in the proper attitude upon a piece 
of board, and arrange the feet in the natural position, and 
pin them until dry ; place the head naturally. The eyes 
should be removed from the outside, and artificial ones 
substituted. If it is not convenient to skin a turtle, place 
it in boiling water a few moments, when the softer parts 
can easily be removed from the shell. In this case, how- 
ever, the bones and skull should be cleaned, labelled, and 
preserved with the shell. 
For scientific specimens, toads and frogs must be pre- 
served in alcohol. But they may be skinned in the follow- 
ing manner : Open the mouth as wide as possible, and cut 
through the bone of the neck or back from the inside ; do 
not cut the skin; then separate the flesh on the inside 
all around. Take hold with the thumb and forefinger, or 
with a pair of pliers, of the backbone, and press the skin 
downwards, and draw the body out. When the forelegs 
appear, cut the bone and flesh off to the toe-nails, and pro- 
ceed to perform the same operation with the hind legs. 
Cover the skin with arsenic, and turn it back, — the legs 
may be easily turned by blowing into them with the 
breath. Fill the body with bran, and support the head 
in a natural position with cotton until dry. Remove the 
eyes from the outside, and supply their place with artificial 
