TAXIDERMY: 
 
 OK, 
 
 THE ART 
 
 v OF 
 
 COLLECTING, PREPARING, 
 
 AND 
 
 MOUNTING 
 
 OBJECTS OF NATURAL HISTORY. 
 
 FOR THE USE OF 
 
 CrateHer& 
 
 WITH PLATES. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PRINTED FOR LONGMAN, HURST, REES, ORME, AND BROWN', 
 
 PATERNOSTER -ROW. 
 
 1820. 
 
Z TAXIDERMY, 
 
 iution caused the disappearance of a great num- 
 ber of collections ; but this overthrow of the ge- 
 neral order of things, always so fatal to arts and 
 sciences, has, nevertheless, operated a favourable 
 change in the classification and arrangement of the 
 productions of nature. This improvement is due, 
 not only to the lights of new institutions, but also 
 to the devotion and zeal of scientific travellers. 
 
 Amongst this number I may be permitted to 
 cite the unfortunate Mauge. His appointment of 
 assistant naturalist to the Museum, induced him to 
 labour for six years, with an activity which only be- 
 longs to those who have a true love for science ; 
 but this did not satisfy his zeal, he felt that he 
 could do more. In 1796, the Government sent 
 Captain Baudin to America, and Mauge was at- 
 tached to this expedition ; in one year he col- 
 lected more than four hundred birds for the Mu- 
 seum, a considerable quantity of insects, marine 
 and terrestrial shells , madrepores, sponges, gor- 
 gons, crustaceae, plants, minerals, &c. Nothing 
 was forgotten, and the seal of perfection was on 
 every thing that he touched. Even his manner of 
 packing, which is not unimportant to objects of 
 Natural History, was remarkable for the ingenious 
 precautions which he had taken. 
 
 Two years afterwards, Mauge made part of ano- 
 ther expedition of discovery, composed of the 
 Corvettes, the Geographer, and the Naturalist, 
 
TAXIDERMY. 3 
 
 commanded by the unfortunate Captain Baudin 
 He unremittingly employed all possible means G: 
 enriching the Museum, which rested the greater 
 rjart of its hopes on him ; and neither a burning 
 sky, nor the discord vhich reigned on board the 
 vessels, could relax his zeal. Death alone put an 
 end to his labours ; he fell on the 20th of February, 
 1802, and was buried in the little island Maria, in 
 the South sea. 
 
 The art of Taxidermy has only made progress 
 since the last sixty years. About this period, the 
 celebrated Reaumur published a memoir, on the 
 method of preserving skins of birds to be sent 
 into distant countries/ He formed a very beauti- 
 ful cabinet of Natural History in his own house, 
 which, after his death, became the basis of the col- 
 lection of birds in the Museum of Paris. Ex- 
 perience soon proved that the means he proposed 
 were insufficient for preservation, and availed still 
 less for preparation. Reaumur received birds 
 from all parts, in spirits of wine, according to the 
 instructions he had given ; he contented himself 
 by taking them from this liquor, and introducing 
 two ends of an iron wire into the body behind the 
 thighs; he then fastened the wire to the claws, 
 the ends, which passed below, served to fix them 
 to a small board ; he put two black glass beads in 
 the place of eyes, and called it a stuffed bird. 
 The larger animals, such as the Saw-Shark, 
 B 2 
 
4 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 the Squalus Carcharias, the Crocodile, were pad- 
 ded with straw, whence comes the term stiiffed, 
 (empatlle,) for which we have substituted that of 
 mounted ; it does not perfectly express the idea we 
 would convey, but it is always more correct than 
 the former. 
 
 Some persons struck by the appearance of these 
 animals, tried to skin indigenous birds, and to 
 mount them. They succeeded indifferently; the 
 body was too forward, and the thighs came be- 
 yond the rump. It may be well to observe, that 
 this fault always happens to those who mount a bird 
 for the first time, even if they have received proper 
 instructions. 
 
 Schceffer succeeded to these. This naturalist, 
 after skinning them, contented himself by cutting 
 the birds longitudinally in two, and filling one half 
 with plaster : fixing the skin properly at the back 
 of a box, of a depth proportionate to the size of 
 the bird, he stuck in an eye, and replaced or re- 
 presented the beak and claws by painting ; he then 
 carefully fixed a glass on this frame, to protect 
 the object from insects. This method is still fol- 
 lowed in Germany, but much, improved. 
 
 A work appeared at Lyons, in 1758, entitled, 
 " Instructions on the Manner of collecting and 
 preparing the different Curiosities of Natural 
 History." The author was the first who submit- 
 ted some useful principles for Taxidermy; he or- 
 
namented his book with many plates, more than 
 half of which are in all respects foreign to his 
 subject, as they simply represent shells, and other 
 marine productions, with their descriptions. He 
 inserted the Memoir of M. Duhamel entire, en- 
 titled, " Instructions for the Transportation by Sea 
 of Living Plants, Seeds, &c." The author, in 
 doing justice to the good intentions of travellers, 
 complains that the stationary naturalists, and the 
 curious, often, after great expense, receive things 
 badly chosen and badly preserved, which they are 
 obliged to throw away. He gives some very in- 
 teresting details on this subject, but unfortunately 
 he has too much neglected the method of packing 
 fragile objects, such as madrepores, star-fish, echini, 
 butterflies, &c. ; for by a near calculation, we may, 
 for the objects alone which we have just mentioned, 
 value at one-fourth the loss which results from the 
 improper manner in which they have been packed. 
 We shall, in the course of this treatise, speak of 
 the means of remedying this inconvenience. 
 
 In 1 786, the Abbe Manesse published a volume, 
 under the title of " Treatise on the Manner of 
 stuffing and preserving Animals and Skins." 
 He presented his work to the Academy, who made 
 a favourable report of it. It contained some very 
 useful advice, but the instructions it gave for 
 mounting and preserving birds, do not appear ad- 
 missible to us, however seducing the author may 
 B 3 
 
TAXIDERMY. 
 
 have rendered them by excluding the use of poi- 
 sons. In this we recognise the principles of hu- 
 manity which have always characterised him; 
 we agree with him, especially, that those who 
 employ arsenic are exposed to continual danger : 
 but we must maintain the use of arsenical soap, 
 and we will point out the means of defence 
 against its fatal effects, expecting that Chemistry 
 may discover a better preservative. 
 
 We also admit, that the alkalies adopted by 
 the Abbe Manesse are not attended with any 
 danger to those who employ them, and may pre- 
 serve birds in the manner of our author; but he 
 himself says, that in the time of a thaw, the birds 
 are covered by the damp to such a degree, that the 
 water runs along the feathers and claws. It cannot 
 be otherwise, alkalies always having a tendency to 
 attract damp ; and when they are dissolved by this 
 fluid, the salt liquor necessarily agglutinises the 
 beards of the feathers, takes from them their velvet- 
 like appearance, attracts and retains the dust ; and, 
 in dry seasons, the birds appear grey from the 
 crystallizations of alum, and other salts, which 
 fix on their feathers. It is not the same in pre- 
 paring the skins of large quadrupeds ; we do not 
 yet know any means preferable to those which the 
 Abbe indicates. But it must also be admitted, 
 that those who know the principles of the new Tax- 
 idermy, will never have the patience to employ 
 
TAXIDERMY. 7 
 
 fifteen or twenty days in mounting a small quadru- 
 ped, a bird, or a caterpillar, when we can teach 
 them the way to mount a common-sized bird in 
 less than an hour, and a caterpillar in five minutes. 
 
 The Abbe Manesse has rendered great service 
 to science by excellent observations on the man- 
 ners of animals. No one has known so well the 
 eggs of birds, and their manner of laying ; he also 
 possessed a superb collection, ticketed with the 
 greatest precision. He confided in himself alone ; 
 he would always see the male or female before he 
 determined the species to which the eggs belonged. 
 He neglected no information which might be pro- 
 cured, either by correspondence or his own pain- 
 ful labours. At the age of forty-five years he 
 climbed the highest trees, with the assistance of two 
 hooks, which he had fitted to a pair of boots, des- 
 tined to this use, and a girth which encircled his 
 body and the tree at the same time. 
 
 In 1789, he had acquired a great number of 
 notes on the laying of birds. At the request of 
 M. Dorcy he decided to publish them, with plates 
 of all the eggs which he knew. He had drawn a 
 great part of them, and engraved three or four 
 plates with much care; but the Revolution de- 
 prived us of this work. The author has since em- 
 ployed the period of his long emigration in new 
 $,nd interesting researches on the same subject, 
 and has assembled a great number of interesting 
 B 4 
 
8 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 facts, on the manners and incubation of birds. He 
 presented his manuscripts and drawings to the In- 
 stitute, in 1817, and all naturalists must await the 
 publication with impatience. 
 
 Mauduyt has given a memoir on the manner of 
 preparing dead birds for forming collections. (See 
 la 5eme Livraison de 1' Encyclopedic Methodique, 
 Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux, t. i. deuxieme 
 partie, p> 435.) By studying his method we may, 
 with perseverance, be able to mount birds well, al- 
 though he had never prepared them himself ; for 
 he has composed his memoir from the notes which 
 Lerot furnished him, who mounted them very well, 
 and who merited the confidence which Mauduyt 
 had accorded him, in all the preparations which 
 his fine collection required. 
 
 Mauduyt, however, did not point out any means 
 of preservation. Sulphurous fumigations appeared 
 to him the ne plus ultra for killing destructive in- 
 sects. Sulphur does still more, it destroys the 
 skins themselves. Notwithstanding this havoc, 
 Mauduyt made Daubenton adopt the use of sul- 
 phur for the collection in the Museum of Natural 
 History. At my entrance into the establishment, 
 I, with great difficulty, obtained the suppression of 
 it, but it was too late. About 3500 birds orna- 
 ment the gallery of the Museum, and there are not 
 more than ten of this number from the old collection ; 
 their upper parts were burned; the sulphurous 
 
TAXIDERMY. 9 
 
 vapour had changed the red into a dirty yellow, 
 faded the yellow, blackened the blue, soiled the 
 cases, and even the glasses which inclosed them. 
 Notwithstanding these inconveniencies, we do not 
 entirely renounce sulphur; we shall point out 
 means of using it properly, and with security ; but 
 for mammifera only. Natural History compre- 
 hends so many different objects, that we are ob- 
 liged, according to circumstances, to have recourse 
 to, or to invent, different methods by which we may 
 attain our desire, but we cannot preserve all kinds 
 of animals in the same manner. 
 
 Birds have had the preference over all other ani- 
 mals from the richness of their plumage, and the 
 elegance of their forms. The desire of preserving 
 their beautiful skin has given birth to Taxidermy ; 
 at least if we may judge by the preference naturally 
 accorded to them by all those who have imbibed a 
 taste for this art. He who can mount a bird pro- 
 perly may in time form a numerous collection, but 
 he will be very far from extending it to all classes 
 of animals. This truth becomes evident from the 
 comparison of all the cabinets in Europe, with that 
 of the Museum in Paris. In Germany there are 
 few Museums composed of ma mmalia and birds. 
 The Dutch are great lovers of rare birds, they have 
 four or five collections of great interest from the 
 rarity of the species, and the beautiful preparation 
 of the individuals. An old sculptor, living at La- 
 B 5 
 
10 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 haye, devoted himself to the practice of Taxidermy, 
 and in a short time surpassed all those who had 
 employed themselves in mounting animals, espe- 
 cially large mammifera. 
 
 The Dutch, by fixing the animal which is moun- 
 ted in a box proportioned to its size, supersede all 
 other means of preservation. The interior of this 
 box is furnished with white paper, well pasted ; in 
 front is a groove, to receive a glass, fastened by four 
 points and closed with putty. We know that an 
 animal thus shut up would last a long time, unless 
 the living germ of its destruction be shut up with 
 it. 
 
 The English employ the same means of preserv- 
 ing their animals, but they do not mount them so 
 well as we do. Besides, this manner of inclosing 
 them prevents a methodical arrangement in a Mu- 
 seum ; symmetrical order there finds so many dif- 
 ficulties, that the eye and science alike lose sight of 
 it. 
 
 It seems that neither the English or the Dutch 
 have in their language any work which treats of the 
 method of mounting animals, according to system. 
 In 1801 we were not more advanced than they 
 were ; what we possessed of this kind appeared in- 
 sufficient to amateurs. Notwithstanding, many 
 derived advantage from the memoir of Mauduyt, 
 this memoir being inserted in the Encyclopedic 
 Methodique, it was not always easy to pro- 
 
TAXIDERMY. 11 
 
 cure it There remained then only the work of 
 the Abbe Manesse, and the tediousness of the 
 means which he pointed out, frightened all those 
 who desired to learn Taxidermy. The Professors 
 of Natural History to the central schools of the 
 departments, more than ever felt the want of a 
 work which furnished the method of preserving 
 and augmenting their zoological collections. 
 
 In 1802 their wishes were nearly accomplished, 
 for there appeared almost at the same time two works 
 on Taxidermy, the one by M. Nicholas, a chemist, 
 the other by M. Henon. M. Nicholas makes an 
 analysis of all that had been said before on the 
 preparation of animals. This review comprehends 
 nearly hah the volume. Like the Abbe Manesse 
 he renounces poisons as dangerous to the preparers, 
 and insufficient to avert the destructive effects of 
 insects on zoological collections. He pretends that 
 with his soapy pomatum, and his tanning liquor, 
 stuffed animals are preserved a long time. The 
 drugs which compose his preparations do not in<- 
 jure those who use them. We allow that this is 
 not the case with the metallic soap, and supposing 
 M. Nicholas's preservative equally efficacious, we 
 should certainly give it the preference, but we have 
 tried it without success. We are therefore obliged 
 to retain the arsenical soap : I have employed it for 
 forty years, and have never been inconvenienced 
 by it. I can also instance Le Vaillant, Mauge, 
 B 6 
 
12 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 Desmoulins, and above all Becoeur ; for no one 
 in France has mounted as many birds as the 
 latter. * 
 
 It remains for us to speak of a little work pub- 
 lished by Henor and Mouton Fontenelle; they 
 had at first no other object than to read their 
 
 * He is a nephew of Becoeur's of Metz, who invented the 
 metallic soap. Becoeur of Metz was the best apothecary in 
 that city. He mounted fresh birds in the greatest perfection, 
 and by a little practice one is sure to succeed with his method. 
 He opened his bird in the usual manner, that is to say by the 
 middle of the belly, he easily took out the body by this opening, 
 without cutting any of the extremities, he then removed the 
 flesh by the aid of a scalpel, taking the precaution to preserve 
 all the ligaments; he anointed the skin, and put the skeleton 
 in its place, carefully dispersing the feathers on each side. He 
 run the head through with an iron wire, in which he had 
 formed a little ring at nearly the third of its length ; the 
 smallest side passed into the rump, in such a manner that the 
 ring of the iron wire was under the sternum/ he then passed 
 a wire into each claw, so that the extremities of the wire 
 united to pass into the little ring ; he bent these extremities 
 within, and fixed them with a string to the iron in the middle 
 of the vertebral column. He replaced the flesh by flax or 
 chopped cotton, sewed up the bird, placed it on a foot or sup- 
 port of wood, and gave it a suitable attitude, of which he was 
 always sure, for a bird thus mounted could only bend in its 
 natural posture. He prepared quadrupeds in the same man- 
 ner. If this man, so favourably known (since he created the 
 art of Taxidermy) had not invented the arsenical soap, we 
 should not now have the pleasure of seeing in our cabinets, 
 many birds mounted by him sixty years ago, and which are 
 still in very beautiful preservation. 
 
TAXIDERMY. IS 
 
 manuscript to the Athenaeum at Lyons, of which 
 they were members ; they were earnestly solicited 
 to print it, and published it in 1802. These au- 
 thors solely speak of birds, they describe an in- 
 finity of methods practised by others, and compare 
 them to their own, which without doubt are prefer- 
 able, but yet too slow to satisfy the impatience of 
 ornithologists. 
 
 The oil of turpentine is almost the only pre- 
 servative which they employ. They use it in two 
 ways. First when the bird is mounted, by soaking, 
 with the aid of a brush, the roots of the feathers in 
 all parts of the bird : the second method, which is 
 not so good as the first, consists in varnishing the 
 whole surface of the bird, which secures its pre- 
 servation. It must be allowed, however, that the 
 spirits of turpentine absorb and tarnish the colours. 
 If the first method be executed with all the care it 
 requires, that is to say, if the spirit have only wetted 
 the quills and down of the feathers, these parts will 
 be preserved ; but their extremities will be attacked 
 and destroyed by insects. Besides, this proceeding 
 appears to me, to be difficult to put in practice for 
 the smaller birds, because the oil, which has the 
 quality of spreading with much rapidity, quickly 
 reaches all parts of their feathers, and thus only 
 preserves them at the expense of their colours, so 
 rich in the greater part of the small birds which 
 come from Africa and South America. 
 
 
14 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 It is necessary to use the oil of turpentine for 
 the exterior of large quadrupeds, and fish, first 
 because the metallic soap cannot penetrate, and, 
 secondly, because prudence does not allow us to 
 employ it, on the surface of any animal, not even 
 on the parts free from hair. * 
 
 I have thought it indispensible to enter into some 
 details on the methods hitherto proposed and ad- 
 mitted, in order to point out the progress of Taxi- 
 dermy. We now pass to the description of our 
 own methods, and will commence by giving a list 
 of the tools and other objects with which it is neces- 
 sary to provide ourselves. We shall add to it the 
 receipt for the preservatives which we employ, and, 
 adopting M. Cuvier's divisions for the sake of order, 
 we will treat, with detail, on the means of prepar- 
 ation and preservation peculiar to certain animals, 
 for it is proper to remark that the rat, the deer, 
 and the elephant, require very different methods 
 for their preparation. 
 
 * M. Dufresne means the exterior surface only, which is so 
 much handled in the stuffing as to make it too dangerous to 
 anoint it with this soap; and I observe, that the Artists in the 
 Zoological Laboratory at Paris, carefully bend or turn down 
 the points of the various wires, after they have inserted them, 
 (as they easily straighten them again with the fingers, if requi- 
 site) lest by pricking their fingers, the arsenic might do them 
 serious injury. M. Valenciennes however, assures me, that it 
 is indispensably necessary for the traveller to anoint the naked 
 parts of the legs of birds killed in hot climates. 
 
TAXIDERMY. 15 
 
 Articles necessary for mounting Quadrupeds, Birds, 
 Reptiles, Fish, fyc* 
 
 1. An assortment of iron wire of all sizes. 
 
 2. Flax or tow, or, for want of it, the commonest 
 cotton, or the ends of untwisted cords. We must 
 never use marine plants without having well steeped 
 them in fresh water. Without this precaution, the 
 marine salt with which they are impregnated, and 
 which retains so much humidity, would rot the 
 skins that are stuffed with them. 
 
 3. A box containing scalpels, scissars with pointed 
 blades, and two or three pointed forceps of differ- 
 ent sizes, one of which ought to have indented 
 extremities. 
 
 4. Two flat pincers, large and small. 
 
 5. A round pincer. 
 
 6. A cutting pincer (for the wire). 
 
 7. A hammer. 
 
 8. Two files. 
 
 9. Brushes of different sizes, for putting the 
 drugs on the birds, smoothing the feathers, &c, 
 
 10. A collection of eyes in enamel. We find 
 these at Agard's, Rue Aumer, and at Noel's at 
 Savoy, near Paris. I believe that eyes are only well 
 made in France, if I may judge by those which 
 come from Germany and Holland. At the end of 
 
16 TAXIDERMY* 
 
 this treatise I will point out the method of making 
 them. * 
 
 Receipt for making Arsenical Soap, invented by 
 Becceur> Apothecary at Metz. 
 
 Camphor ------ 5 ounces. 
 
 Arsenic in powder - - - 2 pounds. 
 
 White Soap ----- 2 pounds. 
 
 Salts of Tartar - - - - 12 ounces. 
 
 Lime, in powder - - - 4 ounces. 
 
 Cut the soap in small slices, as thin as possible, 
 put them in a pot over a gentle fire, with very little 
 water, taking care to stir it often with a wooden 
 spatula; when it is well melted, put in the salts of 
 tartar and powdered chalk. Take it off the fire, 
 add the arsenic, and triturate the whole gently. 
 Lastly, put in the camphor, which must first be 
 reduced to powder in a mortar by the help of a 
 little spirits of wine ; mix the whole well together. 
 This paste ought then to have the consistence of 
 flour paste. " Put it into china or glazed earthen 
 pots, taking care to place a ticket on each. 
 
 When it is to be used, put the necessary quantity 
 into a preserve-pot, dilute it with a little cold wa- 
 
 * These eyes however are equally well made in England, al- 
 though dearer. They cost in Paris, from two sous, to thirty 
 francs a pair. 
 
TAXIDERMY. 1*7 
 
 ter, until it have the consistence of clear broth ; 
 cover this pot with a lid of pasteboard, in the mid- 
 dle of which bore a hole for the handle of the brush 
 which serves to anoint the animal. 
 
 Gum Paste. 
 
 Take half a pound of common gum arabic, and 
 two ounces of white sugar-candy; melt this mixture 
 in a pot of water, then strain it through a linen, or 
 a horse-hair sieve. When it has become liquid, put 
 a part of it into a flat preserve-pot, add a spoonful 
 of starch, or hair-powder, mix the whole well to- 
 gether with an iron wire, or a long pin, which 
 should always remain in the pot for that purpose. 
 This gum serves for an infinity of uses, and never 
 spoils. When it becomes dry add a little water to 
 it ; if you are in haste to make use of it, place the 
 pot on warm ashes to melt it quickly, or put it into 
 warm water, or sand, 
 
 Paper Paste, gummed. 
 
 Fill a large coffee-pot with water, and unsized 
 paper, such as is used for printing ; boil it for two 
 hours, renew the water, and boil it again for the 
 same time. Then squeeze the paper, and pound it 
 in a mortar until it be reduced to a very fine paste ; 
 then dry it, and when there is occasion to use it, 
 
18 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 take some melted gum arable, add the powder to it, 
 and a large handful of pounded paper, mix the 
 whole well together, and put it into a flat pot. 
 
 We shall presently point out the use of these 
 different compositions. 
 
 In warm countries the skins of animals must be 
 prepared without delay ; even in the places where 
 they are killed, and with very few tools. For these 
 occasions we will instance M. Mauge, who, in the 
 voyage round the world which he undertook for 
 the sake of Natural History, only carried a box of 
 scalpels; he nevertheless prepared a great number 
 of birds and quadrupeds, received by the Museum 
 in 1803. It is true the animals were only skinned 
 and half stuffed ; and this operation being the most 
 simple, required fewer implements than to mount 
 and prepare them ; but it is quite as much as a tra- 
 veller ought to do in his distant expeditions, be- 
 cause the objects are quickly arranged in this state, 
 and are very easy to pack. 
 
 Of the Chace. 
 
 A double barrelled gun is to be preferred ; one 
 of the barrels loaded with small shot, or the dross 
 of lead, for little birds, and the other with large 
 shot. It must be observed, that the barrel des- 
 tined to kill small birds, ought to be loaded with 
 
TAXIDERMY. 1 9 
 
 much less powder and shot than usual, not to in- 
 jure them, or tear any part from them. 
 
 Before starting for the chace, it is necessary to 
 be furnished with several rolls of paper ; a large 
 handful of cotton or flax ; powdered dry earth, or 
 ashes. * 
 
 When a bird is killed put a pinch of dry dust on 
 the fresh wound ; this is done by raising the fea- 
 thers with a long pin at the place of the wound. 
 Introduce a little cotton or flax in the beak of the 
 bird, to prevent the blood from coming out of this 
 opening, and keep it as clean as possible. Place 
 the wings and the feathers which have been dis- 
 turbed in their natural position ; rest the bird on 
 the ground to give the blood time to coagulate; 
 take a sheet of paper, in the form of a horn or hol- 
 low cone, into which you must introduce the head 
 with care, holding the bird by the claws and tail ; 
 then close the horn with precaution, and place it in 
 a box filled up with moss and dried leaves, (this is 
 necessary to prevent the bird from being shaken 
 about in the chace,) and put the box into the game 
 bag. 
 
 The birds taken with a net, trap, or other snares, 
 are always preferable for mounting, but these me- 
 thods generally procure small ones only. We can 
 
 * The French expression is, " terre Tranche ;" any earth 
 free from humidity and vegetable matter will do. 
 
20 .TAXIDERMY. 
 
 also preserve those which have been taken with 
 bird-lime, taking care to remove it with alcohol, or, 
 which is better, with ether, which is easily done by 
 slightly rubbing the feathers that are smeared by 
 the bird-lime, with small pieces of rag or cotton, 
 changing them several times until the bird-lime is 
 wholly taken away. In the summer it is necessary 
 to skin the birds on returning from the field, or, at 
 furthest, the next day, otherwise the putrefaction 
 would occasion the loss of the feathers ; but in win- 
 ter it is possible to defer it for some days. I have 
 mounted one at Paris which had been sent from the 
 Lake of Geneva, and which was still very fresh. 
 In southern countries, Africa, America, &c. we 
 must prepare the animals in the places where they 
 have been killed, 
 
 PREPARATION OF MAMMALIA. 
 
 1. Of Man. 
 
 ALL the efforts of man to restore the skin of his 
 fellow creature to its natural form and beauty, have 
 hitherto been fruitless ; the trials which have been 
 made have only produced mis-shapen hideous ob- 
 jects, and so unlike nature, that they have never 
 found a place in our collections. We have only 
 some parts of man, either dried or preserved in 
 spirits of wine ? sufficiently entire to be recognised. 
 
TAXIDERMY. 21 
 
 In several Museums we see human heads injected* 
 and preserved in oil of turpentine. The anatomical 
 collection of the Museum of Natural History in 
 Paris possesses a head prepared in this way more 
 than a hundred years ago, by the celebrated Ruitch, 
 a Dutch physician. It still preserves all the viva- 
 city of its colours. The cold so far affects the 
 liquor in which it is contained, as to hide it com- 
 pletely, but at the return of spring the liquor be- 
 comes clear, and we perfectly distinguish the 
 object. 
 
