skins must be removed and cleaned of flesh so the preservative may be
applied to every part of the inner surface, where it will act directly
on the roots of the hair or feathers.

The preservative applied, we must decide on the next step, whether it is
to be mounted at once, in a short time, or laid away indefinitely as a
scientific skin.

If we have to lay it away until tomorrow, put a little cotton inside to
prevent the inner surface sticking together, wrap in a damp cloth and
unless the weather is very hot it will be all right.

If very hot or it is necessary to lay it aside for some days, the inner
side should be well coated with the carbolic and glycerine mixture. As a
scientific skin it should be made up at once, tagged with a full set of
measurements taken before skinning and laid aside to dry. These
measurements are not needed if we mount it at once, as the skinned body
is at hand for comparison, but the sex, date, locality and collector's
name should be attached to the completed specimen.

Alligators and the lizard family are skinned like the other four-footed
species, as are snakes and fish, with the exception they have no limb
bones to be cleaned and preserved. Fish are better opened along one side
than the central line of the body.

Reptile skins if not put in the pickle jar had better be packed in salt
after poisoning as when entirely dry they are practically ruined. Skins
of fish are best kept in either a saturated solution of salt (water with
salt added until no more will dissolve), alcohol or formaldehyde
solution. Whatever method is used the delicate colors will vanish and
unless you can have a fresh specimen at hand when mounting it you should
make the best color record you are able. This is true to some extent at
least of all coverings of fur, feathers, or scales, and the stronger the
light the more damage. I have seen a mounted mink placed in direct
sunshine, bleached to a drab and the yellow feathers on a 'flicker faded
almost white.

In order to preserve turtles, after killing with chloroform preferably,
it is necessary in the case of the box or land turtles to cut a square
opening in the under shell through which the body may be removed and the
legs and neck skinned.

The water species can have the lower shell detached from the upper at
the side and after cutting the skin around the rear two-thirds this
shell is turned over to the front and the skinning and cleaning
proceeded with.

If n