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the head. The skin is next floated in a dish of tapwater, and any particles of 
adhering tissue are removed. 
Remove the skin to a second dish of clear tapwater and float it out after 
the fashion of a piece of seaweed. Next, wet a piece of cardboard of suitable 
size and bring it beneath the floating skin with the pigmented surface upper- 
most. With a little care the cardboard can now be raised from the water 
bringing the skin with it and leaving it well spread out upon the surface. 
With a pair of dissecting needles, correct the position of the various parts and 
rearrange places where the edge of the skin has been turned under. With the 
finger or a pledget of cotton, smooth down the skin so as to remove all air 
bubbles. No adhesive of any kind is required. 
The cardboard with its attached skin should now be put face up on a 
sheet of thick blotting paper to permit the greater portion of the moisture to 
escape and to allow the glutinous element in the skin to become firmly attached 
to the paper. As soon as the specimen has become partially dried out, but is 
still quite moist, place it between two pieces of heavy blotting paper or 
botanical driers, and put it under pressure until entirely dry. Any fibres 
from the blotting paper found adhering to the surface of the skin may be 
removed by rubbing gently with a moistened bit of muslin. Specimens 
preserved in this manner are reported to retain their natural colour for long 
periods. They must be stored away from strong light, and never exposed for 
any length of time to it. 
Snakes. Beebe (1947) has recorded a method of preserving the colour 
of snakes’ skins similar to that for frogs: 
“. . . skin [the snake] by a straight mid-ventral incision from neck to tail tip. 
Cut around the side of the head to the gape, so when the entire skull and jaws are free, 
the dorsal and ventral cephalic scales are left intact. 
“Have ready a sheet of moderately stiff cardboard. 
“Starting with the head, the skin is gently spread and pressed down evenly and 
firmly, working back slowly. At the bottom of the sheet it may be necessary to cut 
straight across the skin and begin again at the top. It is easier for two people to work 
together, one advancing with all eight finger-tips consolidating the contact, especially 
along the edges, while the other person spreads, flattens, and presses down. When the 
entire skin has been attached to the paper, it is placed upon any firm, flat surface, as a 
table, or the floor, covered with a sheet of blotting paper, on the top of which come 
newspapers or more card board, and firmly heavy weights, such as books. The 
blotting paper should be changed at least twice in two days, when the process is 
complete. Catalogue numbers, sex, locality, or any desired data can then be added, 
and the finished sheets with their skins filed in a plant press under moderate pressure 
to prevent any slight curling which may ensue. 
“The skinned body may be examined for sex, stomach contents, or embryos, 
labelled and preserved in alcohol [or formalin] as usual.'* 
CARE IN CAPTIVITY 
Care of Adults and Juveniles 
Often it is desirable to retain a specimen alive for a short time before 
preserving it in order to note behaviour, mating, egg laying, or colour changes. 
Most amphibians and reptiles may be easily kept under artificial conditions 
in a terrarium or aquarium. For terrestrial species, a small dish of water 
and an object to crawl under are necessities. Aquatic individuals will do 
well in a bowl of water with some water plants, and most species need a small 
platform to allow them to crawl out of the water occasionally. Frogs and 
toads thrive on live insects; salamanders on small earthworms and white- 
worms; turtles on raw lean meat. Some of the smaller and medium-sized 