 Without doubt all these preparations are very 
 useful to science, and are even necessary to the de- 
 monstrations of professors. Human skeletons are 
 more so, and since the bony part of our body is the 
 only one which we are able to preserve entire and 
 in its natural position, we will try to describe the 
 different methods employed for this purpose in the 
 present day. 
 
 According to the methods which they use, ana- 
 tomists distinguish two sorts of skeletons; one 
 which they call natural, and the other artificial, 
 and these two methods are sufficient to obtain the 
 skeletons of all animals. 
 
 Of Natural Skeletons. 
 
 This first manner is the easiest and most general ; 
 it is particularly employed for small animals, that 
 
 10 
 
22 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 is to say of the size of a fox. Skin the animal, take 
 away its flesh, only separating the head to take out 
 the brain more easily, by the occipital hole. When 
 the flesh is separated from the bones, put the whole 
 of the skeleton to macerate in a vessel of water, 
 with a little quick lime added, which has the pro- 
 perty of whitening bones. After two or three days' 
 maceration, the skeleton is extended on a table, and 
 by the aid of a scalpel all the remaining flesh is 
 scraped off. If the solid parts adhere too much, 
 the skeleton is again put to macerate, until the 
 bones are completely cleaned, taking every pre- 
 caution to preserve all the ligaments which fasten 
 the bones one to the other. These ligaments ac- 
 quire much consistence when they are dry, and are 
 sufficient to keep the skeleton upright, when it is a 
 small animal. If there be any reason to suspect 
 that they will not, an iron wire is passed longitudi- 
 nally through the vertebral column at the end, 
 which must pass out anteriorly, to fasten the head 
 to the cervical vertebrae. Two forks are formed, 
 the one to support the anterior part, the other for 
 the posterior ; for this two pieces of iron wire are 
 taken, the height of the animal, they are twisted 
 together, leaving a fork at each extremity, and are 
 both fastened on the board destined to receive the 
 skeleton. The one ought to pass, or enter, the 
 ribs, and encompass the vertebral column between 
 the shoulder blades ; the other between the bone* 
 
TAXIDERMY. 23 
 
 of the pelvis. Notwithstanding these precautions, 
 it sometimes happens that pieces of the skeleton 
 detach one from the other; in this case two holes 
 are pierced in the separated ends of the bones, and 
 they are reunited with fastenings of brass wire. 
 Such is the method employed for the skeletons of 
 reptiles, fish, birds, small mammalia, and children. 
 
 Of Artificial Skeletons. 
 
 The skeletons of men and animals of middling 
 size cannot be set up in the manner last described, 
 and more skill is required to form them. We begin 
 in the same way as for the natural skeleton, by tak- 
 ing off as much of the flesh as possible, but we must 
 separate all the bones at their joints, before putting 
 them to macerate : on account of their greater size 
 they ought to remain longer in the water. We re- 
 new the scrapings until they are perfectly cleaned ; 
 then expose them to the sun to whiten, and take 
 care to turn them every day. The most difficult 
 part of the operation follows, which is to re-assemble 
 all the bones, to reunite them, and to place them in 
 their natural position. Commencing by one of the 
 extremities we make holes at the apophysis *, by 
 the help of a wimble, or a lathe, sometimes with the 
 
 * The apophysis is the ball or round end of the bone, 
 marked A. plate I. 
 
24 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 gimblet. We fasten all the bones with an iron or 
 brass wire, which we pass through the holes already 
 bored. We twist the two ends of the wire, leaving 
 a little play between the articulations, and pursue 
 this method until the whole skeleton is mounted. 
 We then procure a flat piece of wood to place it 
 on, and keep it erect by means of two iron uprights, 
 such as we have described for the natural skele- 
 tons. % 
 
 The links of wire above mentioned are insufficient 
 to unite all the bones of large-sized animals, such as 
 the horse, the ox, the camel, and the elephant. In 
 place of them we put two iron pegs, with a head at 
 one end and a screw at the other; each screw must have 
 a nut, and each pair of screws must be accompanied 
 by a plate of iron, narrow, and pierced at each end 
 to pass the screw through. We will now suppose 
 ourselves about to unite the bone of the thigh to 
 that of the leg of a large quadruped. We pierce a 
 hole at about two inches from its extremity, we do 
 the same with the leg bone, bring the two together, 
 and then passing one of our screws, (longer by an 
 inch than the bone is thick,) into the hole of one of 
 the above-mentioned plates, then through the bone, 
 
 * See the drawing of one of the specimens in the Gallery 
 of Anatomy, plate 1, the wires in which are coloured red, to 
 distinguish them. I have removed the head a little too far from 
 the cervical vertebrae, to show the course of the wire which 
 joins them more clearly. 
 
TAXIDERMY. 25 
 
 and lastly into the other plate, we tighten them by 
 the aid of the nut ; doing the same by the leg bone, 
 the two parts will be united and supported by the 
 two plates, which are retained by the iron pegs or 
 screws, and the play or space between the two ex- 
 tremities of the bones will have been provided for, 
 by the distance left in piercing the holes for pass- 
 ing the pegs through. * 
 
 As these vast frames are more often set up for 
 instruction, than for the gratification of mere curi- 
 osity, it is customary to saw the head longitudinally 
 in two, except the under jaw ; the reunion of the 
 parts is effected by an iron hinge, which permits 
 them to be opened at pleasure, for the study of the 
 interior of the head. 
 
 Monkies. 
 
 In all systems monkies are placed immediately 
 after man. 
 
 Before we begin to skin an animal, we must fill 
 its mouth with flax ; if there be any wound capable 
 of letting out the blood ; cotton or tow must also be 
 introduced into it. This done, we stretch out the 
 animal on its back, and taking precisely the middle 
 
 * See fig. 2. plate 1 . a. is the iron plate, b. is the nut which 
 tightens the screw of the iron peg, c. is the head of the second 
 iron peg, the nut and screw of which, similar to the first, is 
 of course on the other side. 
 
26 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 of the abdomen, turn back the hairs to the right and 
 to the left, and open the skin in a line from the 
 arch or hollow of the pubis to the stomach; we 
 may even prolong the opening as far as the collar 
 bone, but as we acquire more dexterity, we are 
 able to decrease or shorten it. Great care must be 
 taken not to injure the muscles of the belly, or the 
 intestines would fall out and soil the skin ; we must 
 also, in cutting the skin, pay attention to the 
 arrangement of the natural parts to be able to ren- 
 der them apparent in the preparation. These pre- 
 cautions taken, we separate the skin from the flesh, 
 both to the right and left of the belly, placing pads 
 of tow or linen between it and the body as we se- 
 parate it, continuing to do so as far as possible to- 
 wards the posterior part. We disengage the anus, 
 which we separate from the rectum; we cut the tail 
 interiorly, and then separate each thigh at its junc- 
 tion with the bones of the pelvis. Until this mo- 
 ment the animal has remained on its back, but we 
 must now lay it on its side, the posterior part to the 
 left, and the paws turned towards us. In this posi- 
 tion the thighs, being separated, recede towards the 
 right, and give more facility for skinning the back ; 
 this last part is always the easiest. It is sufficient, 
 for quadrupeds of a middling size, to take the skin 
 in one hand and the body in the other, and by 
 drawing them in contrary directions, to unskiii 
 the body as far as the scapulae, or rather to the 
 
TAXIDERMY. 27 
 
 shoulders. When we have arrived thus far, we 
 cut the arm at the shoulder joint, then disengage or 
 separate it from the body, put it again into the 
 skin, and turn the animal to perform the same with 
 the other side. We continue to unskin the neck, 
 pass the head from within the skin, always with the 
 help of a scalpel. We unskin the head as far as the 
 end of the nose, taking care to cut the ears as near 
 as possible to the skull ; we must also be particularly 
 careful not to injure the eyelids, and not to cut the 
 lips too close. * When this is all done, we separate 
 die head from the trunk, taking away the muscles 
 in such a manner that all the bones which compose 
 it may be naked or clean. We enlarge the occipi- 
 tal hole by means of a sharp instrument, and scoop 
 
 * Suppose the slit in a common slide purse to represent the 
 opening we have made in the skin of the animal, and the closed 
 length of either end, the neck ; if we take a small glass stopper 
 and push it, with the head uppermost, to the end of the purse, 
 its neck representing the cervical vertebrae, we have the precise 
 iituation of the animal : to pursue the operation, suppose the 
 head only of the stopper to have been thickly covered with 
 strong gum water, so that the end of the purse, representing 
 the skin, adheres pretty firmly to it ; we take the neck of the 
 stopper between our fingers, and pulling it downwards towards 
 the slit of the purse, we exemplify the rest by gradually disen- 
 gaging the purse from the head of the stopper, until it adhere* 
 only at the tip, as we disengage the skin from the head of the 
 animal until we reach the muzzle; we conclude the exemplifi- 
 cation by drawing the end of the purse (which we have thus be- 
 gun to turn inside out) back again. 
 c 2 
 
28. TAXIDERMY. 
 
 out the brains ; the handle of an iron fork is very 
 proper fqr this operation. When the head is well 
 cleaned, we put it back into the skin ; we then take 
 one of the fore legs and skin it as far as possible, 
 always drawing it towards us and pushing the skin 
 the contrary way ; that done, we take away the 
 whole of the flesh, carefully preserving the liga- 
 ments which unite the bones, then replace the leg 
 in its skin, and operate upon the other. We after- 
 wards treat the hind legs in the same way, that is to 
 say, skin them as far as the claws, separate the ten- 
 dons and ligaments from the muscles, leave them 
 adhering to the articulation of the knee, then take 
 all the flesh off the bones, and thrust the leg back 
 into the skin. 
 
 It only remains for us to skin the tail, which is 
 the most difficult. To enable us to do so, we must 
 disengage or bare the first two or three joints ; we 
 tie them strongly with a cord, which we fasten to a 
 cramp iron or to a wall hook ; we pass a cleft stick 
 between the cord which holds the tail and the skin, 
 that is, on the bare joints, which are, of course, 
 placed within the cleft; with a hand on each side 
 we draw the stick towards the extremity, and the 
 tail comes out of its sheath. We extend the skin 
 well upon the table, stretching out the paws, we 
 take away all the muscles which remain inside the 
 skin, and, thus prepared, it is ready for stuffing. 
 
 We will suppose the quadruped on which we oper- 
 
TAXIDERMY. 2j9 
 
 ate to be of the size of a fox, we then take an iron 
 wire of such a thickness that four pieces introduced 
 into the legs can support the animal. We then 
 take a piece of about two feet long, but thinner 
 than that destined for the paws, to enable us to 
 form what we call a tail-bearer. We must bend 
 this piece of iron wire at nearly one-third of its 
 length, tp form an oval of it, smaller than the hand ; 
 twist the two ends together, leaving one of them a 
 little shorter than the other, then measuring the 
 iron by the skinned tail, we cut it the same length, 
 independent of the oval. This measure exactly 
 taken, we wrap the wire in flax, taking it by the 
 point and turning it round between the fingers, 
 constantly increasing the flax towards the oval. 
 Rub the flax of this tail-bearer with a little flour- 
 paste, to preserve the shape, and it then has the 
 length and circumference of the skinned tail : it 
 must afterwards dry: introduce a little of the pre- 
 servative into the sheath or skin of the tail with a 
 small brush; we also rub the tail- bearer with the 
 preservative, and put it into the sheath ; the oval, 
 which is now placed within the body, serves to fix 
 the tail to the iron which replaces the vertebral co- 
 lumn. 
 
 We take five pieces of iron wire of the diameter 
 
 of a straw, one of which must be a foot longer than 
 
 the body of the animal, the others destined for the 
 
 legs must be as long as they are. We sharpen one 
 
 c S 
 
50 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 end of each of these five pieces, and the point 
 should be triangular, in order to penetrate the more 
 easily. At the unpointed extremity of the longest 
 of these five pieces, we form a ring, large enough 
 to pass the little finger through, bending the wire 
 back on itself a turn and half with a round pin- 
 cer. We form a similar ring on the same wire, so 
 as to come between the animal's shoulders, and, for 
 the sake of certainty, we measure it on the body 
 itself; this last ring is formed by one entire turn. 
 The rest of this iron stem must be quite straight, 
 and pointed triangularly at the end. The irons 
 thus prepared, we provide ourselves with a quantity 
 of chopped tow, and some little sticks or pieces of 
 wire, with which we thrust in this stuffing. 
 
 The skin of the monkey being extended on the 
 table, we take the end of the nose with the left 
 hand ; thrusting it again into the skin, we receive 
 the bony head with the right hand, which we have 
 introduced into the neck. We anoint it with the 
 preservative, and then introduce some chopped flax, 
 with pincers or forceps, about every part of the head 
 where flesh or muscles existed. After which we 
 pass the long piece of iron wire into the middle of 
 the skull, we anoint the skin of the head with a 
 small brush, and restore it to its place. We then 
 anoint (always the inner surface,) the skin of the 
 neck, and stuff it with chopped flax, not putting too 
 much, for we should increase the size beyond its 
 
TAXIDERMY* 31 
 
 proportion ; for a fresh skin easily dilates, and we 
 should then find difficulty in giving the form and 
 attitude suitable to this part of the animal. 
 
 The first ring of the wire which passes into the head 
 must be in the direction of the shoulders, the second 
 ought to correspond with the pelvis, or a little 
 towards the posterior part. We then pass one of 
 the irons for the paws along the front leg, behind 
 the bone ; the point which passes without ought to 
 be under the highest ball of the foot. This done, 
 we draw up the bones of the leg within the skin of 
 the body, to tie tne iron wire to the bone of the arm 
 and fore-arm with pack thread. We anoint these 
 parts, and twist chopped flax round them, observ- 
 ing to make it equal to the flesh we had removed. 
 
 To fix the fore legs, we pass one of their pieces 
 of wire in the little ring of the middle or horizontal 
 wire, and do the same with the other side, and then 
 twist the two ends strongly together by the help of 
 flat pincers. We must observe that, for an animal 
 of the before-mentioned size, the pieces left to twist 
 must be from five to six inches. Being twisted, we 
 bind them on the under side against the wire of the 
 middle or body, and fasten them by tying them to- 
 gether with packthread ; we then replace the two 
 legs, bending them according to the attitude that we 
 wish to give them. We anoint the skin of the belly 
 and scapulae, which we stuff, taking care to put a 
 good layer of flax under the wire of the middle, 
 c * 
 
32 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 We must also begin sewing the anterior part of the 
 opening, giving the appearance of scapulae, and 
 more particularly that thickness which appears be- 
 yond, at the junction of the shoulder and bone of 
 the arm. 
 
 The irons for the hind legs ought to be longer 
 than those of the fore legs. We pass one of them 
 into the paw, we fasten it loosely to the bone of the 
 thigh and that of the leg. 
 
 We must place the flax to form the leg and 
 thigh as before, and encircle it with a long needleful 
 of thread, to prevent it from slipping up when we 
 return this part into the skin ; we operate in the 
 same way upon the other thigh. 
 
 We afterwards fix the hind legs by passing their , 
 pieces of wire in the second ring of the centre or 
 body, and situated at the pelvis ; we bend the two 
 ends, twisting them to the right and the left round 
 the ring, and, for more solidity, pass a piece of pack- 
 thread several times round these three wires, and tie 
 it strongly ; we then place the tail-bearer in the 
 manner we have before described. 
 
 This iron work being thus terminated, we anoint 
 the thighs, and finish filling them with chopped 
 flax. We renew the anointing of the interior parts 
 of the skin, and replace the body of the animal by 
 chopped flax, laying it conveniently under the irons, 
 and accommodating the skin of the belly which 
 easily stretches. We finish by making a seam 
 
TAXIDERMY. 33 
 
 which reunites the skin at the place of the incision, 
 taking care to divide the hairs and not to take them 
 in with the sewing, which ought to be made w r ithin 
 and without, and then covered again with the hair. 
 
 Before putting the animal on its feet, it is neces- 
 sary to bend the legs at the articulations : we turn 
 the animal in all directions, to knead or press it in 
 every part, to give the appearance of the various 
 muscles. 
 
 We prepare a board, in which we pierce four 
 holes, at distances suitable to the attitude we wish 
 to give the animal, and put into them the irons from 
 the four extremities, drawing them with the pincers 
 until the feet rest firm ujftm the plank. We fix 
 the irons below with wire nails, half driven in, which 
 we then turn back upon the wires to prevent them 
 from moving. The animal being upright, we give 
 the attitude to the head, and make the muscles ap- 
 pear by stuffing it afresh with cotton at the eyes, 
 the mouth, the ears ? and the nose, and even the 
 anus. If we find these places too hollow, we thrust 
 in an iron peg, and bring forward the flax of the 
 interior, to make this hollow disappear. 
 
 We are obliged to place the enamel eyes whilst 
 the eyelids are still fresh. This operation requires 
 much care, for the beauty of a stuffed animal de- 
 pends chiefly upon the head. We then arrange 
 the lips, and fasten them with pins ; we are often 
 c 5 
 
34 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 obliged to support them with cotton, especially 
 when we wish the mouth to be open, and we remove 
 the cotton when these parts are dry. We must 
 not forget to thrust an iron peg into the nostrils, to 
 put into them a great deal of the preservative and 
 closely pressed cotton ; without this precaution the 
 nose, in drying, would have a very bad effect. 
 
 To place the ears properly, if we would have 
 them upright, we pass a connecting thread through 
 their base, and tighten it until they are sufficiently 
 drawn together. If the animal has large ears like 
 the roebuck, the hare, &c. it is good to put a piece 
 of pasteboard within, having the form of the ear, 
 and we fasten it with small pins at the edges ; a thin 
 piece of cork, if we have it, is preferable to the 
 pasteboard. 
 
 An animal thus finished must keep, if we have 
 sufficiently applied the preservative. But if this com- 
 position have not penetrated to the ears, the nose, the 
 lips, and, above all, to the paws, we must supply its 
 place by imbuing these parts with a brush dipped 
 in spirits of turpentine; and that this liquor may 
 not injure the hair, we wipe it afterwards with cot- 
 ton, and repeat this operation seven or eight times, 
 at intervals of some days. 
 
 When we feel certain that the animal is dry, we 
 cut the wire which passes from beyond the head, 
 with pincers ; we procure a board or plateau pro- 
 
TAXIDERMY. 35 
 
 portioned to its size, and make four holes in it, in 
 the same positions as those which we had bored in the 
 temporary board. We introduce the irons of the 
 paws, we rivet them underneath, after having 
 formed four little grooves, ending at the holes 
 above the plank, that the wire lodging in them may 
 not destroy the level of the plateau. 
 
 Those already in the habit of preparing animals 
 may perhaps think that we have entered too much 
 into the details, but we have thought this necessary 
 to make those understand us who have not any idea 
 of Taxidermy, and for the same reason we have 
 employed the most familiar terms. 
 
 No one ought to be alarmed, at the beginning, by 
 the length of our proceedings ; a little practice will 
 enable any body to prepare and mount a quadru- 
 ped, the size of a fox, in four or five hours. 
 
 M. Nicolas skins quadrupeds by the back, he 
 unites the wires of the extremities to that of the 
 body before placing them, which renders it very 
 difficult to introduce this work into the limbs ; and, 
 besides, it is scarcely possible to form a leg well by 
 stuffing it in his way, and above all by not preserv- 
 ing the tendo Achillis. The camphorated liquor 
 which he recommends for imbuing the hair, must 
 necessarily injure it; none of the animals mounted 
 for the Museum have undergone this operation, and 
 yet they have all preserved extremely well. 
 
 It is only after comparing and trying the different 
 G 6 
 
S6 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 methods known until now, that we think we have 
 pointed out the best method of skinning, mounting, 
 and preserving a quadruped, and we may mostly 
 employ the same proceedings from the mouse to the 
 panther, tiger, &c. Animals larger than these lat- 
 ter require a peculiar frame-work, which we will 
 hereafter explain. There are also some species 
 which require other precautions, and of which we 
 are going to treat. 
 
 The Bat. 
 
 It is sufficient to prepare the bat as usual ? but with- 
 out any wire. We then lay it on a plank of soft 
 wood, extend the wings, and fix them very equally 
 with pins, at the parts of their articulations ; when 
 they are dry we form a sort of picture of them, 
 which we cover with a well luted glass. 
 
 During the day we may catch bats in the hollows 
 of old oaks, in the crevices of walls, the ruins of 
 buildings ; at dusk we may kill them with a gun. 
 France produces six or seven species, and we re- 
 commend travellers to bring them from all the 
 countries they visit, even if they seem to differ but 
 little amongst themselves. The Museum of Paris 
 possesses a considerable number of them, but this 
 genus is still far from being as much advanced as 
 many others. 
 
TAXIDERMY. 37 
 
 The Lemur Volans^ (Galeopithecus. Pallas.) 
 
 This animal being as large as a pole cat, and 
 not having wings like the bats, but a sort of mantle 
 which they extend by the extremities of the four 
 legs, pins are insufficient to fix them, and we use 
 wire as with other quadrupeds. They are very rare, 
 and only found, as yet, in the Molucca islands. 
 
 Hedgehogs. 
 
 Hedgehogs are mounted by the usual methods, 
 but as these singular animals form themselves into a 
 ball, by drawing in all their extremities, it is neces- 
 sary to know how to give them that attitude. 
 When the hedgehog is skinned, we lay on the pre- 
 servative, ar:d stuff it a little less than usual to en- 
 sure its bending ; sew it up without putting in any 
 wires, and it will be sufficient to draw the head and 
 four feet together under the middle of the belly. 
 Then, to preserve this form, we place it on its back 
 in the midst of a large cloth, the four ends of which 
 we tie strongly together, we then hang it on a hook 
 in the hair to dry. Some beautiful species are 
 found in Madagascar. , 
 
38 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 Bears. 
 
 The size of a bear requires that the wire should 
 be placed in a different way. 
 
 We take a plank, of an inch thick, and two in 
 width, and the length of which is the same as 
 that of the animal, to go perpendicularly from the 
 shoulders as far as the connection of the thighs 
 to the os pubis. We pierce a hole on the sur- 
 face of the plank, three inches distant from one 
 of its ends; we form a connecting groove, run- 
 ning from the hole on the upper surface of the 
 plank, round the end, to the same hole on the 
 lower side. This groove ought to be made with 
 a large gimblet, nearly the thickness of the iron 
 wire which we employ, and which it is to receive. 
 We then pass the wire by the hole through the 
 plank, and leave one of its ends just long enough 
 for it to be twisted with the other at the edge of the 
 plank ; we bend the iron into the groove, twist the 
 two ends strongly together, and put some wire nails 
 obliquely into the groove, in such a manner that 
 their heads are bent upon the wire, so as to prevent 
 it from shaking. The longest end of the wire 
 ought to be at least eighteen inches, and pointed, 
 so as to enable it to pierce the skull of the 
 bear. 
 
 To fix the fore legs to this bar or plank, which 
 
TAXIDERMY. 39 
 
 is substituted for the central wire we have be- 
 fore described, we pierce two holes in it, the one 
 two, the other three inches, from the end, both 
 a little higher than the first-mentioned hole on 
 the broad surface of the plank. We make two 
 similar holes at the other end to receive the wires 
 of the hind legs. 
 
 As the bear always walks on the sole of his 
 foot, we bring out the wire of the legs at the 
 claws. When the leg is stuffed, we bend the 
 wire in a right angle, at five inches from the in- 
 ner end, which we put into one of the holes of 
 the plank ; the part which passes out at the other 
 side we curve afresh ; we pierce two small gim- 
 blet holes close together, which receive a much 
 smaller wire, and the ends, which being twisted 
 together, encloses the t\vo ends of the large wire 
 and binds them against the plank. We do the 
 same with each of the other legs, and finish the 
 whole in the same way as we do the smaller ani- 
 mals. This method has appeared to me to be the 
 least difficult, and it is that which we practise in the 
 Museum for animals of the second size, as the 
 lion, the royal tiger, the tapir, the deer, &c. 
 
 Plares. 
 
 When we wish to mount a hare, seated, or up- 
 right, an attitude which it sometimes assumes, 
 
40 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 we make an oval of iron wire, fix it to the inte- 
 rior iron work after having passed one end through 
 the anus, this exterior end crosses the plateau on 
 which the hare will be fixed; the irons of the 
 hind paws, must pierce the paws and be fixed on 
 the plank very near the posterior part. 
 
 Beavers. 
 
 Beavers ought to have the back very round 
 and short ; we cut the tail underneath, remove all 
 the flesh, which we replace by chopped flax, and 
 introduce a little of the preservative. They are 
 found in North America, and in the South of 
 France. 
 
 Ant-Eaters. 
 
 The Great Ant-Eater has a tail like the long 
 beards of a feather pendent on each side of the 
 stem, and raised upon the back. We cut it lon- 
 gitudinally to skin it, and the tail-bearer must be 
 much longer than that of other animals; it is 
 also necessary to make the tongue come out, which 
 is very long in this species. The Ant-Eaters are 
 found in South America. 
 
TAXIDERMY. 41 
 
 Armadillos. (Dasypus.} 
 
 These animals do not require any preservative, 
 because they are destitute of hair. 
 
 Elephants. 
 
 We are now arrived at the largest animals, the 
 most expensive, and the most difficult to mount. 
 
 A detail of the necessary proceedings for mount- 
 ing an elephant would be too long for descrip- 
 tion, and we will limit ourselves to an extract of 
 those which have been resorted to for that which is 
 now in the Museum at Paris. 
 
 The corpse of the elephant having been extended 
 upon the ground, facilitated our taking and writ- 
 ing all its dimensions: the thickness was taken by 
 a sort of rule which M. Lassaigne, cabinet maker of 
 the Museum, invented at the time ; this instrument 
 resembled the rule used by shoemakers, on a large 
 scale. The curves of the back, the belly, &c. were 
 taken by bars of lead, three quarters of an inch 
 thick. This metal not having any elasticity, ac- 
 commodated or bent itself to the curves we wished 
 to measure, and preserved the measurements until 
 wanted. M. Desmoulins drew the animal on one 
 of the sides of the wall, according to all these mea- 
 
42 ^TAXIDERMY* 
 
 surements, in the work-shop, where the model was 
 to be constructed in its natural size. This done 
 we proceeded to the skinning of the elephant, which 
 we were only able to place upon its back by means 
 of four-corded pullies, fastened to the platform* 
 In this position we made an incision in the form of 
 a double cross; the middle line went from the 
 mouth to the anus, the two others were directed 
 from each left foot to the opposite right foot ; the 
 tail and trunk were opened underneath longitudi- 
 nally. We scooped out the soles of the feet within 
 an inch of their edge, that the nails might remain 
 in the skin ; to effect this we were obliged to em- 
 ploy the chissel and mallet. This operation was 
 very difficult. 
 
