14 THE NATURALIST’S GUIDE. 
results; the slightest scratch upon the skin becomes a fes- 
tering sore. Once poisoned in this manner (and I speak 
' from experience), one is never afterwards able to skin any 
animal that has become in the least putrid, without ex- 
periencing some of the symptoms above described. Even 
birds that you handled before with impunity, you cannot 
now skin without great care. 
The best remedy in this case is, as the Hibernian would 
say, not to get poisoned, — to avoid skinning all birds that 
exhibit the slightest signs of putrescence; this is especially 
to be guarded against in warm weather, and in hot cli- 
mates, where I have seen a single hour’s work upon putrid 
birds nearly prove fatal to the careless individual. 
If you get poisoned, bathe the parts frequently in cold 
water; and if chafed, sprinkle the parts, after bathing, 
with wheat flour. These remedies, if persisted in, will effect 
a cure, if not too bad ; then, medical advice should be pro- 
cured without delay. 
It is just as easy to skin fresh birds as putrid ones, 
and much pleasanter, and in this way the evil will be 
avoided. If it is necessary to skin a putrid bird, — as in 
the case of a rare specimen, — a good bath of the hands 
and face in clear, cold water will entirely prevent the 
poison from taking effect, provided the skinning is not 
protracted too long. But generally, if the bird is putrid, 
I would advise the collector to throw it away, and obtain 
others that are safer to skin. 
If birds and mammals are injected, by means of a small 
glass syringe, with a small quantity of carbolic acid at the 
mouth and vent, it will prevent decomposition from taking 
place immediately. After injecting, the mouth and vent 
should be plugged to prevent the acid from staining the 
feathers. Birds injected in this way for three successive 
days will continue fresh for a long time, and, if kept in a 
dry place, will harden completely without decomposing. 
