54 
centimeter intervals, that facilitates cutting the base of the cards to the right 
depth to clear the end of the body. The gauges are held together at their bases 
by a central rivet, and they pack into a small space . . . The cost of cards and 
cellophane envelopes is quite small, and is balanced by the great saving in 
overhead costs of storage and the convenience of reference.” 
Arthur and Ruth D. Svihla of the Department of Zoology, University 
of Washington (1939, page 111), have recently tried out the above method 
in the field with a few modifications and found it time-saving, convenient, 
and satisfactory for such small mammals as mice, voles, shrews, and 
weasels. It was found that by making the slit from leg to leg along a line 
midway between the anus and the urethral opening, more skin support is 
given the base of the tail and a smoother ventral line is obtained. They 
use corrugated pasteboard from ordinary packing cartons for the bodies, 
it being stiff enough for ample support and porous enough for quick drying, 
and one quickly becomes adept in approximating the correct width and 
trimming the cardboard to shape. Two leg wires only are necessary, one 
for each side of the body. These can be bent slightly at the feet so that 
they turn in, holding the feet to the ventral side of the skin. This ensures 
their protection and prevents them from being broken off. A single tail 
and body wire was cut a few millimetres longer than the total length of 
the animal, inserted through the base of the nose and passed along the 
mid-line of the body to the tip of the tail. The wire projecting from the 
nose was then clamped down ventrally holding the cardboard and skin 
firmly together. 
The label can be sewn to the cardboard so that the free end just tucks 
under the skin, and the data can also be printed by hand very easily on 
the cardboard body after the specimen is made up. 
Whether the collector uses the wide based stretcher described by 
Elton, or the ordinary shape used by trappers is a matter of individual 
preference. In either case the data can be written on the base of the card, 
and a more formal label also attached if desirable. If a wide-based card is 
found necessary to hold the specimen in place inside of the cellophane 
envelope, it may be slipped on top of the original stretcher at any time, 
or the old stretcher slipped out and a new one substituted. The writer 
recommends degreasing the skin with carbon tetrachloride before attaching 
a clean museum label. If a clean, degreased space is visible on the flesh 
side of the skin, large or small, it is well to print the catalogue number 
with a pen and India ink, to avoid mixing specimens if the label is removed. 
Standard Study Skins 
In most museums and large private collections the skins of mammals 
smaller than a raccoon are made up as study skins or so-called “scientific 
skins.” Medium-sized and large skins are usually cut open and spread 
out. The extra trouble involved in making up “study” that is “stuffed” 
or “round” skins instead of the simpler “cased” or “flat” skins is counter- 
balanced by the convenience of comparing uniformly made skins, as most 
museums use the conventional make of study skins for scientific reserve 
series. Flat skins are more apt to have the tails and legs torn off in 
handling. 
For purpose of explanation the writer has selected a short-tailed shrew 
(Blarina brevicauda). After taking measurements, writing labels, and 