 After four days' labour of several persons, we se- 
 parated the skin from the body, it then weighed 
 576 pounds ; we extended it on the ground to take 
 away the cutaneous muscles which adhered to its 
 interior, particularly to the head. In this state the 
 skin was placed in a large tub ; we spread a con- 
 siderable quantity of pounded alum in all its folds ; 
 we then boiled some water with such quantities of 
 alum that some pieces still remained at the bottom 
 of the boiler, that is, we more than saturated the 
 water; this water was poured upon the skin, and 
 we continued to do so, until the skin was covered 
 with it six inches deep. 
 
 To render the dimensions of the model or shape 
 
 
TAXIDERMY. 4$ 
 
 which was to receive the skin more exact, we mo- 
 delled one half of the skinned head in plaster, as 
 well as one of the hind arid one of the fore legs* 
 
 All these measures being taken, Lassaigne con- 
 structed a factitious body in linden or chesnut wood. 
 The reader would find the detail too long and too 
 minute if we w r ere to describe the ingenious me- 
 thods generally invented by Lassaigne, either to 
 cut the wood, or to preserve the form he had given 
 to this great mass. But to avoid all prolixity, it will 
 be sufficient to observe, that he composed this 
 wooden elephant in such a manner that all the parts 
 could be separated. He opened a pannel (it is im- 
 material on which side of the body,) and intro- 
 duced himself into the interior, by means of this 
 opening, either to diminish the thickness of the w r ood 
 or for any other purpose during its construction : 
 the head, the trunk, all was hollow, so that the 
 body, alarming at first from its supposed weight, 
 might be easily transported from one place to 
 another. * 
 
 After taking the alum-water from the tub where 
 the skin was placed, we heated it and poured it 
 boiling on the skin ; we left it an hour and an half 
 
 * I have seen this immense model, which is not yet moved 
 from the Menagerie to the Gallery. Its sides are not much 
 more than an inch thick ; the folds or wrinkles of the skin 
 were adjusted after a beautiful little cast belonging to M. 
 Cuvier. 
 
44 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 in this state, after which we drew the skin out to 
 place it quite warm upon the shape. This was not 
 an easy thing, but it was rendered still more diffi- 
 cult by our finding the false body a little too large ; 
 the skin would not entirely cover it, there was but 
 one thing which could be done ; we could not di- 
 mmish the wood without destroying the propor- 
 tions, besides, the iron pins, the screws which fas- 
 tened the work, would have lost their hold* and 
 we should have run the risk of overturning the edi- 
 fice. We then took down the skin, had it placed 
 on tressles, and diminished the thickness of it by 
 the help of large knives, cutting it away in thick 
 and long shreds from the whole of the inside. 
 This work occupied five persons for four days. 
 We weighed these shreds, and they amounted to 
 194 pounds. During this operation, the skin had 
 dried, and consequently lost its suppleness. We 
 put it back into a tub, and covered it with soft cold 
 water; the next day we placed it afresh on the 
 shape, and fixed it with wire nails and large brads ; 
 those which fixed the edge of the skin were driven 
 in deeply, the others only halfway, to accommodate 
 the skin to all the sinuosities of the model. We 
 drew out a great many of them when the skin was 
 sufficiently dry. 
 
 This paring of the skin answered our purpose ii) 
 two essential points, first, by facilitating the means 
 of enveloping the model entirely, the form of which 
 
TAXIDERMY. 45 
 
 iad not been altered, and, secondly, by insuring 
 ts speedy desiccation. This last had not been the 
 east alarming, for we feared that the humidity se- 
 jreted in the skin might concentrate in such a man- 
 icr (notwithstanding we had taken the precaution 
 to give the wooden model a coat of oil paint,) that 
 t would occasion mouldiness in the parts exposed 
 to the air. The alum with which it was saturated 
 soon crystallized on the interior, which at first gave 
 it a very ugly grey colour, but we entirely got rid 
 of it by rubbing the surface of the skin, first with 
 spirits of turpentine, and then with oil of olives. It 
 was thus we gave the appearance of life to one of 
 the largest animals on earth, and which till then 
 liad only been figured in our Museums as a hide- 
 ous mass, and devoid of all resemblance to nature. 
 The camelopard, the couaga, the condoma, (a spe- 
 cies of antelope,) which are in the gallery of the 
 Paris Museum, have been mounted in the same 
 manner, which serves for most large animals. 
 
 Deer. 
 
 We now return to a quadruped of the second 
 size. This ought to be mounted like a bear. We 
 must put a bar of wood to receive the wires of the 
 four legs, but the horns with which the head is or- 
 namented will not allow us to skin it in the usual 
 manner. 
 
46 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 When we reach the neck, we cut it as near as 
 possible to the head, and we make another opening 
 in the skin, beginning under the chin ; we continue 
 it the length of the neck, and it will be from eight 
 to ten inches long. By this opening we separate 
 the remainder of the neck, take away the tongue, 
 and enlarge the occipital hole to take out the brain. 
 We cut the lips as near as possible to the jaw 
 bones ; we continue by ascending towards the fore- 
 head, and take the skin entirely from the head, ex- 
 cept at the muzzle, where it will adhere. The head 
 being well cleaned we anoint it and put the chop- 
 ped flax in the place of the muscles which have 
 been taken away, and we carefully replace the head ; 
 we must then sew up the opening made under the 
 neck with very small stitches, that the hair may cover 
 and conceal the seam. The rest is finished as we 
 have already remarked in the bear. 
 
 All animals which have horns ought to be skinned 
 like the deer ; but the elk, which comes immediately 
 after, ought to be mounted upon a wooden shape, 
 as, from its size, it belongs to quadrupeds of the 
 largest growth. 
 
 Seals. 
 
 These animals are amphibious, and have a very 
 thick skin ; consequently we must diminish it by 
 
TAXIDERMY. 47 
 
 taking away as much as possible of the fat, and im- 
 bue it well with the preservative. The work of 
 the inside must be made as for ordinary quadrupeds. 
 Seals are always placed on the belly ; thus we cut 
 the wires close to the extremities. It is necessary 
 to put some spirits of turpentine on the naked parts 
 of the fins. 
 
 Cetacea. 
 
 The porpoise and dolphin differ but little from 
 each other, and are very common in our seas. 
 
 We make an incision under the belly, from the 
 chin to the insertion of the tail, we detach the skin 
 right and left with a scalpel, cut the vertebral co- 
 lumn near the head, continue to disengage the body 
 as far as the tail, and separate the trunk. 
 
 These animals have sometimes two or three 
 inches of fat under the skin, and it is very difficult 
 to take it all away at the first trial. We must 
 therefore renew this part of the operation very 
 often, and scrape away as much as possible with a 
 cutting knife. To soak up the oil, which flows 
 continually, we cover the parts with bran or pow- 
 dered plaster. 
 
 The porpoise having a very smooth skin, with- 
 out any apparent projection, there is no occasion 
 for iron work to mount it ; only a stick the length 
 
48 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 of the body, which we put into the inside, and in- 
 troduce a little way into the skull : we then anoint 
 and stuff the animal very close, that the skin may 
 be well stretched ; we leave its mouth open to show 
 its teeth, which, in this genus, are very beautiful, 
 and arranged with admirable symmetry. 
 
 We leave it in this state for two or three months 
 to dry. At that period the fat, or rather oil, will 
 have penetrated the skin in several places, and the 
 whole body will be covered with very ugly spots. 
 To restore the skin to the gloss and freshness of life, 
 and prevent the same inconveniences in future, we 
 take a pumice stone, and reduce it to a very fine 
 powder ; steep it in olive oil, and rub it thickly on 
 the body with a hard brush ; when we have rubbed 
 over the whole body, we begin afresh, but this 
 time we put emery into the oil. When we per- 
 ceive that it begins to shine, we rub it dry with a 
 piece of woollen stuif, which we renew to give the 
 last polish. 
 
 Some people have recommended gum arabic, 
 others white varnish, to restore the brilliancy oT 
 these mammiferse ; but in rainy seasons the hu- 
 midity expels the varnish and melts the gum, and in 
 very dry seasons both fall off in small pieces ; whilst 
 our method of rubbing stops up all the pores of the 
 skin, which thus always retains its freshness. 
 
TAXIDERMY. 49 
 
 Whales. 
 
 The spermaceti whale, (Physeter, L.) and the 
 common whale, (Balsena, L.) terminate the series 
 of mammifera. Their preparation would not be 
 less interesting than that of other animals for Mu- 
 seums of Natural History, but the difficulty of pro- 
 curing, and the expense of mounting, these enor- 
 mous animals, joined to the room they take up, 
 in some measure render the means useless which 
 we might point out for mounting and preserving 
 them; consequently we will proceed to treat of 
 those quadrupeds which we procure in voyages or 
 travels of great length. 
 
 Naturalists are, without doubt, much indebted 
 to travellers, whose interests call them into distant 
 countries, and who, from taste, enrich their own 
 with objects of Natural History. But how many 
 precious objects would reach us from all parts of 
 the world, if those who thus occupy themselves, had 
 the necessary instructions to guide them in their 
 researches. 
 
 Previous to starting for the chace, which in some 
 parts must be prolonged for several weeks, or even 
 much longer, the traveller should provide himself 
 with a pot of the preservative, some large pincers, 
 spirits of turpentine, needles and thread, scissars, 
 forceps, scalpels* one or several knives, and lastly 
 
i 
 
 50 TAXIDERMY, 
 
 a little hatchet. Cotton beinj 
 America, he should take a great quantity of it, and 
 use it in preference to every thing else. In Asia 
 and Africa he must employ tow, made from old 
 ropes, and, for want of that, he might use moss or 
 fine grass, well dried. M. Le Vaillant has told me 
 that, in his travels in Africa, he used a species of 
 dog-grass (very common in that country) with 
 great success for stuffing quadrupeds and birds. 
 The greater part of the animals brought home by 
 M. Le Vaillant were stuffed with this plant. 
 
 We will suppose our traveller's caravan, furnished 
 with all the objects we have just named, has begun 
 its march, and that he kills some quadrupeds; he 
 will skin them without delay by the methods we 
 have before recommended, it is sufficient for the 
 skins to be anointed, stuffed, and sown up ; he will 
 put the spirits of turpentine on all their extremi- 
 ties, and let them dry in the most convenient place. 
 At the end of three or four days he will again put 
 the spirits on the same parts, particularly round the 
 mouth of the quadruped. 
 
 We must here observe, that it is very advan- 
 tageous to stay at least a week in the place he has 
 chosen for the first halt, because of the pains re- 
 quired in the commencement of a collection ; and 
 also to be able to procure all which exists in its en- 
 virons, for a large proportion of quadrupeds, birds, 
 and even insects, canton themselves, and if he quit* 
 
TAXIDERMY. 51 
 
 the first place without procuring them, he runs the 
 risk of never finding the same species again. 
 
 Before his departure he must be careful to de- 
 posit his collection in safety: he will examine, 
 therefore, each object separately, to ascertain if de- 
 structive insects (so abundant in warm countries) 
 have attacked those parts where the preservative 
 has not yet penetrated. If he perceives that any 
 flies have deposited their eggs on the lips of his 
 quadrupeds, he must kill them with spirits of tur- 
 pentine ; he may then pack all his objects with 
 safety in a well-joined case, and proportioned to the 
 size of his animals. 
 
 It is of the greatest interest to science that the 
 travelling naturalist should keep a circumstantial 
 journal of the manners and habits of animals, for 
 which he ought particularly to consult the inha- 
 bitants of the country. They have nature con- 
 tinually before their eyes, they see animals in their 
 own domain, and the remarks they make cannot 
 but be advantageous. Besides, a naturalist, with 
 his head burthened with so many objects, cannot 
 reckon much upon his memory ; however great it 
 may be, it may sometimes be defective ; he ought 
 then to consign every thing to paper. 
 
 When the traveller has arrived in those coun- 
 tries where he finds animals of the largest size ; in 
 Africa, for example, where he will meet with the 
 elephant, the hippopotamus, the camelopard, the 
 D 2 
 
3% TAXIDERMr. 
 
 Qouagga, the wild bull, the condoma, the oryx, se*- 
 veral species of bubalus; and when he tries t^ 
 obtain and bring away the skins of these animal:* 
 lie will doubtless meet with many difficulties, 
 since it is often embarrassing to transport even the 
 necessaries of life. But these obstacles, far from 
 lessening the courage and perseverance of the 
 zealous naturalist, will excite in him afresh ardour; 
 and, proud of the spoils of an animal which he can 
 never hope to meet with elsewhere, he would de- 
 prive himself of every thing rather than lose the 
 fruits of his labours. * 
 
 It would be very unfortunate, if a traveller with 
 such inclinations, was ignorant of the methods he 
 ought to employ to preserve what may have cost 
 him so much privation. We will suppose then 
 that the animal killed is the size of an ox ; he 
 should make an incision under the belly in the form 
 of a double cross ; the middle line or cut must 
 reach from the chin to the anus, the two others, 
 crossing the middle one, must be cut from one 
 foot to the other, as before, observing to make 
 them all within-side the limbs, that the seams 
 may be less apparent. When he mounts the 
 animal he must detach the hoofs with a hatchet, 
 striking it above with a mallet or stone. The 
 
 * Le Vaillant brought the skin of a camelopard, which Ire 
 had killed in Caffraria, more than 200 leagues from the Cape 
 erf Good Hope. 
 
TAXIDERMY. S3 
 
 nails must remain attached to the skin. This 
 done, he first skins the feet, legs, and thighs, 
 and continues in the mariner pointed out for the 
 elephant. However, he must here try to pre^ 
 serve the bony part of the head, and in such a 
 manner that it is only attached to the skin by 
 the muzzle ; although this operation will -consider- 
 ably augment the difficulty. He will not leave 
 any muscle about the head, and will make the 
 bones as clean as possible. 
 
 It is natural to suppose that the animal should 
 have been killed far from any habitation, and con- 
 sequently there is no way of macerating the skin 
 in alum water. Neither is it the time to make 
 use of the arsenical soap, the leather being too thick 
 to allow the preservative to penetrate. Besides, 
 the skin being far from its destination, it would 
 be dangerous to those who touched it during the 
 journey. The traveller must have a fire to cook 
 provisions, he will then make it as large as pos- 
 sible, that it may produce a great many winders, 
 and when the skin is cold, he will take these cin- 
 ders and sprinkle them over it on the inside, after 
 having extended it on gome boughs for the air to 
 circulate above and below. If he has preserved 
 the bony head, he will cover it again with its 
 skin, and will not forget to put spirits of turpen- 
 tine on the ears, lips, and four feet, several times, 
 3 
 
5^ TAXIDERMY. 
 
 This liquor dries easily, drives away destructive 
 insects, and kills their larvae. 
 
 In two or three days, that is to say, when the 1 
 skin is a little dry, he must turn it, putting the 
 hair within, and if he has the means of procuring 
 sea-salt, he will melt it in some water, and slightly 
 wet the hair with it. It will be necessary to re- 
 peat this operation on each side of the skin, two or 
 three times, at intervals of twenty-four hours. 
 
 When it is dry the hair must be rolled inwards^ 
 beginning with the head, and care must be taken to 
 put a layer of dried grass or moss to avoid the 
 friction spoiling the hair in its conveyance. If the 
 excursion be of Jong duration, it will be proper to 
 spread the skins sometimes in the sun, to look at 
 them, and put the spirits on the places which might 
 be attacked by scarabagi. 
 
 When the skins arrive at their destination, they 
 require another preparation before being placed 
 on a factitious body. The skin must be first ex- 
 tended on the ground, the hair underneath, to 
 make it pliant ; those parts which resist most must 
 be moistened with tepid water. 
 
 It must then be placed in a tub or large bucket, 
 and covered with cold water, saturated with alum 
 by ebullition. Eight days afterwards it must be 
 extended on pieces of wood half rounded, thinning 
 it with the help of a large and sharp knife ; this; 
 
TAXIDERMY. 5# 
 
 operation is performed by passing the skin over the 
 round surfaces of the demi-cylinders of wood, first 
 paring those parts which are thus projected, and 
 afterwards drawing the others into the same situa- 
 tion. When it is well pared and cleaned, it is put 
 to soak fou r-and- twenty hours in a bath, composed 
 half of soft- water and half of alum- water. It is 
 then taken out to be spread upon the factitious 
 body, and fixed .partly by sewing, and partly by 
 wire nails, as we have before stated for the ele- 
 phant. 
 
 BIRDS. 
 
 AT least four hundred species of indigenous 
 birds may be procured in France. He who can 
 content himself with this collection, will be repaid 
 by an acquaintance with the manners arid habits of 
 the birds of his own country. If his cabinet is 
 less rich than that of another, his knowledge will 
 be more solid : like the Abbe Manesse he will have 
 an opportunity of forming a collection of eggs. 
 This part, so intimately connected with the Natural 
 History of Birds, has been very much neglected, 
 even until the present time, by the greater number 
 of naturalists. 
 
 Whatever may be our inclination for indigenous 
 birds, naturalists, and especially travellers, will find, 
 
 D 4 
 
56 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 in our instructions, enough to assist their zeal for 
 the preservation of exotics. 
 
 Manner of skinning Birds. 
 
 After having taken the precautions recommended 
 by us when speaking of the chace, we pass a needle- 
 full of thread across the nostrils, tie it underneath 
 the inferior mandible, having the thread the 
 length of the bird, to prevent the blood from 
 coming out of the beak during the operation. 
 
 We have before said, that when a bird is killed, 
 we must introduce a little cotton into its beak, we 
 repeat this injunction ; for the beauty of a mounted 
 bird depends on the freshness of its head ; it is easy 
 to repair and clean the soiled feathers of the belly 
 and back, but not so of the head without a great 
 expense of time. 
 
 These precautions taken, we stretch the bird on 
 the table, the head turned towards the left of the 
 operator ; we divide the feathers of the belly right 
 and left with small forceps, pull out the down which 
 covers the belly, make an incision in the skin from 
 the commencement of the sternum or breast-bone 
 until beyond the middle of the belly, raise the skin on 
 one side by the forceps, separate it from the muscles 
 with a scalpel, approaching as near as possible to 
 the wings ; this done, we put a. little floured or 
 powdered cotton on the skin and flesh, that the 
 
TAXIDERMY. 57 
 
 feathers may not stick to them ; we force up or push 
 out. the thighs within the body of the skin, cut them 
 between the femur and tibia (/*and t plate 2,) in 
 such a manner, that the former remains to be after- 
 wards pushed back into the skin. By the help of 
 the scalpel and the fingers, we detach the skin as 
 far as the rump, which we cut off. It is essential 
 for this part to remain attached to the skin to sus- 
 tain the tail-feathers. We then take the already 
 uncovered part of the body with the left hand, and 
 continue to separate the skin from the two sides ; we 
 cut some little tendons which we find before we 
 come to the wings, with the scissars ; we separate 
 the wings from the trunk, at the junction of the 
 humerus with the body, and restore them to their 
 proper place. We continue to skin the neck, 
 thrusting the head from within as we have described 
 .for quadrupeds, and we uncover it, taking care not 
 to enlarge the opening of the ears, and above all to 
 be particularly attentive not to injure the eyelids in 
 taking out the eyes, which are easily picked out 
 with the closed points of the scissars ; we replace 
 the eye with chopped cotton, with which we fill the 
 orbits. We separate the neck, take out the tongue, 
 and carefully remove all the flesh which is between 
 the two branches of the inferior mandible. We 
 enlarge the occipital hole, to extract the brain, by 
 means of an iron instrument resembling an ear 
 picker; and, to finish cleaning out the inside of the 
 D 5 
 
58 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 head, we pass cotton and flax into it several times : 
 we must during the operation, from time to time 
 besprinkle the humid parts with plaster of Paris or 
 dry earth, to prevent the feathers adhering to them 
 and becoming dirty, and also divide them to the 
 right and left for the same reason. 
 
 We then take out the wings, cut them off at the 
 second joint, and, taking away the flesh, restore 
 them to their place. This operation answers for 
 small birds ; and we anoint the wings in the parts 
 which are destitute of feathers. We take away the 
 flesh of the thighs, always preserving the bones of 
 the leg, and put them back in their places. 
 
 If the bird be of a larger size, we must carefully 
 take away all the muscles which adhere to the skin, 
 as well as the fat, and if it has been killed by a gun, 
 or holes are otherwise formed in the skin, they must 
 be properly sewn up within. We fix a piece of 
 thread to the first joint of each wing, drawing them 
 together to the distance which they occupy when 
 the bird is in flesh. This precaution, which does 
 not appear to be of great importance, infinitely 
 abridges the operation ; for when the bird is mount- 
 ed, the wings place themselves, provided they are 
 properly tied within. 
 
 It is now necessary to arrange the skin : we begin 
 by replacing the skull (which we have taken care 
 to anoint well) ; with the left hand we hold the 
 thread which ties the beak; we assist the head in 
 
 12 
 
TAXIDERMY. 59 
 
 repassing into the neck with the forefinger of the 
 right hand ; at the same time we are pulling the 
 thread on the opposite side, taking care that the 
 feathers at the edge of the opening do not enter 
 with the edges of the skin. We lay the bird on 
 the table, the head to the left, place the wings and 
 claws properly ; we put a plate of lead of about a 
 pound weight on the tail ; we raise the feathers of 
 die edges of the opening with the thumb and fore- 
 finger of the left hand to prevent their being soiled, 
 and anoint the inside of the neck, introducing the 
 preservative alternately with the flax without stuff- 
 ing it too thickly, which is a fault in the greater 
 part of mounted birds. We continue to anoint 
 the back as far as the rump, and stuff it nearly one- 
 third of its thickness, that the iron work may be 
 placed on a thick layer of flax. We then prepare 
 four irons, the proportions of which are equal to 
 the size of the bird. The first, which is that of the 
 centre, ought to be longer than the body of the 
 bird ; we form a little ring with the pincers at about 
 it quarter of its length, and point the opposite end. 
 This wire being oikd we introduce it across the 
 skull, passing it into the neck in the middle of the 
 flax, with which it is stuffed ; so that having crossed 
 the skull, the ring of the wire is placed a little to- 
 wards the anterior part, and can receive the extre- 
 mities of each of the wires which have passed 
 through the thighs and claws, after having been 
 D 6 
 
60 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 also pointed. This is effected in the following 
 manner : we make a passage through the claw and 
 bone of the thigh by the aid of a brass awl, the size 
 of the wire we wish to employ; we pass the iron 
 which is to remain in .the leg of the bird across the 
 knee, and bring out interiorly, putting it into the 
 ring, and the same with the other side, and uniting 
 the three ends, that is, the ends of the leg wires, 
 and the end of the central wire beyond the ring; 
 twist them together with a flat, pincer, and lower 
 them towards the tail. It still remains to form the 
 fourth wire which we call the tail-bearer ; we take 
 a piece of iron wire, form an oval with it by twisting 
 the ends two or three turns, in such a manner that 
 after being twisted, these two ends form a fork, and 
 the oval is nearly the third of the length of the 
 bird's body; the two teeth of the fork must be 
 pointed with a file, and near enough together, to 
 enter the rump; their ends will be hid under the 
 great feathers of the tail, and the oval in the body 
 of the bird : if the subject is of a large size, it will 
 be necessary to tie the tail-bearer to the interior 
 machinery, otherwise it may remain free. 
 
 All these wires being placed, and on a layer of 
 chopped flax, we continue to anoint right and left, 
 and above all at the rump ; and in proportion as the 
 preservative is placed, we furnish the part with 
 chopped flax until the bird has attained its proper 
 >size. We then unite the skin by sewing it as we 
 
TAXIDERMY. 61 
 
 have before said, separating the feathers at each 
 stitch : we refurnish the orbits with chopped cotton, 
 which we introduce with small forceps, rounding 
 the eyelids well, we then place the eyes, introducing 
 them under the eyelids, and when a part of the 
 nictitating membrane appears below, we must push 
 it in with the point of the needle ; that the eye may 
 remain in its place. It is necessary, before fixing 
 it, to put a little gum on the cotton which is in the 
 orbit. 
 
 In the middle of a small plank or piece of square 
 wood, we fix an upright, crossed by another piece 
 forming a crutch, we pierce the latter with two 
 holes at the distance which exists between the feet 
 of the bird, passing into them the two ends of wire 
 which come out under the feet, and which have 
 been kept long enough to turn them on this cross 
 stick, to steady the bird. 
 
 Thus we have terminated all the mechanical 
 operations, which now give place to the taste and 
 ideas which spring from a knowledge of the man- 
 ners and habits of birds ; in short, to give to each 
 species its peculiar altitude. Long and constant 
 observations, assisted by practice will do more for 
 the naturalist than we can write on the subject. 
 
 It will now suffice to observe, that the bird, being 
 on its wooden support, we must press our two 
 thumbs on the legs or tarsi, to incline the bird back- 
 
TAXIDERMY. 
 
 wards ; then bend the tibia to bring the body for- 
 ward : before this operation, the tibia and tarsus were 
 in a straight line ; they now form the natural angle as 
 in the leg of the bird, plate 2. When it is well 
 placed we bend or turn the head according to the 
 attitude we wish to give the bird, and afterwards 
 arrange the wings. It only remains to smooth the 
 feathers into their natural position, and, to keep them 
 in place, we encircle the bird with small fillets 
 of gauze or muslin, fastened with a pin. When 
 the bird is quite dry, we take away the fillets, cut 
 the wire of the head as close as possible to tire 
 skull, place it on a new foot of turned wood, pro- 
 portioned to its size, write the name of the genus 
 and the species on a ticket of white card, and fix it 
 on the upright of the foot with a little gum. 
 
