sh the
pointed knife or scissors into the mouth towards the back of the head,
feeling at the same time with the point of the knife for the first
joint of the cervical vertebrae, having found which proceed to
dislocate it with the point of the knife, gently feeling your way, and
cutting downward toward the right hand, the thumb of which presses
against the snake's head at the under jaw. Feel round with the point
of the knife or scissors up toward the outer skin, gradually working
the flesh away. Cut away the under jaw, inside the skin, from its
attachment to the flesh, pushing the point of your scissors or knife
at the same time as far as you can get it down inside the skin.

This all requires time and patience, lest you push the point of the
knife or scissors through the skin, and also as you will not at the
first trial succeed in detaching the head from the body.

The knife or scissors must then be run a little way down the back, to
detach the skin. The neck being now entirely free, lay the knife down,
and endeavour to push the broken or cut part of the neck up through
the mouth; seize the end with your right-hand fingers and gradually
slide the skin down with your left hand, turning it inside out until
the vent is reached, which carefully cut away; beyond this the skin,
instead of coming off easily, holds most tenaciously to the flesh, and
the knife again comes into play to free it all around.

Near the extreme tip of the tail it will be almost impossible to get
the flesh out, you must therefore skin as far as you can, and then
make a small incision underneath, lay back the skin on each side, and
cut the flesh away. This operation will bring the outside of that part
inside. Return, it, and neatly sew up the cut from the inside, trim
away all flesh from the skull bone, take out the eyes, put a stitch in
the vent, and anoint the whole of the skin with the preservative.

To return the skin, push a small round stick down and pull the skin
back on it; when nearing the tail, the stick may be removed and the
fingers used to gradually work this end through, or tie a small piece
of wool to form a knot on the end of a piece of doubled thread, and
push it through by a long fine needle from the inside to the out, at
the same time allowing the needle to come through, by doubling up the
skin. You may reach the needle with your fingers, or by long pliers,
or even shake it down by its own weight, then by pulling gently you
return