CONTENTS 
Page 
Preface iii 
CHAPTER I 
General principles of zoological collecting 1 
Introduction, page 1; Care of specimens in the field, page 7; Types and topo- 
types, page 8; Tools and supplies, page 9. 
CHAPTER II 
Collecting mammals 25 
Shooting, page 25; Trapping, page 26; Catching animals alive, page 34; Poison- 
ing mammals, page 37; Bait, page 38; Labelling specimens, page 40; Field 
catalogue, page 41; Determining sex of mammals, page 42; Measurements 
of mammals, page 44. 
CHAPTER III 
Skinning mammals 48 
Small mammals, page 48: Labelling, page 48; Cased skins, page 48; Standard 
study skins, page 54; Poisoning the skin, page 56; Filling the skin, page 58; 
Laying out specimens for drying, page 62; Preparation of skulls in the 
field, page 64. 
Large mammals, page 65; Opening cuts, page 67; Skinning horned heads, 
page 68; Heads for mounting, page 69; Special work on the head, page 70; 
Hoofed mammals, page 72; Large mammals with short hair, page 72; 
Curing flat skins, page 73; Hide poison, page 74. 
Speed and efficiency in technique, page 75. 
Mammals requiring special treatment, page 77; Bears, page 77; Seals and 
walruses, page 78; Beaver, page 78; Muskrat, page 78; Porcupine, page 
79; Hares and rabbits, page 79; Flying squirrels, page 81; Bats, page 81; 
Skunks, page 81. 
Pelting skins, page 83, 
CHAPTER IV 
Collecting and skinning birds 85 
Collecting birds, page 85; Mounted birds and bird skins, page 85; Collecting 
birds in the field, page 86; Preliminary treatment of the fresh bird, page 87; 
Measuring fresh birds, page 88; Colour records, page 89. 
Skinning birds, page 89; Tying up wings, page 96; Poisoning bird skins, page 
97; Cleaning the plumage, page 98; Filling a bird skin, page 99; Brooks’ 
method of filling bird skins, page 100; Bills and feet, page 102; Wrapping a 
bird skin, page 103; Skinning birds with large heads, page 106; Wings and 
feet of large birds, page 106; Making skins of large birds, page 108; Brooks’ 
method of making duck and goose skins, page 108; Dill’s method with water- 
fowl skins, page 110; Treatment of owl skins, page 110; Treatment of fat 
birds, page 111; Beck’s method for sea birds, page 113; Temporary pre- 
servation of water bird skins, page 113; Relaxing and making up salted 
skins, page 114; Degreasing old skins, page 115; Remaking old bird skins, 
page 116; Skinning downy young birds, page 116; Determining sex of 
birds, page 117; Determining age of birds, page 119; Stomach contents, 
page 120; Temporary preservation of fresh specimens, page 121; Drying 
skins of birds and small mammals, page 122; Packing specimens, page 122; 
External and internal parasites, page 123; Directions for collecting animal 
parasites, page 124; Animal diseases, page 125. 
Collecting birds’ nests and eggs, page 125. 
CHAPTER V 
Collecting and preserving amphibians and reptiles 128 
Introduction, page 128; Collecting, page 129; Legal restrictions, page 129; 
Collecting containers, page 129; General collecting, page 129; Collecting 
techniques, page 130; Collecting equipment, page 132; Field notes, page 
137; Preserving, page 138; Colour notes and photographs, page 138; 
Killing, page 138; Measurements, page 139; Labelling and cataloguing, 
page 140; Preservatives, page 140; Preserving skin colour, page 143; Care 
in captivity, page 144; Care of adults and juveniles, page 144; Tadpoles and 
salamander larvae, page 145; Amphibian eggs, page 145; Reptile eggs, 
page 145; Shipping, page 146; Selected bibliography for identification 
and study of Canadian reptiles, page 146; Conservation, page 148; Litera- 
ture cited, page 149. 