 The frame-work we have just described is 
 the most simple, and principally for small birds. 
 We will now mention another, which answers for 
 the smallest as well as the largest birds, and which 
 we adopt in preference. It is, like the preceding, 
 composed of four pieces. The first or centre ought 
 to be nearly twice the length of the bird, we bend it 
 at a third of its length in the form of an oval, twist 
 it two turns, then pass the shortest end into the oval, 
 and raise it against the longer end, so as to form a 
 ring at the end, or beyond the oval, big enough to 
 receive he two wires from the claws ; we twist it a 
 
TAXIDERMY. 68 
 
 second time, uniting it strongly to the long end, 
 which is straight and pointed, then rubbing it with 
 oil we enter it into the neck, already stuffed with 
 chopped flax ; the oval of the iron ought to be in 
 the middle of the body. The wires of the claws 
 must, like the others, be straight and pointed ; we 
 also enter them through the soles of the feet ; when 
 the point is in, we curve it at the other end, to be 
 the better able to work it up with the hand ; and 
 when the point appears within, we draw it up with 
 the flat pincers after straightening the other end. 
 To fix the irons of the claws to the middle branch, 
 we pass the two inner ends into the little ring above 
 the oval ; we twist them together, and curve them 
 within ; we then fasten them with a thread or pack- 
 thread to each side of the oval. 
 
 The tail-bearer is entirely similar to that of which 
 we have before spoken, and we fix it in the same 
 manner, thrusting the fork into the rump, and 
 either leaving the oval free, or tied under that of 
 the middle wire. This machinery, although differ- 
 ent to the other, is always introduced after the neck 
 and back are stuffed. 
 
 This method of passing the central wire through 
 the neck after it is stuffed, is preferable to all others, 
 not only because it is easier, but because it pre- 
 serves the neck in its cylindrical form : we even 
 stuff the neck of a swan before we introduce the 
 wire. 
 
64- TAXIDERMY. 
 
 Those employed in the zoological laboratory at 
 the Museum, when they first arrived, were accus- 
 tomed to put the wire in before they stuffed the 
 neck, but they have all now renounced this method, 
 and prefer that we have just described. . More than 
 2000 birds, in the number of those which now or- 
 nament the galleries of the Museum, have been 
 mounted in this way. 
 
 Besides these two methods, Mange had a third, 
 peculiar to himself. When he had a wire of a size 
 proportioned to the bird he was going to mount, 
 he took two pieces of it, the one a little longer than 
 the other ; he pointed both ends of the longest 
 piece, and one only of the shortest. We suppose 
 the bird to be a small one. He held one end of 
 each wire under the left thumb and fore-finger ; at 
 about the distance of two-thirds of an inch he 
 twisted the other parts five or six times with the 
 same fingers of the right hand ; after which he left 
 a space untwisted large enough for a finger to pass 
 through ; he continued to twist it four or five turns, 
 leaving a second interval untwisted, for the passage 
 of the two wires of the claws, and giving the form 
 of a triangle to the first space which he had re- 
 served; we conceive that the smaller opening or 
 second distance ought to be one turn above the 
 triangle. 
 
 The two wires for the claws are, as usual, straight 
 and pointed at one end. To fix the centre wire, 
 
TAXIDERMY. 65 
 
 \vhen the head and neck were stuffed, he introduced 
 the long end through the neck and skull ; the 
 fork at the other extremity passed across the rump 
 to support the tail ; one of the leg-wires being then 
 passed up, he brought the end through the little 
 hole which was above the triangle, he bent it along 
 the opposite part, and united the two parts by tying 
 them with thread ; he did the same for the other 
 leg. Mange constantly employed this method for 
 small birds, but he formed ovals for the larger 
 ones. 
 
 After having spoken of these different methods 
 of forming the inside frame-work for birds, one 
 more remains to be described; that which we 
 adopt when it is necessary to mount a bird w r ith 
 its wings extended. When the centre wire is placed, 
 we thrust pointed wires across the wings the length 
 of the ' fouet' * of the fore-arms and arms ; the 
 ends which remain in the body are formed into 
 ovals, the same size as that of the centre. If the 
 birds we mount are of the size of a kite or a mag- 
 pie, the thighs ought to be furnished in a peculiar 
 manner, which we will describe. 
 
 The wire being passed along the leg, we draw 
 part out, so that the bone is discovered ; we then 
 
 * The French Ornithologists call that part of the bone o- 
 the wing which answers to the carpus and metacarpus, the 
 " fouet." (See/, Plate II.) 
 
66 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 take unchopped flax and envelope the bone of the 
 leg and the wire with it, always winding it and in- 
 creasing it towards the top, until the thigh has at- 
 tained the size which it had when covered with 
 flesh ; we put a little thread round the flax to pre- 
 vent it from slipping. We then put the preserva- 
 tive on the skin and the factitious leg : and on put- 
 ting it back in its place we take care that the sur- 
 rounding feathers do not touch the preservative. 
 The leg-wires are united to that of the middle, 
 and to the wings, to which we tie them with pack- 
 thread. 
 
 The wings of large birds are so fleshy, that the 
 preservative put in the body cannot reach them, 
 even when they are placed in a state of repose, and 
 the worms quickly attack them if we do not take the 
 precaution of opening them underneath. After 
 having taken away the feathers to extract all the 
 muscles or tendons with dentated pincers or a pair 
 of scissars, we furnish this part well with the pre- 
 servative, and cotton coarsely chopped, closing the 
 opening by sewing it with thread. The first joint 
 or bone of the arm should be entirely cleaned, 
 when skinning the bird. 
 
 The fork of the tail-bearer must be much longer 
 for a large-tailed bird, such as the kite ; we bend 
 the two extremities of the fork horizontally, that it 
 may better support the tail ; we must also put pre- 
 servative above and below the rump, raising tlie 
 
TAXIDERMY. 67 
 
 feathers. We put oil of petrolium on the tarsi and 
 the claws, to drive away the insects. A bird 
 mounted with all these precautions preserves for a 
 length of time, and we can make it take the atti- 
 tude which we desire. If the wings are tied within 
 at the proper distance, notwithstanding the wires 
 which cross them, we can rest them against the 
 body, and they will bend only at their natural arti- 
 culations. If, on the contrary, we would give the 
 attitude of seizing on the prey, we must make the 
 legs almost stretched, the claws open, the head and 
 neck bent down, the wings very much raised, about 
 three quarters open, and convex above, the tail 
 forming a fan, almost perpendicular, and the body 
 inclined towards the prey. 
 
 If we wish to make our bird flying, we extend its 
 wings as much as possible ; the tail will be hori- 
 zontal and open, the neck forward, and a little on 
 one side. The claws shut, and the feet pressed 
 against the breast. We suspend it thus to the 
 ceiling, by a piece of string which we have passed 
 across its back. 
 
 If we prefer the moment of fright, the cross part 
 of the support, or rather the perch, must be made 
 obliquely ; the left foot must be extended, the right 
 on the contrary must be very near the body, and 
 bent ; the body thrown to the right, the wing of 
 that side elevated and very much spread, the other 
 
68 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 less so and lower ; the tail lowered, open and roofed, 
 that is, sloped on each side ; the neck raised and in- 
 clined to the right, the head leaning down, the beak 
 open, the eyes fixed on the object of its fear. This 
 description may be applied to all birds of prey, 
 and an infinity of others ; but ' it is not universally 
 applicable. 
 
 We will now enter into some details on particu- 
 lar preparations for certain birds. 
 
 The first which presents itself is the king of 
 vultures, (vultur papa.) This species is distin- 
 guished by the wrinkles of the naked part of the 
 head, and by a large caroncule or piece of flesh, on 
 the base of the beak; the skin of these parts is red 
 and bright blue, and the skin of the neck of a beauti- 
 ful orange colour. All these colours disappear on 
 the death of the bird. When it is mounted and 
 very dry, we restore them, first preparing these 
 tints, ground in oil, on a pallet, and then applying 
 them to the bird with a brush previously dipped in 
 spirits of turpentine. As this vulture is only found 
 in America, we ought to advise travellers, that, in- 
 dependent of the usual preparations, we form a 
 longitudinal incision behind the tarsus of this spe- 
 cies, and some others, who have them very strong 
 and muscular ; we extract all the tendons, and put 
 some cotton and preservative in their place; with- 
 out this precaution the putrefaction of the fleshy 
 
TAXIDERMY. 69 
 
 parts would destroy the tarsi, and make the scales 
 fall off: it is not necessary to sew up the opening; 
 we only bring the parts together. 
 
 Opls. 
 
 Nocturnal birds may be killed flying in the even- 
 ing ; by day we find them asleep in steeples, grana- 
 ries, old towers, &c. We often see the " Great" 
 and " Small Duke," and other species, on the large 
 branches of leafy trees, in the hollows of the trunks, 
 at the bottom of small caverns formed by steep 
 rocks. 
 
 When we skin birds of this genus, we must take 
 many precautions to pass the head into the neck. It 
 is generally very large, and we must assist it by 
 forcing off the skin with the thumb nails. The suit- 
 able attitude for this genus is upright, the neck very 
 short, the beak touching the neck, the legs stretched^ 
 and die exterior finger directed outwards. 
 
 Birds of Paradise. 
 
 See the paragraph on the manner of mounting 
 birds feather by feather. 
 
 Climbing Birds, (Gr impairs qfCuvier.} 
 Amongst the Passeres there are some birds who 
 have a habit of climbing trees, and along the 
 
70 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 branches, to seek the insects which secrete them- 
 selves in the bark, and which form their nourish- 
 ment; nevertheless, the name of Grimpeurs has 
 been given to other birds, which seem peculiarly 
 formed for that purpose, and whose exterior finger 
 is turned behind, the same as the thumb; and thus 
 having two fingers before, and two behind, they can 
 easily sustain themselves in the awkward positions 
 which they are frequently obliged to assume. We 
 must, therefore, give the pici an attitude agreeing 
 with their habits. The wooden support must be 
 a plateau, surmounted by a stem proportioned to 
 the size of the bird. The tail of the pici must 
 always touch the upright at its extremity : we may 
 vary the position of the other parts at pleasure. 
 
 Although the cuckoos, the trogons, the buccos, 
 the toucans, and parrots, are placed amongst the 
 grimpeurs, they do not often climb ; and it is only 
 from the disposition of their fingers, that they are 
 admitted into this family ; consequently, the supports 
 will have the form of a crutch, and these birds 
 will be placed across it in the attitude which is 
 preferred. 
 
 Of Gallinace<e. 
 
 In the beautiful and numerous family of galli- 
 naceae, we find some who have fleshy parts, naked 
 of feathers, and highly coloured, adhering to their 
 
TAXIDERMY. 71 
 
 necks and heads ; such as the cock, the guinea 
 fowl, the turkey, and others. We must colour 
 them as we have before said with respect to the 
 vulture. It would certainly be more advantageous 
 to replace these parts with coloured wax, but this 
 kind of work requires a hand well skilled in 
 modelling. 
 
 The Ostrich. 
 
 The ostrich inhabits the hottest countries of 
 Africa, and even attains the height of ten feet. 
 Very strong wires are required to sustain this 
 animal upright ; their diameter will not allow them 
 to twist very easily. We must, therefore, have a 
 different frame-work, than for those of a less size. 
 We are now going to offer one which requires by 
 far the least trouble on the part of the operator. 
 
 We. take a bar of wood eighteen inches long, 
 and from three to four inches in circumference ; 
 pierce a hole eight inches from one of the ends, 
 then form a groove or cavity from the hole, as far 
 as the extremity of the shortest end of the wood, 
 above and below ; on the other end we pierce two 
 holes, the one four inches from the end, the ether 
 six inches. We enter the wire which is to sustain 
 the head of the ostrich into the hole which is by 
 itself. This wire must pass through to the other 
 side, projecting eight inches, which is the length 
 
72 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 of the end from the hole ; we curve the two ends 
 of the wire into the furrows made for their recep- 
 tion ; we keep them in their place by means of 
 strong wire nails, put in obliquely, so that the 
 heads of the nails cross above the wires ; we can 
 make them still more solid by binding them down 
 with a strong iron wire. The long end of wire 
 which remains, must at least be the length of the 
 neck, head, and beak of the bird. In this case, 
 the wire may be passed into the neck of the bird 
 before the chopped flax is introduced, because, 
 being very thick, it might find some difficulty in 
 its passage through the middle of the flax. The 
 wire being placed, and the neck stuffed, as well as 
 a part of the back, the wood ought to be put in 
 the middle of the body, to supply the place of the 
 oval in other birds. When one of the wires has 
 been passed through the leg, we make it enter 
 about six inches into one of the holes in the wood, 
 and curve it the length of the hinder part of the 
 wood, fixing it there with two nails. We do the 
 same with the other, and tie the whole together 
 with a cord, independent of the nails. The rest 
 of the operation is the same as for other birds. We 
 'place the ostrich on a stand, or flat support, and 
 all birds which do not perch ought to be mounted 
 in this manner. 
 
 It is difficult to preserve an ostrich, by making 
 use of the arsenical soap only. The feathers being 
 
TAXIDERMY. 73 
 
 very long and thick, we must soak them with tur- 
 pentine at their roots, and place little bags of cam- 
 phire at intervals ; if this substance does not always 
 kill the insects, at least it will disperse them. 
 
 Shore Birds, (Grallce, Lin.) 
 
 The screamer (palamedea), the jabiru (mycteria) ? 
 and the pelican (onocrotalus), are amongst those 
 birds whose tarsi must be opened, to take away the 
 tendons, as we have before mentioned for the king 
 of vultures. 
 
 Flamingo, Phoenicopterus. 
 
 This singular bird inhabits all temperate cli- 
 mates, and is amongst those whose heads we cannot 
 pass within the neck, when skinning them. When 
 we meet with obstacles of this nature, we bare the 
 neck as high as possible, by disengaging or pushing 
 up the skin towards the back of the head, then 
 cut off the neck and draw the skin straight again ; 
 and to enable us to take away the remainder of the 
 vertebrae and the brain, we make an incision be- 
 hind the head, turning back the skin right and left, 
 we expose the first cervical vertebra, which we cut ; 
 we enlarge the occipital hole, to facilitate the taking 
 away of the brain, and remove the eyes by the same 
 opening. All this being done, we sew the skin 
 
74 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 very close stitches, taking care to scatter the fea- 
 thers at each stitch. 
 
 When we mount this bird, we place the centre 
 wire before we stuff the neck ; the irons for the 
 claws ought to be placed in a peculiar manner, be- 
 cause of their extreme length. We pierce the 
 end of the bone of the tarsus, near the talon, with 
 a bodkin, and introduce the point of the wire into 
 this hole, and turning it round and round, we push 
 it up as far as the knee; here we must have pa- 
 tience, and turn it right and left, without forcing 
 it too much, until we have pierced the apophysis of 
 the tarsus ; this difficulty conquered, the wire will 
 run easily, taking the place of the marrow of the 
 bones. The feet of the phcenicopterus are palm- 
 ated ; when it is mounted, we must take care to 
 spread the fingers, that the membranes may appear; 
 we fix them on the stand with very small nails or 
 pins, and do the same by all birds with palmated 
 feet. 
 
 The greater number of ducks having a large 
 head, and consequently not able to pass the neck, 
 which is often very slender, we make an incision 
 like that of the phcenicopterus, in the nape of the 
 neck. When ducks are mounted, they ought to 
 have the body almost horizontal, and the neck in 
 the form of an S. 
 
TAXIDERMY* 75 
 
 Guilemols, Uri&. Puffins^ Fraterculce* Penguins, 
 Aptenodytes. 
 
 These birds ought to have the neck, body, and 
 teet almost perpendicular. We must be very care- 
 ful in skinning them ; for their skin is very often 
 furnished with a layer of fat or grease, which easily 
 spreads ; and to prevent the feathers from becoming 
 dirty, we employ a great deal of cotton and flax, 
 to protect the skin as we take it off. 
 
 Zealous travellers, who would be useful to the 
 science of natural history, will find that we have 
 described methods applicable to all animals. We 
 hope they will attend to our instructions in the 
 paragraph on the chace. They ought never to 
 mount a bird during their journey ; they must con- 
 tent themselves with the mere skinning, imbuing 
 the skins with the preservative, stuffing them, and 
 sewing up the opening ; they must not forget to 
 apply the spirits of turpentine, or oil of petrolium, 
 and to envelope them in paper, that the feathers 
 may not be soiled. 
 
 It now remains for us to speak of the method of 
 mounting dried birds, which have been sent to us 
 from foreign countries. The greater part of the 
 proceedings are the same as those already described 
 for tfioimting fresh birds. The wires are formed 
 E 2 
 
76 TAXIDERMY, 
 
 and introduced in the same manner ; but there are 
 some preliminary operations for unstuffing the bird, 
 and for softening the skin and feet. 
 
 We will suppose the bird to be of the size of a 
 blackbird ; we scatter the feathers of the belly right 
 and left to discover the seam, which we rip, cut- 
 ting each stitch ; we entirely empty the body with 
 our forceps ; and by the help of an iron wire, curved 
 at the end, we unstuff the neck, turning the wire 
 slightly always the same way, and disengaging it 
 from time to time. The bird being entirely empty, 
 we place small balls of wet cotton in the eyes, wrap 
 the feet in wet linen, and leave it in this state 
 until the next day. However, as the linen and 
 cotton would dry during the night, we cover the 
 bird with a cloth which is damped only : the next 
 morning we fill the neck and body with wet linen, 
 and three or four hours after the bird will be fit to 
 mount. 
 
 This precaution being taken, we begin by placing 
 the eyes in the same manner as in a fresh bird; 
 we stuff the neck, then a part of the body, and 
 place the irons. Those of the legs are most diffi- 
 cult to pass through, and require more time and 
 care according to the state of preservation in these 
 parts. The bird being placed on its temporary sup- 
 port, it is necessary to adjust the wings, which is 
 often impossible ; especially for the birds sent us 
 from Guyana, from the attempts of the Indiens to 
 
 i 
 
TAXIDERMY. 77 
 
 prepare them. In this case we are obliged to cut 
 them very close to the body; we separate the sen- 
 pulary feathers, and soften them to give them the 
 desired form ; we put them back into their respect- 
 ive places, and keep therif there by wrapping them 
 round with several small bands of sheet lead. 
 When they are very dry we paste them in their 
 places with cotton dipped in gum and preservative, 
 as well as the scapulary feathers ; we then encircle 
 the bird with small bands of fine linen, and leave it 
 in this state until it be perfectly dry. 
 
 If, during the operation, some of the feathers fall 
 off, we carefully preserve them. When the bird 
 is quite dry, we take away the bands of linen and 
 arrange the feathers in their proper order; if we 
 find any which have taken a wrong direction, we 
 pull them out, and again paste them in, doing the 
 same with those which have fallen out. For this 
 it will be sufficient to take the feather with the nip- 
 pers and put some gum on with the point of a long 
 pin, and with a needle, which we hold in our left 
 hand, we raise the feathers in the place where vre 
 nre going to fix the loose ones. 
 
 Of Birds mounted Feather by Feather. 
 
 We often receive birds from distant countries in 
 such a state of decay, that it is impossible for us to 
 E 3 
 
78 TAXIDERMY, 
 
 take advantage of them by any of the methods we 
 have previously described; however, when the 
 birds are interesting for science, or they are want- 
 ing in our collections, it would be mortifying to 
 lose them. The only part which remains to be 
 taken, is to make the bird feather by feather, in the 
 following manner. 
 
 We choose a piece of twice-burnt iron wire*, of 
 a length proportioned to that of the bird ; we make 
 an oval at one end, and roll some flax over the 
 wire, giving it the form of an oblong silk or fringe 
 bobbin, or rather imitating the size and form of the 
 body of the bird we wish to re-make ; we must, from 
 time to time put some flour paste on the flax. The 
 oval ought to be hid in the middle of the flax, and 
 the piece of wire destined for the head ought to pass 
 through one of the ends of this false body. To 
 form the neck, we turn some flax round the iron. 
 Having attained the proper size, we raise the neck 
 from the breast, narrow the back towards the mid- 
 dle, in short, give the false body the form of a bird 
 in feather. All this is clone without difficulty by 
 pressing the flax, whilst it is damp with the paste ; 
 and when we are contented with the form of our 
 false body, we dry it by the fire, or in the sun. 
 
 * The wire which we buy with the polish on, is not suffi- 
 ciently pliant, but snaps in bending ; we make it thoroughly 
 hot in the fire, and on its cooling we find it has become per* 
 fectly elastic. 
 
 : 
 
TAXIDERMY, 79 
 
 During this time we soften the head, wings, tail, 
 and claws, by the usual methods. This done we 
 fix the eyes, and put some leaden plates on the 
 wings and tail to restore them to their natural 
 form; we pass the wires through the legs, and 
 leave them in the body with long ends. When all 
 the members have taken their form, we fit them on 
 the false body, paying attention to the length of 
 the wings in comparison with the tail, in order to 
 preserve exactly the same length in the factitious 
 object. If, after having tried all these parts, the 
 body appears too large in certain places, we dimi- 
 nish it with a very sharp instrument; if, on the 
 contrary, it appears too small, we increase it with 
 gummed cotton; we then enter the wire, which 
 proceeds from the thighs, through the false body ; 
 well placed in their right position, we unite them, 
 by twisting the two ends together which pass over 
 the back, and we cut off what is too long; we fix 
 the claws on a cross-bar of wood, this cross-bar 
 must be pierced with a hole hi the middle, to fix in 
 the upright of the temporary foot- The bird thus 
 placed, we form a hole at the end of the rump, and 
 introduce the tail, furnished ah 1 round with gummed 
 cotton to keep it fast. 
 
 When we are obliged to paste on the feathers one 
 
 after the other, the cross-bar, on which the feet are 
 
 fixed, should be separated from the upright, and 
 
 $tuck into that of a machine which is difficult to 
 
 E 4 
 
80 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 describe, otherwise than by comparing it, when it 
 is least complicated, to a wooden candlestick, the 
 foot of which is very heavy, and the stem very 
 strong. Several holes should be bored in this stem, 
 one of which, five or six inches from the base, ought 
 to have a third of an inch in diameter, and be en- 
 tirely and horizontally across the stem ; the others, 
 of the same size, should be placed obliquely all 
 jround the stem, either above or below the first. 
 The ends of the cross-bar on which the bird is fixed 
 should be five inches longer than the bird on each 
 side, and smaller than in the centre, to be able to 
 thrust them firmly into the holes of this candlestick, 
 that the bird may not shake whilst we place the 
 feathers upon it. Being fixed to the new foot, the 
 belly of the bird must be upwards ; we then take a 
 little melted gum arabic, an equal quantity of the 
 preservative, and a little hair-powder, with which 
 we make an amalgam for pasting the feathers ; we 
 put this paste on the belly, and begin by fixing the 
 feathers which cover the tail underneath, then the 
 feathers on the belly, always advancing towards the 
 breast, observing not to lay them too thick, lest 
 there might not be enough to finish it. We must 
 especially, take the precaution of putting the fea- 
 thers on the places they ought to occupy on the 
 living bird, each on its proper side, because the 
 beards of the left feathers are directed in a contrary 
 sense to those of the right, also to observe the 
 
TAXIDERMY. Si 
 
 shades and dispositions of the colours in the natural 
 bird, and to use them advantageously in the facti- 
 tious one. We must be careful not to place more 
 than one feather at a time, and to cut the quills of 
 all, to allow the paste to insinuate itself. After 
 having done all this, we give the bird its natural 
 position; placing the back upwards, we put the 
 gum on the rump, and paste the feathers which 
 cover this part. Before we paste the dorsal feti- 
 tliers, we fasten the wings, by placing a little gum- 
 med cotton in the place they are to occupy, and to 
 make them hold we put in some pins through the 
 beards of the feathers, which will hide the heads. 
 The wings once fastened, we paste on the scapulary 
 feathers in the same manner, and then all those of 
 the back. The head will be pierced by the wire of 
 the neck, we pull it down to a proper distance, and 
 fix it by introducing gummed cotton into the skn 
 and round the neck, which will be made larger thai, 
 nature, as it will shrink in drying, and is to receive 
 the shortest and least downy feathers ; we continue 
 to paste the rest of the feathers until they mingle 
 with those of the head. 
 
 We agree that it is almost impossible to succeed 
 perfectly in the first trial; but if practice and expe- 
 rience are necessary in other things, they are par- 
 ticularly so for this part of taxidermy. Nevertheless, 
 for the sake of aptness and correctness in the exe- 
 cution, we advise a sort of apprenticeship, by get* 
 E 5 
 
82 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 ting two birds of the same species, one of which 
 having been mounted by the usual method, will 
 serve as a model for the form of the body, and the 
 disposition of the feathers. When the skin of the 
 other has been taken off and dried, it should be 
 torn hi pieces, and all the feathers confounded with 
 each other and carefully collected in a little box* 
 that none may be lost; and when the shape is 
 formed, we paste them according to the above in* 
 structions, taking care to consult the model. 
 
 OF OVIPAROUS gUADKUPEDS, 
 
 Tortoises. 
 
 Wif separate the shell of the back from the breast 
 tyork *, with a very strong short knife ; and if the 
 force of the hand be not sufficient, we strike it with 
 a mallet. When the turtle is open, we take away 
 all the flesh which adheres to the breast or piece 
 underneath* and also from all parts of the upper 
 shell ; we skin the head, the four feet, and the tail, 
 as we do those of quadrupeds, but we must be 
 careful to leave them adhering to the upper shell, 
 we pass wires across all the members, imbue 
 them slightly with the preservative, and stuff them 
 with chopped flax. We then imbue the upper 
 
 * Linnaeus calls the former scutum and the latter sternum? 
 the French carapace and plastron. 
 
TAXIDERMY. 83 
 
 shell with the preservative, we sew the parts which 
 require it, and with an awl make four little holes 
 on the edges of the upper shell and breast, and 
 unite them by these means. It often happens that 
 the calipash of these animals is soiled or dirty ; we 
 clean it by rubbing it with a little nitric acid in 
 water ; and to make it shine, we rub it with a piece 
 of cloth dipped in a little oil. 
 
