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cheek bones of porpoises require care, and the pelvic bones or rudimentary 
hind limbs should always be looked for. The pelvic bones are small and 
deeply embedded in the flesh, with only very slight ligamentary attach- 
ments, so that they are hard to find (Figure 53). In a porpoise 7 or 8 feet 
long the pelvic bone may be only 2 or 3 inches long. The last rib often lies 
Figure 53. Skeleton of porpoise, showing pelvic bones. 
loose in the flesh, with its upper end several inches from the backbone. The 
chevron bones along the under side of the tail should be saved. There are 
no bones in the sides of the tail or flukes, nor in the back fin, so they may be 
cut off close to the body and thrown away. The hyoid is usually largely 
developed, and firmly attached to the base of the skull. 
Bird Skeletons 
Bird skeletons are a little more difficult to prepare than those of 
mammals, as the bones are lighter and more easily cut or broken. 
The small bones at the tip of the wing should be left untouched, and 
it is well to leave the outermost wing quills attached to avoid removing 
any of the small bones with the skin. When ossified tendons are found, 
as in the leg of the turkey, or on the under side of the neck, they should 
be left in place. Be careful not to break off the slender bony points on 
the neck vertebrae, the projections from the rear sides of the ribs (uncinate 
processes), and the last bone of the tail. In most birds the neck and back 
can be left untouched, as the muscles will dry up. The hyoid bones, 
which support the tongue and are attached to the windpipe, as well as 
the windpipe itself when it has bony rings, should all be kept. As many 
birds, especially birds of prey, have a ring of bones in the eyeball, it is 
best to simply puncture the eyeball to drain off the fluid content and 
leave the eyeball in place. Remove the brain carefully and do not cut 
the skull in any way, as might be done in making a birdskin. As there 
are small accessory bones on some birds’ skulls, the skull should not be 
trimmed up too closely. Make the skeleton into a compact bundle for 
packing by bending the neck back and folding the legs and wings closely 
alongside the body. 
On several occasions when field camps were infested by large numbers 
of yellow-jacket wasps, which came to carry away bits of meat from the 
skinning table, it was found that if the skin of a small mammal was roughly 
removed and the carcass hung up on a string, that the wasps would soon 
