308 
FOREST AND STREAM 
JULY, 1917 
from these guns with a 25 inch killing 
circle of pellets as formerly he could of 
1 1-16 ounces and a pellet spread of 35 
inches. 
It is probable it may not have been real¬ 
ized to what extent the great barrel- 
breadth of the commoner form of gun 
hides a bird from the view of the shooter, 
and thereby in many situations most effec¬ 
tually baulks the aim. Herein is a matter 
of much concern to both the one-eyed and 
the two-eyed shooter, for it is most dis¬ 
concerting to have the object of aim totally 
screened from observation by the gun- 
barrels. Breadth of gun-barrels has a 
vital bearing upon shooting practice, and 
the reduction in barrel width as secured in 
the superposed barrels materially assists in 
the ready and certain alignment of the 
gun. 
Consideration of the position of the gun 
with regard to much of the game shot at, 
proves that the major percentage of the 
birds must be more or less covered by the 
gun-barrels in order to effect a kill. Most 
oncoming birds, such as driven grouse, 
partridges, or pheasants—and generally all 
birds rising before the shooter—have to 
be partly or wholly hidden from view by 
laterally disposed gun-barrels when the 
trigger is pulled. Whilst the obstructive 
breadth of the ordinary 12-bore will be re¬ 
duced by the superposing of its barrels, I 
still think that some smaller bore, the 16- 
bore or the 20-bore, by reason of further 
reduced barrel width, will secure popular 
favor as a gun for game-shooting. So 
many misses recorded in the shooting field 
and at the traps arise from shooting be¬ 
neath the object, that anyone anxious to 
improve his practice will do well to try an 
over-and-under gun. 
Over-and-under guns of suitable con¬ 
struction combine great solidity and 
strength with—so I believe—increased 
shooting power. In relation to both stand¬ 
ing breech and stock the barrels show a 
directness of attachment unattainable in 
the gun with side-by-side barrels. Thus in 
the former the side pull of the barrels and 
stock cast-off may be eliminated, and more 
accurate shooting and harder-hitting guns 
can be produced. Another pleasing feature 
in my estimation, about the over-and-under 
form of gun is that therewith may be dis¬ 
carded one objectionable feature in the 
stocking of guns. I refer to that most 
awkward kinking of the gun-stock termed 
“cast-off,” and which leads to more errors 
of performance in the shooter than are 
dreamt of in the philosophy of multi¬ 
tudes. 
HOME DRESSING OF FURS AND SKINS 
JOHN ROWLEY’S METHODS SET FORTH FOR FOREST AND 
STREAM READERS BY A UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AUTHORITY 
T O meet the frequent enquiry for in¬ 
structions whereby small skins may be 
dressed at home, for fur, the writer 
has drawn up the following directions 
from his own experience in dressing a 
large number of skins at the California 
Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. These 
methods are such as have not changed the 
color of the fur, but have given uniformly 
good results, and can be adapted to vary¬ 
ing conditions. They are essentially the 
same methods as described to the author 
in 1908 by the experienced taxidermist, 
John Rowley, to whom the author hereby 
expresses his appreciation and thanks. 
Thick or greasy skins such as those of 
the bear and coon should be shaved down 
with a tanner’s knife before the tan liquor 
is applied. This involves considerable ex¬ 
perience and skill in the use of the knife; 
so the novice should avoid such skins, at 
least in the beginning. Wildcat skins are 
perhaps best to begin on, and then skins 
of the gray fox and coyote may be tried. 
Animals should be skinned as soon as 
* Contributed by the Museum of Vertebrate 
Zoology of the University of California. 
By JOSEPH DIXON * 
possible after being killed; that is, as soon 
as the animal heat is out of the body. In 
warm weather, especially, prompt atten¬ 
tion is necessary to prevent the hair from 
“slipping”. Skins that are to be dressed 
at home can be handled best if they are 
taken off “flat” rather than “cased”. To 
do this, opening cuts should be made 
where shown by the dotted lines in the 
diagram, Figure 1, a. 
T HE tail should be split down the 
under side and the entire bone re- 
, moved. The toes should be skinned 
out and the bones removed. Particular 
care should be exercised not to cut the 
skin when working around the eyes, ears 
and nose. The ears should be skinned out 
so that they will turn completely wrong 
side out. All superfluous fat and flesh 
should then be cleaned off the skin and 
plenty of salt rubbed into every corner and 
fold on the flesh side. It should then be 
rolled up with the fur side outside and left 
over night. The next morning it should 
be unrolled and examined for soft spots 
where the salt has not drawn out the 
moisture. If any such spots are found 
they should be rubbed well with salt be¬ 
fore the skin is again salted and rolled up. 
The following day the skin should be 
taken out, the salt shaken off, and the skin 
stretched to its natural size and shape. It 
should then be dried, skin side out, in an 
airy, shady place. Never dry any skin in 
the sun. 
A pelt can be dressed without being 
dried first, as the salt can be washed out 
and the tanning process begun immediate¬ 
ly; but as this is often inconvenient, it 
will generally be best to dry the skin at 
once and then dress it after some interval 
of time has elapsed. 
When a dried skin is to be dressed it 
should be first placed in water until thor¬ 
oughly softened. This process can be 
hastened by working and twisting the skin 
about from time to time. This soaking 
should not usually take over 24 hours; 
and in warm weather skins left in water 
over 12 hours may slip, so the quicker the 
skin is softened the safer it will be. 
W HEN softened, the skin should be 
placed on a half round beam (Fig¬ 
ure 3, a) and all skin-like tissue 
and grease on the flesh side removed with 
a square-edged steel fleshing tool. The 
back of a thin-bladed butcher-knife can be 
used for this, after a piece of soft wood 
has been stuck on the point of the knife 
so as to make a second handle. 
If the fur as well as the skin itself is 
very greasy the skin should be hung up to 
drain for 12 hours and then soaked in 
gasoline overnight to remove the grease. 
Be sure to keep the gasoline away from 
fire. 
A table-spoonful of “pearline” should 
now be dissolved in two quarts of luke 
warm (not hot) water, and the skin placed 
therein and worked until it is thoroughly 
limp, with no hard dry spots. It should 
then be hung up to drain (do not wring 
it out) for a few minutes, after which the 