 Lizards* 
 
 We skin and mount lizards as we do quadru* 
 peds ; but we must apply much less of the preserva- 
 tive to them, and we must also use much precaution 
 in taking off the skin of the tail, which easily 
 breaks. The small species lose their colours in 
 preparation : we must content ourselves with putting 
 them into spirituous liquor, where they will per* 
 fectly preserve. 
 
 Frogs. 
 
 When we wish to mount one of these animals, 
 we must open its mouth, cut the first cervical ver- 
 tebra, and continue to take out the interior of the 
 mouth with the scissars ; we then raise up the two 
 jaws, and pushing back the skin with the fingers 
 of the right hand, and drawing the body in the 
 contrary direction with the other hand, we easily 
 remove the skin, making the body come out at the 
 E 6 
 
84 
 
 mouth. We then put the feet back into their 
 place, and do not use any preservative. We fill it 
 with very fine sand, by means of a small funnel, 
 which we pass into the mouth, leaving the two jaws 
 resting against it. We pour the sand into the 
 funnel, and direct its tube so that the body and feet 
 of the animal may be perfectly filled. When the 
 frog is quite full, we place it on a small piece of 
 board, shut its mouth, give it the attitude peculiar 
 toits species ; and some days afterwards, when it is 
 quite dry, we give it a coat of varnish. The var- 
 nish being hard, we bore some small holes under 
 the belly, through which the sand easily escapes, 
 and leaves the body empty, preserving its form. 
 
 Frogs lose their colour in drying, and I do not 
 know any method of preserving them, unless it be 
 by putting them into spirits of wine, like small 
 lizards; these in their turn may be prepared with 
 sand, but they become brown like frogs. We suc- 
 ceed much better with toads; their skin already 
 brown and rough, preserves its colour. The small 
 species are better in spirits. 
 
 Serpents. 
 
 In some collections we see a great number of the 
 large adders of Guyana, but the head is always 
 wanting; thus these skins are worth very little to 
 naturalists, and the trouble which travellers give 
 
85 
 
 themselves to bring them over to Europe, is entirely 
 thrown away as regards science. It is scarcely pos- 
 sible to skin these large species unless we first make 
 an opening, and we recommend this opening to be 
 made on the side, beginning from the termination 
 of the scales, and not crossing or dividing them, 
 according to the usual method. The reason which 
 leads us to this observation is, that these animals 
 are classed, and their species recognised, by the 
 number of their scales ; and it is less easy to deter- 
 mine them if these are destroyed in skinning. We 
 ought to preserve the head ; for this part is as essen- 
 tial for natural history as it is for taxidermy. 
 
 Once taken off, the skin can be rolled up for the 
 convenience of transportation; the small species 
 may be put in spirits.* To mount them we take an 
 iron wire the length of. the animal, we twist un- 
 chopped flax round it until it has attained the na- 
 tural size ; the skin being softened in the usual way, 
 we extend it on a large table, place the factitious 
 serpent in the middle, sew the skin up the whole 
 length, and put in the eyes. The iron in the 
 middle allows us to twist the animal at pleasure ; 
 when it is dry we give it a coat of varnish. 
 
 Every one knows, that in warm countries we find 
 a great number of venomous serpents, the bite of 
 which sometimes causes death in ten minutes : such 
 
 * For the strength of the spirit, &c. see p. 134. 
 8 
 
86 TAXIDERMY, 
 
 as rattle-snakes, and many others ; we ought there- 
 fore to hunt these animals with caution, and it is 
 even better to leave it entirely to the natives of the 
 country, who are accustomed to distinguish those 
 that are venomous from those that are not, and are 
 better skilled in killing both kinds. It is right to be 
 careful of those serpents whose head is large and 
 flat, and the neck narrow, for this character only 
 belongs to those whose bite is venomous. 
 
 FISH, 
 
 Lampreys and Eds. 
 
 THESE may be skinned by the mouth, and be filled 
 with fine sand, as we have pointed out for the frogs ; 
 the smaller ones must be put into spirits of wine. 
 
 Sharks. 
 
 Fish of this kind preserve their form and colour 
 best when mounted, as they have a very thick skin, 
 which is rough to the touch. 
 
 We make an incision in them from below the head 
 to the fin of the tail; we take away the skin on each 
 side with a sharp instrument, until we can cut the 
 vertebral column, as near as possible to the head: we 
 proceed to skin the tail ; we push the head within, 
 and pass the skin above, for the greater facility in 
 
TAXIDEfcMY. 87 
 
 taking away the cartilages which are in the inside of 
 the head. We must take care not to enlarge the 
 openings of the branchiae; if we do, we must sew 
 them up again, and it is not easy to hide a seam in 
 the skin of a fish. We sometimes, however, repair 
 the defects of mounted fish by employing putty ; 
 and, when it is dry, we paint it the proper colour 
 in oil. 
 
 The sharks are generally of a large size, and for 
 that reason we put a stick in the middle of the body, 
 after having anointed and half-stuffed it. This 
 piece of wood must enter a little into the head, to 
 support it. If we intend hanging this fish to the 
 ceiling, we put some pieces of iron wire at a little 
 distance, fastened to the stick ; these wires will pass 
 across the stomach, and will serve to suspend the 
 animal. This done, we continue to anoint it, stuff* 
 it, and sew it; it will be necessary to introduce the flax 
 by the eyes and mouth to furnish the head ; we then 
 place the eyes; and as the semi-transparent cartilages 
 are in many fish intimately connected with the eyes, 
 we represent them after the animal is dry, with gum- 
 arabic, in which we have put a little powdered 
 starch. * Sharks do not require any varnish. 
 
 What we have just said of fish of this kind, is 
 applicable to a variety of genera. When they are 
 mounted, we put several coats of spirits of tur- 
 
 * That is, we represent the cornea of the e}*e with thii . 
 
88 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 pentine on every part of the head and fins ; the 
 latter are extended with an iron wire to keep them 
 in that position. 
 
 Batistes, $c. 
 
 The spatulariae have a very prominent muzzle j 
 the body compressed, the belly and back sharp. 
 They are generally found in the Indian seas. 
 
 We must open them by the belly, take away all 
 the flesh by this opening, and stuff them as usual, 
 taking great care to preserve the fins. 
 
 The ostracion is prepared in the same waj\ The 
 body of this fish is "enveloped by one scale of a 
 single piece, and often very rude, the tail only is 
 free and flexible. It is not necessary to make a 
 very large opening in the belly. We must keep the 
 piece we take out in making the opening, to replace 
 it when the fish is mounted ; we make an incision 
 in the tail to take away all its flesh, and we stuff 
 this part with chopped flax. 
 
 The diodons, or spiny globe-fish, do not want 
 any other preparations than those mentioned above ; 
 they are armed with numerous long spines, which 
 we must preserve; we apply the spirits of turpen- 
 tine to the exterior. These fish ought to be packed 
 with the greatest care, on account of their spines. . 
 
 The rough skin of the fish vulgarly called sea- 
 toads, lophius, may be mounted with much ad- 
 vantage, for the colours alter but little. It is not 
 
TAXIDERMY. 89 
 
 necessary to varnish them. We find them in the 
 Mediterranean. 
 
 Salmon, carp, pike, trout, tench, perch, &c, are 
 easily mounted ; the scales which cover them always 
 tarnish a little in drying, but we partly remedy this 
 inconvenience by varnishing them before they are 
 quite dry. After some time the varnish will rise in 
 little scales, we then take a little nitric acid, which 
 we mix with much water, and completely take off 
 all the varnish which covered the fish, by rubbing it 
 with a little brush. An hour after, we varnish it 
 afresh, and this coat will not scale off. 
 
 We have spoken of almost all the fish which re- 
 quire peculiar proceedings for mounting and pre- 
 paring them. We agree with M. Manduyt, that 
 it is impossible to preserve fish with all their bril- 
 liancy of colour, as we may the greater number of 
 birds, insects, &c. Spirituous liquors are still pre- 
 ferable to all preparations, but the size of many fish 
 does not admit of this method. We recommend to 
 travellers to put as many fish as they can into spirits, 
 and we will now point out the precautions to be used 
 tor their transportation. 
 
 In long voyages we must furnish ourselves with 
 small casks, holding from four to eight gallons, and 
 bound with iron. Near the bung-hole we cut an 
 aperture about six inches by four in this shape, ^j so 
 that the piece cut out, which is used to stop or close 
 it, cannot possibly fall into the cask. We fill about 
 
90 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 two-thirds of one of these little barrels with spirits* 
 We take notes on the fish to be preserved: 
 where it was caught ; whether it was male or fe- 
 male; if good or bad to eat; if it be salted in the 
 country, &c. This done, we wrap the fish in a 
 piece of linen, and sew it ; we then attach a little 
 plate of wood, on which we have engraved the num- 
 ber corresponding to our note, with a sharp knife ; 
 we then put the fish into the cask, which we close 
 hermetically, that the spirit may not evaporate. 
 
 If, as it sometimes happens, the fish we preserve 
 has the belly very much swollen by spawn, we make 
 an incision in the anus, which we prolong to the 
 anterior part of the belly, to extract the eggs, 
 which if not taken away would soon suck up the 
 liquor. As we deposit a^bed of fish, we put a bed 
 of cotton or new flax, to prevent the rubbing and 
 tossing about in the conveyance ; in general the 
 vessel ought not to contain more than two-thirds of 
 fish, the rest ought to be flax or cotton, and 
 spirits. 
 
 Mollusc a. 
 
 The greater number of these animals live in 
 shells (testae), and particularly bear the name of 
 testacea ; we also include with them those which, 
 like slugs, are entirely naked, and give them the 
 general name of Mollusca. 
 
TAXIDERMY. 91 
 
 Slugs, cuttle-fish, dorides, &c. can only be pre- 
 served in spirits ; it is the same with animals which 
 inhabit shells, but we ought to preserve the shell. 
 
 The greater part of these animals dwell in the 
 sea, others in fresh water, and a third part are found 
 on land, in cool damp places, and almost always in 
 the shade. We distinguish them from each other 
 by the denominations of marine shells, testae marinoe, 
 fluviatiles (river shells), and terrestres, or land shells. 
 These last are very much sought after, many of them 
 fetch a great price amongst amateurs, because of 
 their rarity. We must recommend to travellers, if it 
 is only as a secondary consideration, to search parti- 
 cularly for terrestrial shells. When they have found 
 them, they must place them in any sort of vessel, 
 and pour boiling water on them ; after a moment 
 they can tear the animal from its shell with a pin, 
 or the tooth of a fork ; they may do the same by 
 fresh- water and sea shells. 
 
 Marine shells, bivalves or univalves, are all co- 
 vered by a species of coriaceous envelope, (drap 
 mariU) ) or other foreign substances. We take these 
 off with nitric acid or aquafortis, with which we im- 
 bue them exteriorly with a horse hair pencil, some 
 seconds after we put them into a vessel full of soft 
 water, then brush them ; the asperities will discover 
 themselves, and we again put nitric acid on those parts 
 which do not appear to belong to the shell. When 
 all the foreign substances are taken away, we give 
 
92 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 them a lustre, by rubbing them strongly with 
 dered pumice-stone, diluted in a very little water ; 
 and, for the finishing, we rub them afresh, but with 
 a softer brush, and tripoli or rotten stone reduced 
 to a very fine powder. 
 
 [> There are some species from which we take away 
 the calcareous matter, even to the mother-of-pearl. 
 This operation frequently wastes the shell so much 
 as to destroy the characters ; this is prejudicial to 
 science, although it is pleasing to the eye, and we 
 ought not to permit it unless we possess several of 
 the same species. This is the most tedious of all 
 operations. To succeed, we must remove this 
 calcareous matter with a file, and when we ap- 
 proach the extremity of the spire it requires great 
 management. As it is very thin in this place, 
 we must at each stroke of the file examine if we 
 have not gone too deep ; without this precaution 
 we should make a hole in the shell, and the labour 
 would be completely lost. If by patience we hap- 
 pen to expose or discover the mother-of-pearl en- 
 tirely, we soften the file with a piece of buffalo skin, 
 on which we put powdered pumice diluted with a 
 little oil ; we then take another piece of skin and 
 tripoli, and afterwards give the last polish with very 
 fine red ochre. However pleasing the results of 
 this operation may be, the value of the shell is 
 much diminished in the eye of a naturalist. 
 
 We can by the above method, clean shells of all 
 
TAXIDERMY. 93 
 
 forms. As to those with long spines, and other 
 asperities, like spondyli, pectenes, &c., we put over 
 them a thin layer of gum arable with a brush, to 
 revive the colours. 
 
 Crustacea. 
 
 The animals of this family are perhaps the most 
 singularly formed of all created beings. They 
 present astonishing phenomena in their manners 
 and habits. 
 
 Crabs and other Crustacea are found in almost 
 every sea; some of them quit this element to plun- 
 der the woods ; we have even seen the land-crab, 
 gecarcinus, a league from the shore, and often on 
 very high mountains ; but when they wish to de- 
 posit their eggs they go to the sea. 
 
 When we have procured a pagurus, or hermit- 
 crab, we take it from the shell, make an incision 
 in the tail, which is always very flabby, we empty 
 it by this opening, fill it with cotton, and then put 
 the animal into its shell, and wrap it in paper. We 
 entirely take away the flesh of lobsters, crabs, &c. of 
 a certain size. We cut the branchiae, as well as all 
 the intestines ; we put the preservative wherever we 
 have taken away the flesh, cover the soap with a little 
 cotton, and replace the shell of the back. The pincers 
 which terminate the anterior claws are often very 
 large, and consequently contain much flesh ; in this 
 
94? TAXIDERMY. 
 
 case we take away the smallest possible piece of the 
 pincer, and extract all the flesh by this hole, and 
 then replace this little piece. Large crustaceae 
 should be packed in middling-sized cases, between 
 layers of cotton or flax, pressed in such a manner 
 that they cannot rub in the carriage. The small- 
 sized Crustacea do not require to be emptied, but 
 we must put them for an hour or two in fresh water. 
 We dry them and pack them as the large ones, 
 after having wrapped them in paper, that a claw may 
 not be lost if it happen to separate. 
 
 As to the very small ones, about the size of a 
 three-shilling piece, after having put them in fresh 
 water and dried them, we fix them on a large pin 
 towards the posterior part of the shell of the 
 back, and to transport them, we pin them strongly 
 in a double box of cork, which we fill up with cotton 
 or flax. 
 
 INSTRUCTIONS FOR PRESERVING AND TRANS- 
 PORTING INSECTS. 
 
 ASIA, Africa, and South America, are the parts 
 of the world which are richest in insects of the most 
 beautiful kinds. 
 
 We will therefore suppose that we are pro- 
 vided for a voyage in one of these countries; for 
 we must recollect that we require fewer things 
 to collect those of Europe, being always within 
 the reach of supplies. 
 
TAXIDERMY. 95 
 
 We construct twenty-four thin wooden boxes 
 18 inches long, 15 wide, and 2 deep; the lid 
 should be fastened to the box with hinges. We 
 line the bottom of the inside with layers of cork, 
 about the sixth of an inch thick. This cork 
 should be fixed with very strong paste, and some 
 wire nails, and we deposit the insects in these boxes, 
 as we catch them. 
 
 Before we place the insects, we anoint these 
 boxes within and without with oil of petroleum, 
 or, for want of that, an infusion of aromatic plants, 
 as laurel, thyme, sage, aloes, rosemary, cinnamon, 
 cloves ; and, with strong pins we fasten a small 
 packet of camphire wrapped in linen. When a 
 box is full, we pitch over the whole outside to 
 keep away living insects, and to preserve those 
 within from sea-damp. We must be careful not 
 to place large insects, such as we find in the 
 genera prionus, scarabeus, &c., because their 
 weight would necessarily separate them during 
 their conveyance, and they would not fail to break 
 the smaller ones, which are in the same box. We 
 therefore place these large ones in bottles, the 
 mouths of which have nearly an inch and a quarter 
 in diameter. This vessel must be three quarters 
 full of a spirituous liquor ; rum or brandy : it 
 should be closed with a good cork, and the tra- 
 veller should take one of these bottles with him 
 to receive all the large coleopterae he meets with. 
 
96 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 There is another sort of box made of pasteboard, 
 which we call the hunting-box. It is 10 inches 
 long, 4t wide, and 3 deep. It ought to be oval, like 
 a shuttle, but round at each end, as this is the most 
 convenient form for carrying in the pocket. 
 
 This species of game-bag sferves to receive the 
 insects caught during the day, and we must be care- 
 ful to pin those of a middling size to the bottom, 
 and the smaller ones to the lid. We paste two 
 small round pieces of cork at the two extremities of 
 the lid ; they serve as a pin-cushion, and enable us 
 to open the box with greater ease. 
 
 The rackets or butterfly nets ought to be ten 
 inches in [diameter; the two pieces of wdre which 
 terminate the racket should be fixed in a socket of 
 iron or brass, like a stick. We run some lead 
 nearly a third of the length of the socket, to fix in 
 the ends of the racket, and at the other extremity 
 of this socket, we put in a stick four feet long, 
 which we fix by a nail across the socket and the 
 stick. All round the iron wire which forms the 
 racket, we sew a piece of gauze, which finishes in a 
 rounded point, and which is from fifteen to 
 eighteen inches long. This net serves for catching 
 insects and butterflies on the ground, on flowers, 
 and even in flight. We must observe, when we 
 wish to catch a butterfly on a flower, that the 
 instrument goes from right to left and horizontally; 
 when the insect is in the net, we turn it in our 
 
TAXIDERMY. 9? 
 
 hand, so that the ring which carries the net is per- 
 pendicular ; we take the pocket in the left hand, 
 gently force the butterfly to the bottom of the 
 pocket, then with the thumb and first finger of 
 the right hand, we press the breast of the butterfly, 
 that is, the place whence the wings proceed, taking 
 care not to injure them. The butterfly will then 
 fall half dead into our left hand ; we pierce the 
 thorax with a pin proportioned to its size, and pin 
 it into the hunting box. 
 
 We will now describe a second net, like the first 
 in form, only the iron is stronger, and the pocket, 
 instead of being of fine, is made of coarse gauze. 
 This net is for fishing in the small rivers and stag- 
 nant waters, which contain an infinity of insects of 
 the greatest interest, and which the greater part of 
 travelling naturalists have hitherto neglected, for 
 want of the means of catching them. They are 
 very simple ; they consist in dipping the net to the 
 bottom of the water, even into the mud ; we then 
 move it from side to side, to wash away the dirt 
 which it contains, observing, that the pocket must 
 always be in an opposite direction to that in which 
 we strike the net. 
 
 We then take the insects, one after the other, 
 stick them by the wing cases (elytra), in such a man- 
 ner, that the pin passes underneath, between the 
 first pair of feet, and the intermediate ones. We 
 ought generally to pin all coleoptem in this way. 
 F 
 
98 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 Dragon-flies, flies, bees, grasshoppers, bugs, &c. 
 are pinned through the thorax, in the same way as 
 butterflies. 
 
 In long voyages we should scarcely have time to 
 give insects their living attitude. We generally 
 reserve this work for our return. We then restore 
 them to their suppleness, by pinning a part of them 
 on a round of cork, the size of the bottom of a 
 plate, which we place in a large vessel ; we then 
 pour a little cold water until the cork swims, we 
 then cover it. 
 
 The humidity will perfectly soften these insects 
 the same day, or the day after, they have been 
 placed in the vessel. 
 
 In order to give the softened insect its natural 
 attitude, we pin it on a small square piece of cork, 
 and by the help of small forceps we bring back all 
 the extremities to the place which they ought to 
 occupy. We fix them temporarily with pins, and 
 twehty-fout hours afterwards, the insects having 
 dried in this attitude, we take away all the pins, ex* 
 cepting that which goes through the body, an< 
 which serves to fasten them. Each extremity wi! 
 retain the position given it by this operation. 
 
 To set butterflies, we must be provided wit! 
 little planks of soft wood ; a groove, deep enough t( 
 receive the body of the butterfly, should run across 
 them; we pin the butterfly in the middle of die 
 groove, so that the body be buried in it, up to the 
 
TAXIDERMY. 99 
 
 insertion of the wings. Then, with very fine pins, 
 we fix the wings in their natural position; after 
 that, we place a piece of paper or card on the 
 wings, which we fasten to the wood with two or 
 three pins ; and after the butterfly has remained one 
 or two days in this position, we take away the card 
 and pins, and lift it up ; it will always preserve 
 its legs and wings in the position we have wished 
 them to take. 
 
 We find insects every where, on flowers, on the 
 leaves of trees, plants, &c. We then procure those 
 which escape the eye by the following proceeding. 
 We spread a table cloth, or large piece of white 
 linen, under a bush, or under the branches of the 
 trees, and beat the branches with a great stick, for 
 the insects, even caterpillars, to fall on the cloth ; 
 we stick them, and place them in the boxes. We 
 can supply the place of the cloth, by an umbrella, 
 which we hold reversed with the left hand, whilst 
 we strike the branches with the right. This was 
 the method of the naturalist Bosc. 
 
 The scarabaeidse are found in rotten wood, in old 
 stumps, under stones, &c. Those of the genus 
 copris, so beautiful and numerous, are most com- 
 monly found in the dung of ruminating and other 
 animals. The traveller should search for them, 
 however disagreeable, for he will be recompensed 
 by their great beauty. 
 
 The nature of spiders does not allow us to pre- 
 F 2 
 
100 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 serve them like insects. Their flabby abdomen 
 changes in drying, as well as their colours, and 
 we are obliged to put them into spirits. There are 
 some species, however, which preserve tolerably well, 
 such as the bird-catcher (mygale), and others : the 
 very small ones may be pricked like insects, but 
 they generally lose their colours when they die. We 
 must seek them under bushes, in the caves of rocks, 
 in deserted houses, or those which are seldom in- 
 habited, in gloomy places, under stones, under 
 rotten trees. There is a species in France which 
 is found in the water ; some exotic species have a 
 very dangerous bite. 
 
 Jt is not so easy to procure nocturnal butterflies, 
 known to naturalists by the generic names of 
 phalaena.9 bombyx, noctua, &c. as those which fly 
 by day. The latter fly from flower to flower in the 
 heat of the sun ; we find them in all situations, 
 some (the pontiaa) frequent gardens, and all cul- 
 tivated places, or their neighbourhoods ; others 
 prefer barren groitnd ; others, (of the genus of the 
 hippprchia,) constantly remain in the forests. It is 
 not the same with nocturnal butterflies : they never 
 show themselves by day ; some nourish themselves 
 with flowers, like the common butterflies ; others 
 only seek each other to propagate their species, and 
 the females deposit their eggs on the plant which 
 is most suitable to generate them. This duty ful- 
 filled, they exist but a few days, and the males soon 
 
TAXIDERMY. 101 
 
 follow them. In India, the phalaenae prefer habita- 
 tions ; attracted by the light ; they enter the case- 
 ments, which are always open in the evening to 
 admit the cool air of that hour. We catch them 
 with a net in the usual way. In the morning, we 
 find them asleep on the ceilings, and inside and 
 outside walls of the houses. A skilful person can 
 prick them against the wall, and has no occasion 
 for a net. The means we have recommended, with 
 respect to nocturnal butterflies, and the sphinges, 
 are very insufficient to procure us a numerous col- 
 lection of species. We must, therefore, have recourse 
 to rearing caterpillars. 
 
 To bring them home, we procure some boxes of 
 pasteboard, from four to six inches in diameter ; 
 we must bore a hole in the lid to give them air, 
 and a piece of clear gauze must be pasted over the 
 hole, to prevent them from escaping. We put the 
 caterpillars we have collected into one of these 
 boxes, adding some leaves of the plant on which 
 they feed ; to carry these boxes more easily during 
 our excursion, they should fit one into another. 
 When we come home, we must place these cater- 
 pillars in much larger boxes, each species sepa- 
 rately, with a handful of the foliage of the plant on 
 which we found them. These branches ought to 
 be placed in the middle of the box, and in a small 
 vessel of water to keep them fresh ; it is necessary 
 that the branches touch the sides of the box, that 
 F 3 
 
102 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 the caterpillars may climb from the bottom of them 
 to their food. We change these branches every 
 two or three days. 
 
 The caterpillars of the sphinx are found on 
 plants, like those of other butterflies. They are dis- 
 tinguished by a sort of horn which they bear on 
 the last ring of the upper part of their body ; we 
 nourish them in the usual way, but add a little 
 earth to the bottom of the box ; for the caterpillars 
 of this genus make use of it to change into thry- 
 salids. The rearing of caterpillars demands much 
 care and attention ; if we forget to give them, re- 
 gularly, the proper quantity and kind of food, they 
 die before they produce the butterflies, which recom- 
 pense us for our trouble. The gauze which is 
 above the box, admits sufficient air for their exist- 
 ence, and allows the observer to study and admire 
 these insects, either as they feed, or as they spin 
 the silk which is to serve them as a tomb, at the 
 same time that it becomes the cradle of a new phoe- 
 nix. Here ends the rearing of caterpillars. When 
 they have attained their greatest size, they change 
 into chrysalids (pupae.) Some plunge into the earth, 
 where some of the species pass the winter ; we cannot 
 preserve their chrysalids during this season, except 
 by keeping the box containing the earth in which 
 they are buried, exposed to the open air. Such is 
 the caterpillar of the brier, (bombyx rubi, Fab.) 
 Others spin a cod of silk round them. Some of 
 
TAXIDERMY. 103 
 
 the day-butterflies suspend themselves by their 
 posterior part. In this state of lethargy, these 
 beings require no more assistance ; their own sub- 
 stance suffices for their nourishment. At the period 
 fixed by nature for each species, the insect emerges 
 from its tomb, ornamented with the liveliest colours; 
 and thus the proprietor will be recompensed for his 
 trouble, by procuring the most recent specimens, 
 which he could not otherwise have obtained. 
 
 Method of drying and preserving the Caterpillars or 
 Larvae of Insects. 
 
 I believe M. Laurent was the first who discovered 
 the method of preparing larvae, preserving their 
 forms, and, as much as possible, their colours. 
 He has doubtless rendered a great service to ento- 
 mology, by presenting in a single picture all the 
 metamorphoses of the butterfly ; the caterpillar at 
 different ages, the chrysalid above and below, the 
 eggs, even the excrement, which has very singular 
 forms ; nothing is forgotten, even to the species of 
 ichneumons, and flies, which attack the caterpillars, 
 and live at their expense. 
 
