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In the case of reptiles it is well to save the entire digestive tract. It is 
often impracticable to save the entire stomach contents of large herbivorous 
mammals, but samples may be taken from several points in the anterior 
stomach or rumen and thoroughly mixed before removing the part to be 
saved. This with some of the larger and more diagnostic bits of food 
may be placed in a cheesecloth bag or wrapper and then handled in the same 
manner as a stomach. The essential data are the same as for skins, but 
hour of day should be given, and if trapped what kind of bait used. 
After the stomachs come in from the field, they are sorted by species, 
and each species is preserved in a separate bottle until the stomachs can 
be examined in detail. A book or card catalogue should be kept, with 
the data accompanying each number. 
Temporary Preservation of Fresh Specimens 
During the average Canadian winter, birds and small mammals may 
be kept for considerable periods if the body can be frozen solidly before 
it starts to spoil. If well wrapped in several thicknesses of paper and 
stored in a cool place out of the sun it will usually not thaw out even if 
the outside temperature is above freezing during the day, and will remain 
in fair condition for skinning except that the legs, feet, and wings may 
dry somewhat. Specimens frozen solid and well wrapped in paper will 
also stand 3 or 4 days’ shipment by mail or express without spoiling. 
There is considerable variability in the keeping qualities of animals, but 
birds usually keep better than mammals; rodents and herbivores better 
than carnivores; and insect-eating species (moles, shrews, and bats) are 
the worst of all. 
In warm w r eather, if more specimens are obtained than can be skinned 
immediately, an ordinary household refrigerator will help, but wfill not keep 
the temperature low enough to do for more than a day or two. Small 
specimens that are not malodorous may be wrapped in paper and kept in a 
home frigidaire for some time. If placed in a cold storage warehouse, 
specimens will keep for weeks in fair condition. A well-equipped museum 
should have one of the modern types of electric refrigerators or a refrigerat- 
ing room where specimens may be kept in a frozen state until the pre- 
parators are ready to work on them. 
It is best to skin all birds and mammals as quickly as possible and 
poison them in the usual way, then place a small bunch of damp cotton inside 
and bring the edges of the skin together. Place the skins in a tight box 
with a w T ad of cotton, a slab of plaster, or some w T et sand, saturated wfith 
water and a little lysol to arrest decomposition. Skins of birds and small 
mammals will remain soft and pliable for a v r eek or longer, and may be 
made up at leisure. The feet and legs may dry somewhat and may need 
to be relaxed by wrapping them in wet cotton. The w r riter has found a 
damping-box, or a 2-quart fruit-jar with some wet cotton in the bottom, 
convenient for partly relaxing dry bat skins so that the fingers may be 
straightened out and examined. Leaving the specimens in the damp air 
in a tight receptacle over night is usually sufficient. 
