PREFATORY XOTE. 
This little study forms one of a series of practical dissec¬ 
tions of animals and birds conducted from time to time to meet 
the necessities of Museum Work. AH specimens so passed in 
review are kept in formaline, for future reference, and one-half of 
each specimen is left in the tissue. Specimens worked out in 
this wav form the very best comparative collection a Museum 
can possess for osteological and palaeontological purposes, the 
onlv objection to such being the amount of time involved in col¬ 
lecting the data. Against the objection, however, must be set 
the fact that the work can be conducted at odd moments, the 
fragments in use being quickly passed in and out of the preser¬ 
vative solution, and as one-halt" is always available in case of 
accident, the loss of a minute bone is of less moment. 
Dissection out of formaline for osteological purposes is less 
clean than maceration, as far as the exposing of bony surfaces 
goes: but it is more certain, nothing being lost except by rank 
carelessness. Perhaps the ideal is to macerate one-half and 
retain the other half in formaline for dissection when needed. 