 There are several methods of preserving them : 
 we will point out that which seems to us the most 
 easy, and which requires the least apparatus. 
 
 We must provide ourselves with a chafing- 
 dish or earthen furnace, and when the coal or 
 
104 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 cinder in it is well lighted, we cover it with an 
 iron plate, the edges of which are raised in the 
 form of a dish. We pass a pin into the anus of 
 the caterpillar, to make a passage for the intestines ; 
 we empty it, by pressing it with the thumb and 
 fore-finger, beginning at the head and proceeding 
 to the anus. When it is quite empty, we introduce 
 into the anus a pipe of straw or grass, of a size 
 proportioned to that of the caterpillar ; we pass a 
 small pin across the skin of the caterpillar at the 
 last ring, so that the pin passes through" the straw as 
 well, and keeps it in its place. We then present 
 the caterpillar to the top of the furnace, but not 
 to its greatest heat, that the posterior part may 
 attach itself, when drying, to the pipe ; half a mi- 
 nute will suffice for this, which done, we blow 
 through the pipe, and the caterpillar will imme- 
 diately swell, and take its proper form : we con- 
 tinue to blow, turning round the pipe of straw all 
 the time ; and when we perceive that the cater- 
 pillar is dry, and will remain in its natural form, 
 we take out the pin and straw pipe. If either re- 
 sist, we cut it close off. 
 
 Star-Fish . ( Aster ice. ) 
 
 At low tides, we find a considerable quantity of 
 marine animals, and particularly star-fish, either in 
 the sand, or, more frequently, attached to large 
 
TAXIDERMY. 105 
 
 stones and marine plants. Some beautiful species 
 are found in the South Sea, which have very 
 slender rays, and which are furnished on each 
 side, with an infinity of very fragile, crustaceous, 
 tentaculae, and consequently very difficult to pre- 
 serve : to do this, it is necessary to soak them in 
 fresh water for several hours ; we then extend them 
 on a plank of soft wood, and keep the rays in their 
 respective position, by the help of pins, which we 
 stick into the plank, along and at the sides of the 
 rays. 
 
 When the animal has dried in this position, we 
 wrap it very cautiously in two sheets of paper. All 
 slight and fragile star-fish must be packed in small 
 boxes, between layers of cotton and flax. We do 
 the same by large ones, but put each of these into 
 a separate case. The Medusa's heads undergo the 
 same preparations as the common star-fish. We 
 find a great quantity of animals almost entirely 
 flabby, and which, from their nature, are not sus- 
 ceptible of any preparation, and the only method 
 of preserving them, is by putting them into spirits. 
 Such are worms, amphitrites, nereides, leeches, 
 taeniae, gordii, &c. &c. 
 
 Echini. 
 
 These extraordinary animals are all marine, and 
 the greater number are very difficult to preserve 
 F 5 
 
106 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 with their points in their natural direction. Those 
 which we catch in the Indian seas, and known 
 under the name of cidaris, are much more difficult 
 to preserve than others ; the heavy and calcareous 
 spines with which they are armed, fall from their 
 own weight. The method of preventing this loss 
 demands much precaution. 
 
 When we procure an echinus, and whilst it is 
 still living, we enlarge the anus, and with a very 
 small spoon, or rather a large ear-picker, empty it 
 entirely by this opening ; we then soak it for ten 
 minutes in fresh water, taking care to prevent the 
 spines from coming off; after that, we introduce 
 some cotton into the shell, until it is quite full. 
 We must not put any preservative. We then 
 lay the shell on a plank, and between each spine 
 introduce a plug of cotton or paper, in such a 
 manner that all may remain fixed, directing them- 
 selves from the centre to the circumference, and we 
 let them dry in this position. 
 
 To transport them, w r e must pack each sepa- 
 rately when they are large, always preserving 
 the cotton between the spines, and filling up the 
 box in such a manner, that none of them can rub 
 on their way. All large echini may be prepared 
 and packed in the same way ; the small ones may 
 be put several together into the same box. The 
 greater part of the large echini lose their spines, as 
 we have before said, and we rarely find one in our 
 
TAXIDERMY. 10? 
 
 collections perfectly preserved ; we will now point 
 out a method of refixing them, provided we have 
 taken care to collect all the spines ; and, indeed, 
 the operation requires much address, and great 
 dexterity of finger. All the places of the spines 
 are indicated on the shell of the echinus by so 
 many tubercles. We procure a small gimblet ; and 
 pierce a hole about a quarter of an inch deep, in 
 that end of the spine which was attached to the 
 shell. When these are bored, we introduce a 
 needle into the hole, to fix which we add a little 
 gum arable or warm isinglass ; the spines being 
 thus prepared, we fill the shell of the echinus with 
 jnelted bees-wax, taking care to stop all the open- 
 ings, to prevent the warm wax from escaping at 
 the moment we put it in. When it is well con- 
 gealed, we make a hole in the middle of each 
 tubercle, and lay all the spines on the table, and 
 determine the place of each on the shell; then 
 taking one of the superior spines, we warm tlu- 
 needle which comes from it in the candle, and in- 
 troduce it quite hot into the hole of the tubercle to 
 which it belongs ; the wax inside the shell having 
 been melted by the introduction of the hot needle, 
 soon congeals again, and retains the spine in im- 
 proper position ; we do the same with all the rest, 
 and the echinus resumes its natural appearance. 
 
 F 6 
 
108 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 Zoophites. 
 
 These species of polypes live in families ; the 
 axis of their dwelling is a horny substance, gene- 
 rally blackish, hard, and disposed in layers. Their 
 surface is almost always armed with little spines, 
 covered by a gelatinous matter. The axis of the 
 gorgons is also horny ; the flesh which covers this 
 axis contains detached particles, very friable in 
 almost all the species. To preserve them, we put 
 them for an hour, or two at most, into fresh water, 
 and dry them, holding the branches open. We 
 proceed in the same way with sea-pens, pennatulae. 
 
 The calcareous, brittle, and friable substance of 
 the Madrepores, exacts infinitely more precaution 
 in their packing than in their preservation ; those 
 of a middling size, and the smallest, are put into 
 proportionable boxes, which are pressed on all sides 
 with moss : the enormous weight of the larger 
 ones requires that they should be fixed to the bot- 
 tom of the case which contains them, which we do 
 by passing cords between their branches at the base, 
 bringing them out at the ends by holes bored in 
 the bottom ; these ends must be fixed by nailing 
 them outside. We sometimes find large openings 
 in the feet of the madrepores, and we take advan- 
 tage of them to fix the animal more solidly, by 
 passing several sticks into the holes, and after- 
 
TAXIDERMY. 109 
 
 wards nailing the ends of the sticks at the bottom. 
 As madrepores are very solid, we fill up the re- 
 mainder of the case with dried moss. 
 
 Sponges require no other care for their preserv- 
 ation than soaking them in fresh water, and drying 
 them perfectly before we pack them. They form 
 the last genus of the animal kingdom. 
 
 OF THE NESTS AND EGGS OF BIRDS. 
 
 BEFORE we conclude, we ought to say a few words 
 on eggs and nests ; objects as interesting to zoolo- 
 gists as the birds themselves. In the construction 
 of their nests we must particularly admire the in- 
 dustry and care of birds for the propagation of 
 their species. This part of Natural History, which 
 offers a crowd of interesting facts, has not hitherto 
 been properly studied, except by the Abbe Ma- 
 nesse : and I cannot help repeating here the wish 
 of all naturalists, that the manuscript to which he 
 has committed so many observations and curious 
 facts, on the manners of birds, may be given to the 
 public. Since Buffon, no authors have treated on 
 this subject, unless it be Wilson, (in his beautiful 
 work on the birds of North America,) and Vieillot ; 
 whilst in all other respects, Natural History has 
 made immense progress since the work of Lin- 
 naeus. The Regne Animal of M. Cuvier, in four 
 
110 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 volumes, is indispensable to all naturalists. We 
 there find all beings classed according to their na- 
 tural affinities, founded on comparative anatomy ; 
 but it did not enter into the plan of this author to 
 speak of the manners of birds. We therefore 
 think it useful to offer some hints for procuring arid 
 preserving eggs and nests. 
 
 Birds of prey construct their nests in the holes 
 of rocks, or on large trees. Owls and crows place 
 theirs in the holes of steeples, old towers, and in 
 rocks ; the pici in hollow trees, or in the holes 
 they have themselves made, and the openings of 
 which we must enlarge to take away the eggs ; the 
 lanii make their nests on trees, and sometimes lay 
 their eggs in those of other species, which they 
 seize by force; the thrushes, the blackbirds, &c. 
 nest at a moderate height on fruit trees, in hedges, 
 and often in the neighbourhood of houses ; the nu- 
 merous family of warblers in warrens, bushes, 
 briers, &c. The greater part of the Gallinacese 
 make their nests on the ground, in cultivated fields ; 
 they form them with a little dry grass, which they 
 put into a hole, and it would be too troublesome 
 to remove them ; we must content ourselves by 
 carefully describing them, and taking the eggs. 
 We must do thus by several birds' nests which are 
 not sufficiently solid for them to be conveyed. 
 
 We know very little of the nests of exotic birds, 
 
TAXIDERMY. Ill 
 
 and we request travellers to collect, all they can 
 find. The Museum of Natural History in Paris 
 possesses but very few specimens. 
 
 When we have discovered the nest, we must try 
 to procure the male or female before we take it 
 away, for it is very essential to be able to determine 
 precisely the species which constructed it. In all 
 cases we must enumerate the different objects which 
 we have collected, and keep a journal of them, 
 noting the place where we found them, the num- 
 ber of eggs, &c. The most minute details in Na- 
 tural History are highly interesting. After having 
 taken away the nest in a basket or box, we empty 
 the eggs by forming a very small hole at each end, 
 and blowing at one of these ends, the contents will 
 escape at the other, unless the embryo is already 
 formed, and we must then make a bigger hole in 
 die centre of the egg, by which we take out the 
 embryo with a small hook ; we must then stop up 
 the hole by pasting a piece of fine linen or glove- 
 leather over it. The egg thus prepared, will not 
 appear altered, the opening will even enable us to 
 fix it more surely, either in the nest or pasting it on 
 pasteboard, as may be seen in the Museum of Na- 
 tural History at Paris. 
 
 To convey them, we must put a small layer of 
 cotton at the bottom of the nest, then the eggs, 
 and another layer of cotton : we put the nest in a 
 box proportioned to its size, and fill it up in such a 
 
112 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 manner that the pressure of the lid may not be too 
 great for the eggs. If we have several nests we 
 must have a box with several compartments. For 
 long voyages, we must take the precaution of bind- 
 ing the cases with bands of cloth, covered with 
 pitch, or at least the joinings of the boards, to de- 
 fend them from humidity. 
 
 Although Taxidermy requires some knowledge 
 of Natural History, its operations are wholly me- 
 chanical. 
 
 METHOD OF MAKING ENAMEL EYES FOR 
 ANIMALS. 
 
 As the eyes of all animals are the organs which 
 best express their dispositions, they demand all the 
 care of the naturalist. 
 
 The instruments necessary for their fabrication 
 are, an enameller's table, bellows, lamp, round 
 pincers, about six inches long, which close by 
 means of a ring, and with which we hold the iron- 
 wire forming the point of support, and the base of 
 those eyes which it would be impossible to blow ; 
 another flat pair of pincers the same length, which 
 serve to handle the enamel when necessary, and 
 at the same time to stir up the lamp. All these in- 
 struments are to be bought ready-made. 
 
 The materials are, an assortment of small cy- 
 linders of enamel of all colours, which may be 
 
 10 
 
TAXIDERMY. 113 
 
 found in Paris, and still better at Nevers, where' 
 they are cheaper than elsewhere, and clippings or 
 fragments of looking glasses, which we melt in the 
 lamp, into a sort of small cylinder like the enamel, 
 before we use them. We take care in melting 
 these pieces of glass, to free them from all spots 
 and globules of air. We can procure these glass 
 cylinders ready made at some glass manufactories. 
 
 When furnished with every thing, we put the 
 table in an obscure place, that the light from else- 
 where may not destroy that of the lamp, which is 
 alone sufficient to be able to operate with certainty. 
 The lamp well lighted, we direct the pipe of the 
 bellows towards the middle of the wick, which we 
 scatter a little in that part, and procure a clear and 
 blueish flame, to which we expose the enamel we 
 wish to melt. If this flame be not clear and lively, 
 the colours of the enamel are apt to change, and 
 the operation fails. Practice alone teaches the pro- 
 per degree of flame ; but it is generally better to 
 expose the enamel we wish to melt to the extremity 
 of the jet of the flame, where it never burns, and 
 frequently melts more easily than in the centre. 
 Small eyes being the least difficult, we always begin 
 to learn upon them. For these we take a small 
 iron wire, an inch and a half in length, and hold 
 one of the extremities in the round pincers, whilst 
 we approach the other to the fire, to which we ex- 
 pose, at the same time, the enamel of the colour we 
 
114? TAXIDERMY. 
 
 wish to make the eye, turning it between our fin- 
 gers until it begins to melt; we then fasten the 
 quantity necessary for the size of the eye we wish to 
 make, to the end of the iron wire ; it forms a little 
 globe by turning it in the flame, and when it is well 
 rounded, we place in the centre a little speck of 
 black enamel, which is to form the pupil. We 
 again expose it to the fire, that this pupil may be 
 incorporated with the mass ; and when it is well 
 incrusted we put some glass upon it, which at least 
 ought to extend over three quarters of the hemi- 
 sphere ; it is this glass which, by representing the 
 vitreous humour of the eye, gives it all its brilliancy. 
 We continue to expose the eye to the fire, until the 
 glass has equally extended over that part of it which 
 it to form the iris; and this being the case we let it 
 cool slowly. We may make this sort of eye by 
 joining several pieces of iron wire together ; it is 
 then easier to make them all the same size, because 
 the first being always close to our eyes, guides us 
 in making the rest. 
 
 The following is another method : we prepare 
 some pieces of iron wire, well burned, and three or 
 four inches long, the strength of which must be 
 proportioned to the size of the eye we are going to 
 make. We curve these in the middle over a tube 
 of glass enamel, or any other cylindrical and po- 
 lished body ; we unite the extremities of each wire 
 by twisting one over the other, so that they exactly 
 
TAXIDERMY. 115 
 
 fit the substance they embrace ; this circle, formed 
 by the wire, makes the diameter of the eye, and the 
 wire thus prepared is like a racket ; we fix the han- 
 dle of this racket in the round pincers, arid curve 
 the head of it by making it parallel to that of the 
 pincers. We then fill this circle with common 
 enamel, of the colour we think proper, extending 
 it from the circumference to the centre, and when 
 there is a sufficient quantity, that is, nearly the 
 thickness of the iron wire, we press it, whilst it is 
 still in a state of fusion, with the flat pincers, that 
 it may extend equally over the whole circumference. 
 We again put it in the fire to consolidate it ; after 
 which we place the iris, which is a drop of enamel 
 of the proper colour ; we heat this and press it as 
 before, with the flat pincers, and when it is incor- 
 porated with the first enamel, we make the pupil 
 with a drop of black enamel in the centre. When 
 it is melted and incrusted in the iris, we cover both 
 with the glass, and heat them until all the parts are 
 quite smooth, and the glass is equally spread over 
 the whole iris. We place the eye on some warm 
 cinders^ and leave it to cool slowly, without which 
 it is liable to break ; we then take it from the wire, 
 by loosening the latter. This method can only be 
 used for eyes of middling size. 
 
 A third manner of making eyes, which is prefer- 
 #ble to all others, is to blow them, if possible, which 
 is not the case when they are small. For this we 
 
116 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 use a pipe of baked earth, or a tube of glass, from 
 six to seven inches long, to the end of which we 
 put a little white enamel, which we present to the 
 fire in order to blow it. This enamel forms a globe, 
 larger or smaller according as it is dilated by the 
 air we introduce. This globe being the proper 
 size, we place in the middle, and perpendicularly 
 to the point of the pipe, the quantity of enamel ne- 
 cessary to make the iris ; we incorporate the second 
 enamel with the first, by presenting it to the fire, and 
 taking care always to turn the pipe with our fin- 
 gers, that the enamel may spread equally, and the 
 iris be exactly round. If this iris is to be of several 
 colours, as for example that of man, we distribute in 
 diverging rays, several little threads of the suitable 
 enamel ; we present the eye to the fire until we 
 have incorporated the iris, after which we place 
 the pupil, heat it in the same way, and then apply 
 the glass. As it is almost impossible that the eye 
 should not sink down in the course of this oper- 
 ation, and that the air which w r e have introduced 
 should not escape, as much by the heat as by the 
 pressure which we use above, in applying the dif- 
 ferent substances ; we must take care from time to 
 time to introduce it afresh, that it may not lose its 
 form. This is, above all, necessary when we apply 
 the glass, and it is extended over the whole surface 
 of the iris. 
 
 After having given the eye its size and form ? we 
 
TAXIDERMY. 117 
 
 take away the pipe ; to do which, after the air has 
 been introduced, we stop the entrance of the pipe 
 with the finger, and expose the back part of the 
 eye to the fire : then the air contained in the globe, 
 and rarified by the pipe, comes through at the 
 place where the fire has most action. We prolong 
 this opening by turning the point of the flat pincers 
 or an iron wire, all round the pipe, we leave but 
 one point, by which the eye remains fixed; we 
 warm it equally all over, after which we expose it 
 to a gentle heat ; and when it is cold again, we se- 
 parate it from the pipe. 
 
ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS 
 
 FOR 
 
 TRAVELLERS. 
 
 THE preceding treatise having been written for 
 the use of collectors, superintendents of museums, 
 and artists, as well as travellers, I add the Instruc- 
 tions drawn up by the Professors of the Jardin du 
 Roi, at Paris, expressly for the use of the latter, to 
 whom they are gratuitously presented. I would 
 request this class of readers, to comprehend such 
 parts of the previous treatise of M. Dufresne, as are 
 given under the following titles. 
 
 1st, The manner of collecting and preparing 
 objects of natural history. 
 
 2dly, The method of packing them, and en- 
 abling them to arrive at their place of destination in 
 the best state possible. 
 
 3dly, The nature of the notes which ought to 
 accompany these objects. 
 
120 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 4thly, An indication of the objects which are 
 most particularly desired. 
 
 ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 THE study of zoology in the Museum of Natural 
 History, does not limit itself to the observation of 
 the forms of animals, and a description of their 
 organs ; it also embraces the examination of their 
 habits, their developement, their sagacity; and seeks 
 if they can be of any utility. Formerly, we could 
 only inform ourselves on these essential points by 
 the relations of travellers. The establishments 
 formed at a great expense by princes, and rich 
 amateurs, for assembling and taking care of rare 
 animals, were rather objects of luxury or curiosity, 
 than of study. But, since a menagerie has been 
 added to the Museum at Paris, a new career of 
 observations has been opened to naturalists. It is 
 there that we can follow animals in all their stages, 
 and compare their manner of life, with the or- 
 ganization which anatomy discloses after their death; 
 we require positive knowledge on the important 
 phenomena of copulation, gestation, and birth ; we 
 learn to distinguish the varieties which proceed 
 from age, from those which are produced by cli- 
 mate, nourishment, or mixture of races, and to 
 determine with certainty the differences which really 
 exist between the species. If these animals are of 
 
TAXIDERMY. 121 
 
 a nature to be serviceable to domestic economy, or 
 to agriculture, as we have the means of rearing 
 and training them, and thus we add to our re- 
 sources. The Peruvian sheep, the lama, the kan- 
 garoo, the casoary, may, perhaps, one day be very 
 useful. 
 
 Considered in a scientific point of view, there 
 are few animals foreign to JEurope, which are not 
 useful to study. If we except the elephant of Asia, 
 the royal tiger, and the lion of Africa, the history 
 of all others is more or less incomplete. Even 
 that of the lion has not been well known, until the 
 lioness of the Menagerie had young ones ; it is 
 also since two elephants have died in the same me- 
 nagerie, that we have acquired an exact knowledge 
 of the anatomy of this great quadruped. We 
 cannot, then, too strongly recommend to travellers, 
 who can procure living animals, to neglect nothing 
 which can facilitate their arrival in Europe. The 
 smaller quadrupeds, and principally those who dig 
 the ground, and who hide themselves in burrows, 
 are even less known. 
 
 We may easily procure animals by applying to 
 the natives of the country, who know where to 
 find them, and who have frequent opportunities of 
 meeting with them in their excursions. They may 
 take them by traps, and bring them back alive. 
 Nor is it difficult for them to take some of th<* 
 
122 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 quadrupeds or birds in their infancy, with whose 
 retreats or nests they may be acquainted. 
 
 The younger the animals are, the easier it is to 
 accustom them to live in their cages. They will 
 at first require particular care, and they must al- 
 ways be nourished some weeks on shore, before they 
 are embarked, and we cannot take too much pains 
 to tame them. An animal who is not frightened 
 at the sight of those who attend him, is always 
 better, and more able to resist the fatigues of a sea- 
 voyage, than when he remains in a wild state ; and 
 there is scarcely any animal whom we cannot soften 
 by good treatment. An excess of nourishment 
 when animals are shut up, and not able to take 
 exercise, is very injurious to them. The surest 
 method of preserving them, is to give them strictly 
 what is necessary. After the proportionate nou- 
 rishment, the greatest requisite is cleanliness. We 
 can always find some person on board the vessel, 
 who will attend to them for a slight recompense. 
 It is also very necessary to take precautions, that 
 these animals may not be worried and irritated by 
 passengers. 
 
 We must content ourselves by bringing the skin, 
 head, an<J feet of the large animals we have killed 
 in too distant a place to transport them entire. 
 
 The mammifera, sufficiently small to be enclosed 
 in a bottle or barrel, ought to be put into some 
 spirituous liquor. 
 
TAXIDERMY. 123 
 
 The mammifera, too large to be put into spirits, 
 should be skinned, and care taken to leave the feet 
 and head (from which the brains must have been 
 removed) ; or, if that be not possible, we must at 
 least send the jaws. We shall hereafter speak of 
 the methods to be used, and the precautions to be 
 taken for preserving skins, and for animals which 
 are put into spirits. 
 
 When we can add the skeleton to the skin, it 
 would be a great service to science ; this would be 
 a very easy operation for the surgeons of ships, 
 who might feel sufficient interest in zoology. 
 
 It is not necessary to mount the skeletons. After 
 having boiled the bones, taken the flesh off, and 
 dried them, we put all those belonging to the same 
 animal in a bag, we fill up the bag with moss, sea- 
 weed, shreds of paper, or any other soft and dry 
 substance, that they may not bruise each other. 
 We envelope those in paper, which are very fragile, 
 and take great care not to lose any. 
 
 Those who procure us birds, must take care to 
 proportion the shot to their size, not to injure the 
 skins. When the bird falls, they must wipe the 
 blood away as much as possible, and put a little 
 cotton in the beak, that the blood may not run 
 from it and injure the feathers, particularly those 
 of the head. After the bird is cold, and the blood 
 is coagulated, they must take it by the claws and the 
 G 2 
 
184 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 tail to place it in a paper, of the form of a hollow 
 - cone. 
 
 Birds are skinned like quadrupeds, and we take 
 care to preserve the feet and head with the same 
 precaution ; but they should be more immediately 
 skinned, because when putrefaction takes place, the 
 feathers fall off. In cutting the skin we take care 
 to scatter the feathers, that they may not be soiled. 
 We leave the os coccygis (plate 2, c) with the 
 skin, otherwise the feathers of the tail would be 
 liable to fall off; we must also leave the bones at 
 the extremity of the wings. If the bird have a fleshy 
 crest, the head must be preserved in spirits. When 
 tli ere are several of the same species, it will be always 
 useful to send one of them entire in this liquor. 
 It is desirable, if possible, to procure at the same 
 time, the male and female, and individuals of the 
 same species, of different ages ; for birds alter niuch 
 according to their age : there are several who have 
 even been taken for different species. It is also 
 ve 1 y useful to have the nests and eggs. To pre- 
 .seive- the eggs, we make a little hole at one end, 
 empty it, and then fill it up again with wax. The 
 skeletons of those birds too large to be put in spirits, 
 should also be sent. 
 
 It is useless to stuff birds. They would occupy 
 too much room, and this operation, which cannot 
 be done well by any one who is not experienced 
 
TAXIDERMY. 
 
 In it, and is much better performed when the skins 
 have arrived at their destination. It is sufficient, 
 for the skins, the feet, and head, to be well pre- 
 served. 
 
 Although there are several salt-water fish which 
 are found almost 'universally, the greater number 
 belong to particular shores and gulphs. It will be 
 useful therefore to send those which w r e find in 
 countries not visited by naturalists, those even 
 which are sold in the markets. As to fresh-water 
 fish, the species differ, not only according to the 
 country, but even according to the rivers and lakes 
 they inhabit; it is therefore essential to send all 
 which can be procured. We pnt them into spirits, 
 or when they are too large, send the skin only, 
 merely dried, taking care to preserve the head and 
 fins. 
 
 It is the same with reptiles. In skinning ser- 
 pents we must take care not to injure the scales; 
 and great caution must be used not to break the 
 tails of lizards. It is desirable to send the skele- 
 tons of fish and reptiles which are too large to be 
 put into spirits ; these skeletons need not be mounted. 
 
 It is sufficient to take away the flesh rudely, and 
 to dry the bones together thoroughly, without se- 
 parating them. The whole skeleton should be 
 placed in a box with cotton or very fine dry sand. 
 If it be too long, it may be divided into two or three 
 parts. 
 
