of setting both rod and wire supports in body core and permanent
stand.

[Illustration: Fig. 25.]

PREPARING AND MOUNTING A SMALL HARD SHELLED TURTLE

For the purpose of skinning a hard shelled turtle (soft shelled species
are best unattempted) the belly plate is sawed open as shown in Fig. 26.
A piece of hacksaw blade may be shaped and set into a firm handle with
cross pegs of metal, for this purpose, or the small saw found in a
hollow handle tool kit may serve. Four corner holes must be bored by
which to start the sawing, which, for ease in accomplishing, may be thus
done upon straight lines.

[Illustration: Fig. 26.]

Through the sawed opening remove the viscera. With scissors and bone
snips, free the legs at their joints with the back shell, cut the neck
and tail vertebrae free and pull all these members inside out through
the opened shell. Skin the head to well down behind the eye sockets,
uncovering most of the jaw muscles and stopping where the skin and skull
are joined directly on the crown.

Cut the neck off. Clean out jaw meat, tongue, and brain. Turn head right
side out and with a stiff wire hook pull out the eyeballs.

Skin legs clear to toes and remove flesh cleanly from bones.

Skin tail out carefully. In many species this has to be split on under
side to remove bone. Dry the shell out with a bit of rag.

Poison well with arsenic water and let stand over one night, covered
with a damp cloth.

A simple method of mounting turtles, that will be found satisfactory for
decorative work, is clearly shown in Figs. 27 and 28.

[Illustration: Fig. 27.]

A light tow neck is wrapped upon the neck-wire, which is cut about twice
the length of the head and neck-skin, and has a small loop bent into it
near its outer end, to set into the brain cavity and a loop by front and
one by back end of belly opening to hold leg-wires. The front end is
run out through the nose. Legs are wired as in a mammal with wires bound
firmly to bones with thread or cord. Bones are then covered with a light
wrapping of tow, placed lightly and smoothly. This serves only as a core
to the filling. Tail is wrapped upon wire to natural size.

[Illustration: Fig. 28.]

Legs are now pushed back into place, wires of them and tail are passed
through loops in body-wire and twisted around it once or twice, and then
leg-wires are led to drilled holes in edge of shell and clinched in them
as shown in Fig. 27.

Now tie or pin the mouth sh