 G 3 
 
126 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 Insects are very various according to the climate, 
 and the nature of the soil. We must not confine 
 ourselves to the largest and richest in colour. We 
 must collect all without distinction. We catch 
 those who are furnished with wings, and who fly 
 about plants, with gauze nets ; those who swim 
 in the water we procure with gauze nets. We 
 seize with pincers those who live on putrid and 
 disgusting substances, and we first throw them into 
 camphorated spirits to clean them. A multitude 
 of insects nourish themselves on trees: we procure 
 the greater part by carefully searching under the 
 old barks of the trunks, by shaking the branches 
 over a cloth, or reversed umbrella. When we 
 take an insect we seize it by the breast, and stick it 
 in a box, on cork, or wax, with a long pin ; we 
 must take care that the wings of butterflies, \vhich 
 continue to flutter until death, do not touch any 
 thing. When the insects are dry, we put them 
 into pasteboard boxes, with cork or wax at the 
 bottom, pinning them securely, to prevent their 
 being detached. It is very useful to have the cater-* 
 pillar at the same time that we have the butterfly. 
 When we find a caterpillar x>nly, it should be put 
 into a box with some leaves of the plant on which 
 it was found, that it may transform itself. A small 
 hole should be made in the box to admit the air. 
 All insects, except butterflies, may be put into spi- 
 rits, it is the best method of sending those which 
 
TAXIDERMY. 127 
 
 are large, and it has the advantage of preserving 
 the interior organs, which may be examined when 
 there is occasion. As heavy insects may unfix 
 themselves from the cork or wax in the pasteboard 
 boxes, and one loose insect may break all the rest, 
 it is a more simple method of preserving coleoptera 
 to place them, when dry, in a box of very fine sand. 
 We first put a row of insects on a layer of sand, 
 then cover them with another layer of sand, about 
 an inch thick; we then place a second row of in- 
 sects, and continue this method until the box is 
 quite full : the sand must be well heaped up, that 
 nothing may be deranged by the carriage. This 
 is also a good method for Crustacea. It is evident 
 that we cannot employ it for butterflies, or any 
 animals of a soft substance. The first ought to be 
 placed in boxes, the latter in spirits. 
 
 We particularly desire travellers to send spiders 
 ^ind insects which are said to be venomous ; those 
 which are most destructive, such as termites or 
 white ants.; and to add the nests when they 
 are sufficiently solid for conveyance. The in- 
 sects to which medical properties are attributed ; 
 those which are employed in dyeing, as the 
 different species of cochineal; the animal which 
 produces the gum lac ; those whose excretions, 
 mixed with oil, form a species of wax, used for 
 candles ; the different species of silk worms, their 
 cods; the butterflies to which these silk worms give 
 
 G 4 
 
128 TAXIDERMY* 
 
 birth, and patterns of their silk when manufactured/ 
 Madagascar, the north of India, China, offer several 
 silk worms different to cur own. Different species 
 of- domestic bees, with notes on the manner of 
 rearing them, their history, &c. 
 
 The productions of insects which may inter- 
 est by their singularity, and which are calculated 
 to give new ideas on the instinct of these animals. 
 It must be remembered in collecting insects, to 
 bring a branch of the tree or plant with which they 
 nourish themselves, and we should send this brand* 
 in a herbal, with a number corresponding to that of 
 the insect. As to Crustacea, or crabs and lobsters f 
 we especially desire those which are eaten; taking 
 care to note the names under which they are known, 
 those which inhabit the sea- shores, those of fresh 
 water, and those which live on land. We must con- 
 tent ourselves with sending the shell only of those 
 which are of a very large size, and we must wash 
 these shells well in fresh water before we dry them. 
 The smaller Crustacea should be put into spirits, 
 but before we do so it is very necessary to cleanse 
 them in fresh water, to free them entirely from the 
 marine salt with which they are impregnated. 
 Without this, the greater part would spoil in the 
 spirits of wine ; this has been the case with the rich 
 collection of Peron. 
 
 Mollusca ought to be put into spirits: those 
 which have a shell of some size should be separated 
 
TAXIDERMY. 129 
 
 From it, and the shell wrapped in paper, with u 
 number corresponding to that of the bottle in which 
 the animal is enclosed. To separate the animal 
 from the shell, we plunge it into spirits of wine, 
 and when it is dead, we easily take it out with a 
 pointed instrument. 
 
 The sea is inhabited by an infinity of soft or 
 gelatinous animals called mollusca, some of which 
 live isolated, others in societies. The greater 
 part of these animals are unknown, and the study 
 of them is so much more important, as they give 
 us general notions on the organisation of beings, 
 and the diversity of forms in which animated nature 
 presents herself. 
 
 Surgeons, and lovers of natural history might 
 procure us a great number of these animals, in 
 their voyages. It is sufficient to take them with a 
 net, to wash them well in fresh water, put them 
 into spirits, with the above precautions; immedi- 
 ately to write the latitude of the place where they 
 were taken ; if they live singly or in numbers ; if 
 they are phosphoric ; if they were deep in the water, 
 or on the surface. As the colours of gelatinous 
 animals do not always preserve in spirits, it is pro- 
 per to make a memorandum of them. 
 
 At a great depth in the sea exist multitudes of 
 
 animals which never appear on the surface, and 
 
 which are entirely unknown. We might procure 
 
 many by joining something to the sounding-lead, 
 
 G 5 
 
130 TAX1DEKMY. 
 
 a hook, or a small net, for instance ; or even by 
 securing those which are brought up by the lead. 
 We put them into spirits after washing them in 
 fresh water. 
 
 We must be as anxious to collect terrestrial as 
 aquatic shells ; and fossil shells are particularly in- 
 teresting. The very fragile shells, the echini, the 
 star fish, &c., should be wrapped with much care 
 in cotton, and each placed separately in a box. 
 The madrepores of any size ; should be fixed with 
 an iron wire, to the bottom of the case in which 
 they are placed. 
 
 Worms, especially those which are found in the 
 bodies of other animals, should be, like molluscs, 
 sent in spirits. 
 
 It is to be desired that every animal which we 
 send in the skin, in spirits, in the skeleton, &c., 
 should be accompanied by a note, stating precisely 
 
 The country in which the animal was found. 
 
 The season in which it was taken. 
 
 The manner in which it nourished itself. 
 
 Its habits. 
 
 The name it bore in its own country. 
 
 If it is useful or destructive. 
 
 The uses which are made of its skin, its flesh, its 
 fat, &c. 
 
 The popular opinions or superstitions which re- 
 late to it amongst the natives. 
 
 These notes should each have a number, corre- 
 
TAXIDERMY. 131 
 
 spending to the number of the animal to which they 
 relate. 
 
 It is essential that these numbers should not 
 be written on white paper or on parchment, 'but 
 painted in oil on a piece of wood, or metal, and 
 fastened with a brass wire, either to the skins en- 
 closed in the cases, or to the bottles and barrels 
 which contain the animals. It would be easy to 
 have numbers made with a stamp on plates of tin, 
 we should then be sure that there was no uncer- 
 tainty in the cyphers. It is also possible to have 
 plates of pewter sufficiently thin to engrave num- 
 bers on them with a steel point, and these engraved 
 plates may be attached to the animals, we put into 
 the spirit. We may also fasten to each object, 
 whether in spirits, dried, or in cases, a small piece 
 of packthread with knots : these knots must form 
 two series, separated by an interval ; the first series 
 marks the tens, the second the units : and by this 
 means we can indicate any number we please. 
 
 We must now speak of the method of packing 
 zoological objects, so that they may arrive in 
 Europe in a good state of preservation. 
 
 The objects which we send are either skins of 
 animals, or the animals entire in spirits. The 
 skins of animals or birds, would be attacked by 
 dermestides and similar insects, and in warm coun- 
 tries they are extremely liable to be injured, if we 
 do not take pains to preserve them. The surest 
 G 6 
 
132 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 method is the use of the arsenical preservative., 
 known under the name of Becceur's soap (see 
 page 16). This is the preservative employed in 
 the Galleries of the Jardin du Roi, and its success 
 is certain. We should more especially use it for 
 unique and precious objects, for the preservation of 
 which we are particularly anxious. The use of this 
 preservative requires much precaution, and we 
 must only put it inside the skin, and not on the 
 outside, because in touching and shaking the skin 
 to mount the animal, we may experience its per- 
 nicious effects. It would be a good method to note 
 the objects which are thus prepared, that in un- 
 packing the cases we may shake the skins carefully. 
 We think it may be dispensed with until the period 
 of their being mounted for the cabinet, and the fol- 
 lowing is the method of supplying its place. 
 
 Spirits of turpentine, oil of petroleum, and cam- 
 phor, do not kill insects, but they disperse them. 
 These means are insufficient, and are inconvenient, 
 on several accounts, for objects which we preserve 
 in collections ; but they are sufficient to protect them 
 during their transportation in cases. When we 
 pack the skin of an animal, we commence by shaking 
 away the insects already lodged ; it will then be suf- 
 ficient to pass all over the inside of the skin with a 
 brush dipped in oil of petroleum, or spirits of tur- 
 pentine. We lightly pack the skin with cotton, 
 impregnated with the same substances. We then 
 
TAXIDERMY. 133 
 
 place the skin in the case, which we cover all over 
 with pitch to defend it from damp, and to prevent 
 the air from getting in. For want of oil of petro- 
 leum, and spirits of turpentine, we may use a decoc- 
 tion of very bitter and aromatic herbs, with which 
 we wet the skins before we enclose them, and 
 besprinkle them internally and externally, with 
 pounded tobacco, pepper, and all-spice. 
 
 The same precautions are used for birds ; each 
 bird must have a little cotton inside it, not to give it 
 its form, but that the different parts of the skin may 
 not touch. It should then be placed in a paper 
 bag well closed, and the bags put into a case covered 
 vvitli pitch. The above methods are simple and 
 easy, and take but little time. 
 
 We are now arrived at the preservation of ani- 
 mals in spirituous liquors. Of all vessels, glass bot- 
 tles are the best ; whatever precautions are taken, 
 a portion of the liquor will evaporate through the 
 pores of the wood ; square bottles are to be preferred, 
 because they arrange better in cases. The perfect 
 preservation of the animal depends on the quality 
 of the liquor, the manner of placing them in the 
 bottles, and the method of luting these bottles. 
 We will give some important instructions on this 
 point, taken from a memoir of M. Peron's, inserted 
 in the sepond volume of his voyage to Austra- 
 lasia. We know that this naturalist, to whom the 
 Royal Museum owes its richest collection of animals 
 
134 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 without vertebrae, perfectly succeeded, and it was 
 not until after many researches and experiments, 
 that he discovered the simplest and easiest means. 
 
 The spirituous liquor to be used, must be from 
 16 to 22 degrees of the areometer of Baume ; if it 
 be stronger, it entirely destroys the colours of the 
 animals. We only make use of it at 22 degrees for 
 mammifera. Gin, arrack, rum, brandy, in short, all 
 spirituous liquors are equally good, but we prefer 
 those that are least coloured. Before we put the 
 animal in the liquor, we must take away all the 
 mucosities which surround it with a brush, and free 
 it from the dirt which would soil it ; we must then 
 take precautions that it may not touch the bottom 
 of the vessel ; without this, it not only sinks down, 
 but becomes corrupted. M. Peron proposes to 
 fasten the animal to a flat piece of cork, which holds 
 it suspended in the liquor. We can thus place 
 several animals in the same vessel, either by the 
 side of one another, or at different heights, they 
 will float in the liquor without touching, and the 
 mucous substances which detach themselves from 
 them, fall to the bottom of the vessel. M. Peron 
 affirms, that thus floating in the liquor they cannot 
 be injured, although the bottle or vessel may be 
 shaken, or overturned. As this method is not very 
 easy, we may content ourselves by placing each 
 animal in a bag of very fine linen, or in a net, r we 
 tie these bags to the cork, and they remain sus- 
 12 
 
TAXIDERMY. 135 
 
 pended in the vessel. We must take care to make 
 a little incision in the abdomen of animals with ver- 
 tebrae, that the liquor may penetrate into the inte- 
 rior of the body. M. Peron advises the use of 
 camphorated spirits, because the camphire augments 
 the preserving quality of the liquor, without adding 
 to its force. But besides that camphire is expensive 
 its dissolution makes the animals tough, and ren- 
 ders them difficult to dissect. It is requisite to add 
 to the liquor after the animal has been in it some 
 days, to ensure its preservation ; this precaution is 
 especially necessary for those which are most sus- 
 ceptible of corruption. We must then lute the 
 bottles ; we must have a luting, easily prepared, 
 which dries and acquires all its solidity even in the 
 moment of employing it, on which spirits of wine 
 has no effect, which does not scale offj which pene- 
 trates the pores of the stopper, and which perfectly 
 adheres to the glass. Cork stoppers are preferable 
 to all others, because those of glass often break by 
 the evaporation of the spirits of wine. 
 
 The phial or bottle being well corked, the fol- 
 lowing is the luting, to which M. Peron has given 
 the name of lithocolle. 
 
 Common resin. 
 
 Red ochre well pulverised. 
 
 Yellow wax. 
 
 Oil of turpentine. 
 
 We put more or less resin and oxide of iron, or 
 
) 36 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 oil of turpentine and wax, as we wish to render the 
 luting more or less brittle, or more or less elastic. 
 In the first trial we can determine the proper quan- 
 tities. We melt the wax and the resin, then add 
 the ochre in small portions, and at each addition 
 stir it briskly with a spatula; when this mixture has 
 boiled seven or eight minutes, pour hi the oil of 
 turpentine, mix it, and continue, to boil it. We 
 must take proper precaution to prevent the inflam- 
 mation of these substances, in case it does take 
 place, we must have close by our side a lid witli 
 a handle to it, to cover the vessel and extinguish 
 the flame immediately. The vessel should have a 
 handle, and be able to hold three times as much as 
 the quantity of luting we w r ish to make. To ascer- 
 tain the quality of the luting, we put a little from 
 time to time upon a cold plate, and we instantly 
 see its degree of tenacity. One great advantage of 
 this luting is, the being able to prepare it aboard 
 ship, and to employ it as soon as we have procured 
 the fish and mollusca, and put them into spirits. 
 After having corked the bottles, and wiped them 
 well with a dry cloth, to take away all humidity, 
 we heat the cement to the boiling point ; we stir it 
 well from the bottom, fasten a piece of old linen to 
 the end of a stick, and with this rude brush we 
 apply a layer of lithocolle over the whole surface of 
 the cork ; sometimes the luting, by penetrating the 
 cork, makes the spirits of wine evaporate and burst 
 
TAXIDERMY. 
 
 the surface; this forms small openings, which, we 
 stop perfectly by passing a second coat of litho- 
 colle over the first, when it is cold. When the 
 phials are small, we plunge the neck of them into 
 the lithocolle, and by repeating this two or three 
 times, it acquires the proper thickness. It is useful 
 again to cover the bottles thus closed with a piece 
 of linen, firmly tied, and imbued with liquid pitch, 
 and for large bottles, to support the cork with 
 a strong piece of string, which by being fastened 
 to the circumference of the bottles, forms a cross 
 above the cork. Bottles thus prepared, may 
 without inconvenience, be turned over in all direc- 
 tions, exposed to all the tossings of the tempest, 
 and support the strongest heat without the alcohols 
 escaping. 
 
 We have thus given what has appeared to us 
 most essential to the collection and preparation of 
 objects of zoology. Those who desire more detailed 
 instructions, will find them in the Taxidermy of 
 M. Dufresne, Chief of the Zoological Laboratories 
 of the Museum, Paris. 
 
 After having pointed out in a general manner 
 how we may enrich our collections, we feel it a duty 
 to particularise those animals whose existence is 
 known to us, but which are either wanting to the 
 ?vluseum, or are not in a good state, and which we 
 are most desirous of procuring. 
 
1 38 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 From Western Africa. 
 
 The skeleton of the hippopotamus. 
 
 The skeleton of the Ethiopian wild-boar (Sus 
 Ethiopicus). 
 
 The skins and skeletons of different species of 
 gazelles, and especially those whose horns are 
 curved in front. 
 
 The pangolin or scaly ant-eater, preserved in 
 spirits. 
 
 Small ostriches, newly hatched, in spirits. 
 
 The manatus, or sea-ox. 
 
 The great panther with large eyes. 
 
 The dipus, or jerboa. 
 
 From the Cape of Good Hope. 
 
 Every species of gazelle and antelope which can 
 be procured, both skins and skeletons. 
 
 The skeleton of the hippopotamus, that of the 
 rhinoceros with two horns, that of the great ant- 
 eater of the "Cape, (myrmecophaga jubata,) that of 
 the sus larvatus, which has large tubercles on each 
 side of the head, and which is represented by 
 Daniels, plate 21. 
 
 The skin of this same boar, fit for stuffing. 
 
 The daman of the Cape, (hyrax Capensis) vul- 
 garly called klipdase, or rock-badger, in spirits, as 
 many as possible. 
 
TAXIDERMY, 139 
 
 The ratel, (fizzler of Pennant, and stinking badger 
 of La Caille) or small bear which eats honey. 
 
 All the species of jerboa (mus jaculus). 
 
 The bird called the great serpent-eater (falco 
 serpentarius) ; the skin and the skeleton. 
 
 The honey-guide (cuculus indicator). 
 
 The republican (loxia socia). The skins of the 
 two last in as great a number as possible, and also 
 some specimens in spirits. 
 
 Madagascar. 
 
 Hedgehogs, 
 
 Lemurs. 
 
 The aye-aye, or sciarus Madagascariensis, de- 
 scribed by Sonnerat. 
 
 Madagascar is so little known, that almost every 
 thing which can be procured from its interior, is 
 likely to be new to naturalists. 
 
 India. 
 
 The apes with long arms, called gibbons ; skins 
 and skeletons, and, if possible, in spirits. An adult 
 ourang-outang, the skin and skeleton. The croco- 
 dile of the Ganges, with the long and slender 
 muzzle. 
 
 The pangolins, of which there are several species, 
 they are also known by the name of scaly lizards. 
 
140 TAXIDERMY. 
 
 From Thibet it is desirable to obtain, 
 
 The grunting ox with a horse's tail (bos gruniens.) 
 
 The Cachemire goat, 
 The musk deer. 
 Gazelles, 
 
 From the Incfian Archipelago, chiefly the Moluccas* 
 
 We most earnestly desire a species of fish from 
 this part of the world, called dooiong djugong, or 
 marine cow; the skin and skeleton, and if possible 
 its viscera, or at least its stomach and larynx, in 
 spirits. 
 
 The phalangers or couscous or coescoes in spirits. 
 
 The lemur spectrum, or ape with the hind legs 
 treble the length of the front. 
 
 Those who are able to land in Sumatra, are re- 
 quested to obtain information respecting a large 
 animal described by Newhoff, under the name of 
 succotiro. 
 
 From the West Indies. 
 
 We principally request the musk rat, or pilory ; 
 a number of them in spirits. 
 
 From Cayenne. 
 
 Every species of ant-eater; the skeleton, and in 
 spirits. 
 
TAXIDERMY. HI 
 
 The sloth, and particularly the large one ; the 
 skeleton, and in spirits. 
 
 Every species of deer and roe buck ; die skiu, 
 and the skeleton. 
 
 The great howling ape (mycetes) ; the skeleton, 
 and in spirits. 
 
 Several tongues and larynxes of the same animaL 
 
 Terra Firma, and the mouths of the Oronooko. 
 
 As Martinique and Cayenne have frequent com- 
 munications with the coasts of Terra Firma, and 
 the mouths of the Oronooko, it is important to 
 know the names of some of 'the animals which 
 abound in these regions, and to procure them under 
 those given them in their own country. 
 
 It would be easy to procure, from Cumaua, the 
 bird called guacho, which inhabits the caverns of 
 Caripe, and from which the Indians extract a 
 greasy fluid like oil. 
 
 We require from Porto Cabello, the fish of Lake 
 Valencia; and from Nueva Barcelona, the bava, a 
 .species of small crocodile, from two to three feet 
 long, unknown in Europe, and different to the 
 monitor : the tatous (armadilloes, dasypus), or spiny 
 rat (of Arzara, Echimys). Amongst the living 
 unimals which might arrive from Spanish Guyana, 
 we especially desire to have the caparo, the capu- 
 chin of Oronooko, the viudeta, the cacajo or mona- 
 
TAXIDERMY. 
 
 rabon, the wava pair, the mana viri, and especially 
 the dooroocooli or sleeping ape, also known under 
 the names of cousi-cousi, cara-rayada, or mono- 
 tiger. 
 
 It is easy to procure the skin and skeletons of 
 these apes, and to bring several of them alive. 
 
 It is also desirable to procure a skin of the black 
 tiger of Esmeralda, as also the skins of the different 
 species of roe-buck, (venados) of the Llanos of 
 Cumana and Barcelona. 
 
 From New Holland, and Part Jackson. 
 
 Different species of ornithorhyncus (platypus of 
 Shaw) a number if possible in spirits. Phalangers, 
 and dasyuri, and others of the genus didelphis, in 
 spirits. 
 
 Besides the objects we have already enumerated, 
 we desire, from each country, all the small species 
 of apes, and animals akin to them. Weasels, pole- 
 cats, moles, squirrels, bats, and all small quadru- 
 peds without distinction. 
 
 Seals, the species of which are very various, and 
 are found on the coasts of all seas. 
 
 Every species of fish and reptile, especially the 
 fish which may be eaten. 
 
 Mollusca and marine worms. 
 
143 
 
 VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 
 
 THE riches of the Museum relative to botany 
 consist, 
 
 1st. Of living vegetables cultivated in the garden, 
 
 2dly. Of a collection of dried plants or herbals,, 
 and all the products of the vegetable kingdom, 
 which it is possible to preserve and make known. 
 
 The collection of a great number of foreign 
 plants ought not to be considered as an object of 
 luxury or curiosity. It is useful to the progress of 
 science. Travellers have neither the time or facility 
 of describing and drawing remarkable plants in the 
 places where they gather them. It is only when 
 they are cultivated in our gardens, that they can 
 study them in all the periods of their vegetation* 
 draw them when they are in flower, and try to 
 multiply them, if their culture promises any advan- 
 tages. We must not forget, that several foreign 
 plants, which are now spread in other parts, 
 were first cultivated in the Jardin du Roi. Every 
 one knows that the coffee, which now grows in 
 the islands of America, proceeded from a plant 
 raised in our green-houses ; and, still more lately, 
 the bread-fruit tree has been sent from our green- 
 houses to Cayenne. We must add to this, that in 
 the Jardin du Roi, a multitude of slips and seeds 
 
144 BOTANY. 
 
 of ornamental plants have been cultivated, which 
 are now become an object of trade, as well as se- 
 veral useful trees which now ornament our parks,'and 
 some of which have been introduced into our forests. 
 In the Jardin du Roi we cultivate every plant ne- 
 cessary for study ; arid great attention is also paid 
 to those which are useful or pleasing. When they 
 fructify, we gather the grains, and distribute them 
 gratuitously to all those whom we believe capable 
 of multiplying and propagating them. We also 
 give slips of those trees which have not yet borne 
 fruit. 
 
 It would, doubtless, be extremely advantageous 
 to bring living plants to the Museum ; above all, 
 those which are known to be useful in the countries 
 where they grow : but the conveyance of living- 
 plants exacting much care, and giving much trou- 
 ble in vessels, we do not desire to receive any in 
 this state, but those which cannot be propagated 
 from grains, with the same qualities which a long 
 culture has obtained from them ; this number will 
 always be very small. 
 
 The seeds should be gathered when very ripe, 
 and then put into paper bags, with a note, indi- 
 cating, 
 
 If the vegetable be a tree or an herb. 
 
 In what country it was gathered. 
 
 The nature of th soil where it grew. 
 
 The elevation of this soil above the level of the 
 
BOTAN1&. 145 
 
 It* native name. 
 
 If it be used as food, in medicine, or in the arts ; 
 and if its history, and the properties attributed to 
 it, offer any remarkable peculiarities. 
 
 We are particularly desirous of having notes on 
 the vegetable poisons with which the natives infect 
 their arrows, and the manner of gathering and pre- 
 paring them. 
 
 To be certain of the maturity of seeds, we must 
 gather them when they easily separate from the 
 plant. In several instances, we can take the branch 
 which bears them, that those which are not perfectly 
 ripe may become so. 
 
 The bags containing the grains, well dried, ought 
 to be put into a case covered with pitch, that they 
 may be protected from damp, insects, and mice. * 
 
 The oily grains soonest lose their germinating 
 faculty. The seeds of tea, coffee, the glands of 
 most of the oaks are of this kind. These seedb 
 should be put into sandy earth ; we put two inches 
 of it at the bottom of a box, and we range the 
 grains in this earth at distances equal to their size ; 
 we cover them with about an inch of earth, in which 
 we put a fresh layer of seeds, and proceed in this 
 way until we are within a foot of the top of the box ; 
 
 * M. de Candolle recommended me to pack all seeds, col- 
 lected in a moist country or season, in charcoal. Honey ii 
 also said to be a good preservative. 
 
 H 
 
146 M 
 
 we must take care that the box is quite full of sand, 
 that nothing may derange the seeds ; the box ought 
 to be covered, but in such a manner that the air 
 may penetrate. We make an opening at the top, 
 which we cover with a trellis of brass wire, to admit 
 the air, without the mice or other animals being 
 able to reach the earth. The grains germinate 
 during their passage. When the case arrives at its 
 destination, we find the embryos of the seeds are 
 developed, and we immediately put them into a 
 proper soil : it is in this way that MM. Michaux, 
 father and son, brought to Europe so many species 
 of oaks from North America. 
 
 Although certain seeds with a hard shell, such 
 as walnuts, plums, &c. do not come up until a long- 
 time after they have been sown, it would be proper, 
 when the kernel is oily, to follow the method we 
 have pointed out, that they may not turn rancid on 
 the passage. This precaution is also useful for the 
 family of laurels (laurineae), and that of myrtles 
 (myrt'O? especially when the vessel has to cross the 
 equatorial seas. 
 
 When we wish to send the seeds of a pulpy fruit, 
 we must separate the grains from it; when the com- 
 mencement of its putrefaction announces their 
 maturity. We dry them, and place them in paper 
 
 We now proceed to collections of dried vege- 
 tables, and other productions. It is by the help 
 
 I 
 
BOTANY. 147 
 
 of the former, that we are able to know, compare, 
 and describe plants, to distinguish their species, 
 and contribute to the progress of botany. By their 
 means alone, we can invariably fix the nomen- 
 clature and classification of vegetables. The tra- 
 vels of several naturalists have already rendered the 
 collection in the Museum very considerable, and 
 certainly the richest in Europe ; but it still wants 
 many things ; there are many gaps, which, in a few 
 years, will be doubled, unless those who visit foreign 
 countries will take some interest in filling them. 
 
 This collection, which already occupies four 
 rooms in the Museum of the King, is composed or 
 herbals, fruits, dried or preserved in spirits, gums, 
 and resins, specimens of wood, and some other 
 productions of the vegetable kingdom, which may 
 be useful in medicine, or the arts. The trouble of 
 enriching it, is not so great as that required for the 
 augmentation of zoological collections. 
 
 The plants which are destined for herbals ought, 
 as often as possible, to be gathered in flower, and 
 in fruit. When the plant is small, we take it 
 entire, even with the root ; when it is large, we cut 
 branches fifteen inches long ; we put the plants well 
 extended between leaves of paper, under a board, 
 using pressure to prevent them from curling up, and 
 which we do not remove until they have become flat. 
 It is generally sufficient for their perfect desiccation, 
 that the specimens should be separated by sev 
 H 2 
 
 
148 BOTANY. 
 
 sheets of brown paper. In humid countries and 
 seasons, it is desirable to accelerate their desicca- 
 tion by an artificial heat. For that purpose, we 
 put a number of plants between tw r o planks, separ- 
 ated from each other by two or three sheets of 
 paper, we place this packet in a stove or oven, 
 after the bread is taken out; this quick method 
 does not even alter the colours. When they are 
 dry, we change the paper. There are some plants 
 which are very watery, such as bulbous plants, or- 
 chideae, &c. and which continue to vegetate in the 
 herbals several months after they have been placed 
 there. When these plants are gathered in the state 
 in which we wish to preserve them, w r e plunge them 
 for a minute into boiling water, then put them be- 
 tween two leaves of brown paper ; they will after- 
 wards dry quickly, as the action of the boiling 
 water will have destroyed the life of the plant. 
 
 On each packet of plants of the same species, 
 we put a note, indicating the name the plant bears 
 in its own country, the height of the country above 
 the level of the sea; in short, the same notes which 
 we have required for living vegetables. These in- 
 structions are extremely important for the geo- 
 graphy of plants, to the progress of which, Hum- 
 boldt has so much contributed. It is also useful to 
 notice the height of the plant, the colours of its 
 flowers, and the odour they exhale, as these cannot 
 always be learned from a herbal. 
 
BOTAXY. 14-9 
 
 Bried fruits should be sent in cases, with a ticket 
 which indicates the branch of the plant to which 
 they belong. We do the same by gums and resins. 
 Pulpy fruits should be sent in spirits, each in a 
 separate bottle. 
 
 Herbals and fruits, when they are perfectly dry, 
 should be packed in cases covered with pitch, to 
 defend them from mice and insects ; and it will be 
 prudent to add a little cotton, imbued with oil of 
 petroleum, or oil of turpentine. 
 
 It is also desirable to send specimens of useful 
 woods. These specimens ought to be about ten 
 inches long, and, if possible, the width of the 
 tree ; we also wish for a longitudinal and trans- 
 versal cut of the tree : but it is most essential to 
 put a number on the wood, correspond ing to the 
 branch of the tree in the herbal, for botanists are 
 still ignorant to what trees several of the woods 
 belong, which are articles of commerce. 
 
 Amongst the objects sent to us, we shall, doubt- 
 less, find many which we already possess ; still 
 they may be useful. There are plants in our gar- 
 dens which have degenerated, the seeds of which 
 it is desirable to renew. There are some which, 
 with difficulty, fructify in our green-houses, and 
 the seeds of which are not in sufficient quantities 
 to give to all those who request them. Thus, the 
 phormium tenax, or flax of New Zealand, the fibres 
 of which are much stronger th in those of hemp, 
 
 H 3 
 
350 BOTANY. 
 
 j night be plentifully cultivated in several of our 
 provinces, where it succeeds perfectly, although 
 its seeds ripen with difficulty. 
 
 The plants preserved in herbals, which we al- 
 ready possess, may be employed in making ex- 
 changes with other countries, and thus establish 
 one nomenclature. 
 
 Gums, resins, dye-woods, vegetable productions 
 employed in medicine, can be analysed, and positive 
 information given on objects which are now but 
 imperfectly known. We must allow that, notwith- 
 standing all our care, there are always some objects 
 amongst our collections which are destroyed by 
 time, and which it is useful to renew. 
 
 Collections of vegetables, from whatsoever country 
 they come, always present something new; and 
 there are some places so little known, that we desire 
 to receive every thing which can be procured from 
 them. 
 
 We will now give a brief list of a few objects 
 which would be particularly useful. 
 
 The North of Europe. 
 The Lithuanian pine. 
 
 The Northern Coasts of Africa. 
 
 The lawsonia (Fam. salicarias), the leaves of which 
 dye a yellowish red. 
 
BOTANY. 151 
 
 The oak with sweet acorns, (Fain, amentacese.) 
 
 The pyrethrum. 
 
 The sideroxylum of Morocco, (Fam sapc 
 
 Senegal. 
 
 The ginn-tree of Senegal, 
 The detar (detarium). 
 
 The galega (Fam. iegummosa 1 ), and the indigoes 
 which serve for dyeing. 
 
 The Cape of Good Hope. 
 
 The liliaceae remarkable for the beauty of their 
 flowers. 
 
 The proteae and gardenias (Fam. proteaceae et 
 rubiacese). 
 
 The Isle of France. 
 The true ebony wood. 
 
 Madagascar. 
 The vahe which yields the gum elastic. 
 
 The Levant. 
 
 The true hellebore of the ancients (helleborus 
 orientals, Fam. ranunculacere.) 
 H 4 
 
I i>2 BOTANY. 
 
 The astragalus (Fam. leguminosae), which yields 
 tlie gum adragant. 
 
 The balm of Judea. 
 
 Theseeds of theweepingwillow (Fam.amantacece), 
 and a small plant of the male tree. 
 
 Persia. 
 
 The assa fcetida. 
 The willow called bismith. 
 
 India. 
 
 The salsaparilla of commerce. 
 
 The nelumbo (Fam. hydrocharideae). 
 
 The nepenthes. 
 
 The terminalia (Fam. elaeagneae). 
 
 The canarium. 
 
 The mangostana (Fam. grettiferae). 
 
 The kaki (diospyros kaki. Fam. guaiacanae or 
 ebenacese). 
 
 The rose laurel (nerium. Fam. apocyneae), which 
 affords a beautiful dye. 
 
 The apocyneae which yield the gum-elastic. 
 
 The tree which produces incense, and which 
 grows in the environs of Calcutta. 
 
 Cartkagena. 
 
 The balsam of toln, (toluifera balsamifera. Fam\ 
 terebintaceae). 
 
BOTANY. 153 
 
 Terra Fir ma and the I\Iouths of the Oronooko. 
 
 The vessels which go to Martinique and Cayenne, 
 having, as we have already said, frequent commu- 
 nications with Terra Firm a und the mouths of the 
 Oronooko, might easily procure us the plants we 
 chiefly desire from these regions, by asking for 
 them under the names by which they are known in 
 the country. 
 
 From Cumana, branches in flower, and ripe 
 fruits of the cuspa, which we call Jesuits' bark 
 (cascarilla), and which we must not confound with 
 the cuspara of the missions of Caroni. The cuspara 
 furnishes the quinquina (Jesuits' bark), of Spanish 
 Guyana, called in Europe, cortex angusturse. 
 
 The vessels visiting the ports of Guaira and 
 Porto Cabello might bring some branches in flower, 
 and some fruits of the cow-tree (arbol de la vacca), 
 which resembles the chrysophyllum in the family 
 of sapoteae. This tree grows near Barbula, between 
 Porto Cabello and Nueva Valencia. It will be 
 highly important to bring also several well-corked 
 bottles of this vegetable milk, which gives nourish- 
 ment to the inhabitants. 
 
 Santo Thomas dc Angostura., and the Mouths of the 
 OronooJco. 
 
 The leaves, the flowers, the fruit, and the farina of 
 H 5 
 
154 BOTANY. 
 
 the trunk of the moriche palm, celebrated amongst 
 the Guaraunos Indians. A branch with the flowers, 
 as well as the fruits, of the cuspara or quinquina of 
 Caroni (cortex angusturae). Branches in flower 
 and fruits of the tree which affords the almonds of 
 the Rio Negro, and which bears the name of 
 almendron or juvia (bertholetia excelsa). The 
 branches, the flowers, and the fruits of the chicki- 
 chik palm, of which they make cordage in the mis- 
 sions of Oronooko. 
 
 New Holland. 
 Cucalyptus and casuarma (Fam. myrti et coni- 
 
 I'cTcJe). 
 
 Besides the collections of living vegetables, plants 
 preserved in herbals, and products of the vegetable 
 kingdom, the Museum possesses an assortment of 
 tools, machines, utensils, and substances, employed 
 in gardening, in agriculture, and in rural economy. 
 This assortment, already very rich in the imple- 
 ments of the different nations of Europe, still re- 
 quires the tools, &c., of other parts of the world. 
 They would be received with pleasure and gra- 
 titude. 
 
155 
 
 MINERALOGY AND GEOLOGY. 
 
 Minerals are found either in regular and geome- 
 trical forms, which bear the name of crystals, or 
 in masses more or less irregular. Amongst the 
 crystals, there are some so situated, that we can, 
 without injury, separate them from their support 
 or the substance which surrounds them. Others 
 compose groupes projecting beyond their support, 
 and others appear buried in cavities in the interior. 
 We must procure, as frequently as possible, the 
 specimens in these three states* As regards the 
 crystals inserted within the surrounding substance, 
 we detach parts of this substance with them, at 
 least from three to four inches large in every sense, 
 so that we may observe the different minerals which 
 accompany the crystals. We also detach portions 
 of the masses composed of needles, fibres, of the 
 granulous or compact, taking care to choose them 
 in a state of freshness, and free from alteration, 
 which is most obvious in those situated near the 
 surface. 
 
 In collecting fragments or specimens of rocks, 
 minerals, volcanic products, or fossile organised 
 bodies, it is most essential to note their stratifica- 
 tion well ; that is to say, the nature of the place in 
 which they are found, and their relative position 
 H 6 
 
1.36 MINERALOGY AND 
 
 with the minerals which environ them. In detach- 
 ing specimens from these mines, they must take 
 care to leave round the principal metal, either 
 portions of the other metals which are associated 
 with it, or of the stony substances which often ac- 
 company it, especially those which are crystallised. 
 
 If they find earths which contain the remains of 
 organised beings, such as the bones of animals, 
 shells, impressions offish and vegetables, they should 
 collect with care, specimens of these different 
 bodies, having them enveloped in a portion of the 
 earth or stone in which they were fixed. 
 
 In case the traveller should find any traces of 
 volcanic origin, he should procure specimens of the 
 different substances thrown up by explosions, some 
 of which are in a state of stone like basalt, others 
 similar to glass like obsidian, others in a state of 
 scoriae. For those that are in prisms, care should 
 lie taken to note the form of these prisms, and the 
 extent they occupy in the soil. 
 
 A ticket should be fixed to each specimen indi- 
 cating the name of the country where it was found, 
 the spot from which it was taken, the distance of 
 this place from, and its situation with respect to 
 any known town in its neighbourhood ; as nearly 
 as possible the nature and general aspect of the soil, 
 and its elevation above the level of the sea. 
 
 Wherever warm or mineral waters are found, 
 care should be taken to fill phials with them, which 
 should be well corked and luted. 
 
GEOLOGY. 157 
 
 Since we have abandoned systems to confine 
 ourselves to the observation of facts, and to com- 
 pare these observations ; since we have renounced 
 the attempts to guess the origin of things, to ascer- 
 tain their actual state; geology, which formerly 
 belonged to the domain of imagination, has followed 
 the course of the positive sciences. This regular 
 method has not only extended our knowledge of the 
 construction of the earth, but has even produced 
 results useful to the arts. We are far however 
 from knowing the different countries of the globe 
 as we know Europe, and the facts necessary for 
 fixing our ideas can only be collected by travellers, 
 who are well informed on, and devoted to, this kind 
 of study. But it is very easy for those who visit 
 distant countries, especially beyond the tropics, to 
 procure us important notices, and to send us pro- 
 ductions, the examination of which alone can en- 
 lighten and furnish us with ideas on the nature of 
 the soil in different countries, and consequently the 
 general disposition of the minerals which cover the 
 surface of the globe. On all coasts, in all the 
 islands, where a vessel harbours, those who go on 
 shore can without much difficulty procure objects, 
 which, not possessing any value in themselves, may 
 become instructive and interesting from the notes 
 by which they are accompanied. They first collect, 
 on the borders of rocky torrents, fragments which 
 indicate the nature of the rocks over which they 
 12 
 
158 MINERALOGY AND 
 
 pass. They will choose the largest, note their size, 
 and break some of these fragments. They will also 
 take some of the smallest, exemplifying the variety 
 of aspect. The further these fragments are brought, 
 the less they become. 
 
 Wherever a rock rises, either in the middle of a 
 water or country, travellers must observe, if this 
 rock be all of the same substance, whether homo- 
 geneous or composite, or if it be formed of different 
 layers. In the first case, they will detach a frag- 
 ment. In the second they will observe the relative 
 position of the strata, their inclination and thick- 
 ness ; they will take a specimen of each, putting the 
 same mark on all the specimens which come from 
 the same mountain, and a particular number on 
 each of them, to indicate the order of their super- 
 position, or their reciprocal situation. If the tra- 
 veller who will collect these specimens, can join a 
 sketch to the simple mention of these particulars, 
 indicating the form of the mountain, and the thick- 
 ness and inclination of these layers, he will perform 
 an essential service. In case the rock be an isolated 
 peak, it will be well to examine and draw two faces, 
 to confirm the inclination of the strata. 
 
 It will be useful to collect the sand of rivers, 
 especially those which carry metallic spangles with 
 them ; but the sand must be taken as far from the 
 mouths as possible. 
 
 In some countries, isolated masses are found, to 
 
GEOLOGY. 159 
 
 which the people attribute a singular origin ; the 
 traveller will take fragments of them, some may be 
 aerolites, others may have been transported by the 
 revolutions of the globe. 
 
 In gathering the fragments of rocks, mines, vol- 
 canic productions, fossil organised bodies, the most 
 essential thing is to notice their bearing, that is to 
 say, the nature of the soil where they are found, 
 and their position relative to the minerals which 
 environ them. 
 
 The basaltic layers merit a particular attention, 
 either in themselves, or with respect to the soils 
 which support or which cover them ; the traveller 
 will remark if they are divided into irregular 
 masses, in tables, prisms, and what is their disposi- 
 tion. He will observe if they contain the remains 
 of organised bodies, and he will take care to collect 
 specimens of the different states, as well as of the 
 substances upon which the basalt reposes. He 
 will particularly ascertain if there be not any inter- 
 position of scorified matter, or of those beds of an 
 earthy aspect, to which the Germans give the name 
 of wakke, and which are not supposed to be vol- 
 canic. 
 
 The trap porphyries or trachytes, merit the same 
 attention : they are particularly distinguished from 
 primitive and transitive porphyries, by the ab- 
 sence of quartz and the presence of pyroxene. 
 
 The traveller will not trouble himself with 
 
160 MINERALOGY AND 
 
 pieces of a large size ; specimens from two and a 
 half to three inches, and about an inch and a half 
 thick are sufficient. He will only take large masses 
 when they contain a fossil animal. 
 
 To pack the specimens, we first cover them with 
 fine paper ; above this paper we put that on which 
 the note is written, then a second fine paper, which 
 we cover with tow, and envelope the whole in brown 
 paper. We then arrange all the specimens in a 
 case, close upon one another, filling the interstices 
 with cut paper or tow, so that the whole forms a 
 mass, which nothing can disturb. The case should 
 be covered with pitch, to defend it from air and 
 damp. 
 
 We have a few words to add respecting the 
 packing. When the cases are filled, closed, and 
 covered with pitch, they should be enveloped in 
 an oiled canvass, and placed in a part of the vessel 
 where they may remain until their arrival ; shel- 
 tered as much as possible from excessive heat, and 
 out of the reach of rats. It is desirable that they 
 should not be opened or unpacked at the Quays, or 
 Custom-houses, or until they reach their destin- 
 ation, as there is always a risk of their being bro- 
 ken or injured.* 
 
 * Having separated a specimen from the rock, its sides or 
 edges should be broken or reproduced with the small hammer, 
 (striking the specimen as it rests in the palm of your hand,) in 
 
GEOLOGY. 161 
 
 Few travellers will want a sufficient interest in 
 Natural History, but many may not be able to 
 spare the time to act up to all the particulars of 
 our instructions. Even to these we shall be grate- 
 ful, if they will send us skins of animals in cases 
 covered with pitch; small animals, thrown pell- 
 mell into a barrel of spirituous liquor ; seeds ga- 
 thered at random ; and minerals, with a note indi- 
 cating the place where they were collected. We 
 will only add, that the more attention they can af- 
 ford to our instructions, the more they will realise 
 our views for the benefit of science and our coun- 
 try. These instructions have not been compiled for 
 those who make Natural History a secondary ob- 
 ject, but for those who devote themselves to it from 
 preference or opportunity ; we must observe, that 
 we will gratefully return such of our duplicates as 
 they may desire, towards the completion of their 
 own collection, in exchange for the objects they 
 may transmit to us, by such European vessels as 
 touch in their neighbourhood. 
 
 order that they may be perfectly fresh, the original surfaces 
 being subject to alteration, from long exposure to the atmo- 
 sphere. 
 
162 
 BOTANY, 
 
 GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 
 
 THE nearer we advance to the equator, the larger 
 &re the plants. The most commodious size for the 
 paper of the herbarium would be from fifteen to 
 eighteen inches long, and eight to ten wide. We 
 should be provided with several planks of the same 
 3ize as our paper ; these planks should be formed 
 of two thinner ones, their surfaces being glued to- 
 gether ; so that the grain of the wood of one may go 
 length-ways, and the grain of the other breadth- 
 ways ; without this precaution they are apt to break. 
 We must have either a press, or a proportionate 
 number of straps, with buckles at one end, which 
 will serve to press the packets of blotting-paper 
 between the two planks. We should also have a 
 tin box, and a large book of blotting-paper, with a 
 loose back, shut with little straps, and capable of 
 being carried in the form of a knapsack. This 
 book and box, will serve during a journey for a 
 temporary herbarium. 
 
 When we are stationary, we take the plants from 
 the book or box, and place them in sheets of dry 
 blotting paper ; between each sheet, containing a 
 plant, we must be careful to place two or more dry 
 
BOTANY. 163 
 
 and empty sheets, and then press the whole be^ 
 tween the planks with the straps, arid expose them 
 in a dry, warm, and airy place. We ought every 
 day to change the damp paper for dry, until the 
 desiccation is completed. We may shorten this 
 operation a little, by only changing the intermediate 
 sheets, and always leaving the plant in that in which 
 it was first placed ; but in this case the number of 
 intermediate sheets must be more considerable. 
 When we plunge saponaceous plants, lilacese, or*> 
 chideae, &c. into hot water to destroy their vitality, 
 we must always except the flowers; and after this pro- 
 cess, we must be very careful to change their papers. 
 
 Very delicate aquatic or marine plants require 
 peculiar care : we must float them in a basin of 
 fresh water, and then pass under them a piece of 
 very strong white paper, by which we raise them 
 slowly and obliquely, that the plants may remain 
 attached in their natural position. If the plants 
 are extremely delicate, we must use talc or glass. 
 
 When the fruits are of a dry nature, it is often 
 more advantageous to leave them in their husks 
 without sifting them ; but when the fruit is fleshy, 
 we must separate them. 
 
 When fruits are dry and coriaceous, they do not 
 require any other preparation than being preserved 
 in a dry place, not exposed to the sun: and those 
 whose valves open with desiccation, must be tied 
 round with a piece of strong thread. 
 
If the trunk of a tree does not exceed a foot in 
 diameter, we must cut a stump a foot long, re- 
 taining the bark, with its thorns or spines, if it 
 have them. If the trunk exceed a foot in diameter, 
 we may choose a middle-sized branch for a speci- 
 men, if it do not differ from the trunk; but if it 
 do, we cut the trunk longitudinally, so that we 
 have one half, or one quarter, of its circumference, 
 but always from the pith to the bark. 
 
 When we meet with palms, ferns, or any other 
 monocotyledonous tree, we must procure a stump of 
 a foot long, whatever the diameter may be. If tfye 
 palm be branchy, which is very seldom the case, 
 we must cut the trunk six inches below the rami- 
 fication, and six inches above. Travellers are 
 particularly requested not to neglect any oppor- 
 tunity of collecting palms, tree-ferns, dragon-trees 
 (dracaena), pandaneae, or trees similar to these. 
 
 In cases where it is impossible to have a portion 
 of the trunk sufficient to convey an idea of its size, 
 as the baobab, or the ceiba, we must take an exact 
 note of the dimensions. The specimens of wood, 
 when fresh cut, should be put to dry in places 
 which are neither too dry, nor too warm, to pre- 
 vent them from splitting. 
 
 Roots are only worth the trouble of collecting, 
 when they present any thing remarkable in their 
 structure, and then we take the same precautions 
 as for woods. 
 
BOTANY. 16-5 
 
 Fleshy fungi ought to be treated like fleshy fruits, 
 that is to say, preserved in spirits. Those whose 
 nature allows them to be dried without much alter- 
 ation, and lichens, ought to be treated like dried 
 fruits ; that is, either put into an herbarium, or 
 dried apart. Ferns, mosses, algae, ought to be 
 dried, and put into an herbarium. If time be 
 wanting, the mosses may all be mingled together, 
 and arranged after their arrival, 
 
 In the present state of science, travellers ought 
 to pay great attention to the collecting small cryp- 
 togamia which spring on living vegetables. The 
 greater part of the spots or excrescences which we 
 see upon leaves, stems, or fruits, are worthy of 
 being gathered and preserved. In this case we 
 ought to gather the leaf charged with the parasite, 
 and a branch in flower of the same tree, to know 
 its specie-. 
 
 Travellers will render an important service to 
 science, by carefully collecting the monstrosities, 
 or permanent accidents of vegetables; such as the 
 natural union of the organs of the same plant, 
 which are generally separate ; the organs which 
 are abortive or altered in their form, their number, 
 or appearance. These cases being out of the ge- 
 neral rule, we cannot prescribe any precise method 
 for their preservation ; we can only observe, that 
 at the side of each monstrous or diseased spe- 
 
166 BOTANY. 
 
 cimen, another ought to be added of the same 
 species, in its usual state, to serve as a comparison. 
 
 By the side of our drawings, it is desirable to 
 put a sketch of the general appearance of the whole 
 individual ; and if it be a tree, to add a scale of the 
 size. 
 
 In our descriptions, if we be accustomed to the 
 technical details of botany, we should be careful 
 to note those particulars which are not easily seen 
 in an herbarium, such as the exact insertion of the 
 parts of the flower and the fruit, especially when 
 the organs are very small ; the precise construction 
 of the grain, &c. 
 
 In climbing plants, when any species be found 
 which resemble European, it is particularly^ neces- 
 sary to notice which way they twist round their 
 support ; the traveller, supposing himself in the 
 place of the support, his face turned tov/ards the 
 south pole, to ascertain if they ascend from right 
 to left, or from left to right. 
 
ttatt 
 
 Fia.2. 
 
 fiq.J.. 
 
,; f iufL^mtnnin << / "Mrtvnt, wA v /(, a: 
 
Fiq J 
 
 tlllllHflHHIlHIl 
 
 : ; :: ; iiliiMlilllillll 
 
Plate JY. 
 
 />>/. .V. 
 
 culp* 
 
DESCRIPTION OF THE PLATES. 
 
 PLATES I. and II. referred to in the text. 
 
 PLATE III. 
 
 Fig. 1. The bird, with the incision for skinning and 
 removing the body. 
 
 Fig. 2. The body removed ; the skin turned inside 
 out like a glove ; legs and wings dissected; the skuli 
 skinned to the front, cleansed from the flesh, and the 
 occipital hole enlarged for taking away the brains ; 
 a, the strings fastened to the beak. 
 
 Fig. 3. The bird with all the wires inserted. 
 
 Fig. 4-. The bird fixed and bandaged. 
 
 PLATE IV. 
 
 Fig. 1. The oval or body -wire, the head- wire, the 
 tail-bearer, and leg-wires, connected. 
 
 Fig. 2. The leg-wires separated. 
 
 Fig, 3. The tail-bearer separated. 
 
 Fig. 4% The oval and head-wire separated. 
 
 Fig. 5. The net for catching butterflies and insect* 
 when flying : the oval becoming perpendicular by a 
 turn of the wrist, escape is prevented. 
 
 Fig. 6. Flappers for catching butterflies or insects 
 on leaves or flowers. 1. Front view; a, the oval wire 
 covered with cotton-net ; c, the shaft to receive the 
 
168 
 
 rivet ; b, the bow for the thumb or finger. 2. Side 
 view, to show the way of opening and closing the 
 flappers, by means of the riveted handles. 
 
 PLATE V. 
 
 Fig. 1. An instrument for the convenience of tra- 
 vellers, the upper edge of which, , is sharpened for 
 cutting specimens of the wood from the trunks or larger 
 branches of trees ; b> edged for severing the branches 
 out of reach ; c, blunt for hooking them down, for the 
 sake of the leaf, fruit, or flower. This, with a small 
 spade for digging up plants, may be carried in the 
 waistcoat pocket, and the same handle will serve for 
 them and the insect net. 
 
 Fig. 2. Shape of the larger hammer used for rocks. 
 
 Fig. 3. Smaller hammer enlarged, to show the di- 
 rection of the upper edge, , which must form a seg- 
 ment of the circle formed by the arm in striking, (to 
 make the blow effective,) which depends of course on 
 the length of the arm. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 Printed by A. and 11. Spottiswoode, 
 Printers- Street, London. 
 
Flate V. 
 
 //. .V. 
 
 JidfHull ^itlp ' 
 
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