A good sized turtle may be thoroughly preserved without the tedious process of unjointing, skinning, digging out the flesh, sewing up, etc., by observing the following directions:
Take a snapping, or any other hard shell turtle, say one that measures ten inches across the back, or smaller, down to the smallest.
The first thing to be done is to kill it, which is the hardest part of the operation, as it clings to life tenaciously, and large ones are very strong and hard to manage. One way is to get it to open its mouth, and catch it by the under jaw with a pair of strong pliers, hold its mouth open and make it swallow a quantity of the solution of corrosive sublimate; this being a deadly poison, it will soon kill it.
Another way is to hold its head as far out as you can pull it, and stick it as close to the under shell as you can, running the blade well back into the body. It takes some time for it to die after being stuck.
And still another way is to open its mouth and stick a knife blade up through the roof of the mouth into the brain.
I prefer the poisoning, as it seems to die easier and quicker, and it does not disfigure it. As soon as it dies, lay it on its back, and make an opening in the skin, under one of the back legs, large enough to take out all the entrails; now take a pair of pliers or a hook (made for the purpose); pull out all the entrails, liver, heart, etc. If the specimen is a large one, pour in some water and rinse out thoroughly, then put in a lot of the preserving powder, being careful to get it well distributed through the body. Then take some cotton and dust it well with the preserving powder, and fill up the inside, pressing the cotton in tight, filling the body full and sew up. Now open the mouth and pour some of the solution of corrosive sublimate down its throat, and press some cotton sprinkled with the powder down its throat, being careful not to stretch the neck out of proportion. Remove the eyes and insert the artificial eyes in their stead; fill the mouth with cotton and close it. Cut a hole in the bottom of each foot, and probe the legs with a knife or the blunt end of a wire; pour in some of the solution of corrosive sublimate, or work in enough of the powder to preserve the flesh; if the tail is a large one, it should be treated in the same way, and all sewed up. Now set it on a board and tack the feet to the board in as near the way it would hold them while walking as you can. Pull the neck out a very little, and put a little block or a small roll of cotton under it to hold it up in position while drying. Before putting it on the drying board, take a small paint brush, pour out some of the solution of corrosive sublimate in a dish and give the whole outer surface a thorough wetting. This should be repeated once a day for several days. This completes the dressing. After the specimen is dry, take it off the board and set in the cabinet.
Another way: After killing, as directed, lay the specimen on its back and unjoint the breast shell from back shell with a chisel or heavy knife blade; open the skin from the front part of the foreleg back and around to front of the other foreleg, cutting under the legs. Skin out all the flesh and bones of the legs and unjoint them at the foot, skin out the tail, then unjoint the neck bone from backbone, and skin it out and unjoint at the back of the skull. Take the flesh from back and breast shells, then anoint all parts with the preserving powder. Take a frame as Fig. 8, in article V, of the wire and wood frame, and put in legs, neck and tail, as directed in animals, letting the neck wire pass out through the mouth or nostril. Stuff the legs, neck and tail with cotton or tow, and sew up the sides, leaving an opening to stuff the body; fill the body, then finish sewing up. In stuffing the legs, neck and tail be careful to keep the wires in the center of each. Open the mouth and take out the eyes from inside and put in the glass eyes; put some cotton back of them to hold them in place while drying. Close the mouth, and wet the whole body with the solution of corrosive sublimate. This should be done once a day for several days. Place the specimen on a board to dry. For position, copy after nature as near as possible. After the skin is dry a coat of varnish adds much to its appearance.
ARTICLE IX.
KILLING AND DRESSING SNAKES.
To kill a snake without bruising or breaking the skin is a difficult undertaking, for, as a general thing, we are not looking for snakes, therefore we are not prepared to capture one.
When we do run across them, we generally kill them with the first thing we get hold of. If the snake is not too large, strike it across the back with a small stick. This disables him, and you now have time to prepare to finish him. Watch your chance and when the opportunity presents itself, tap it on the head a few times, and you can soon kill it without bruising. When it is dead, open its mouth and cut the tongue and fangs out, then unjoint the backbone from the skull and skin back on the body an inch or two, turning the skin inside out. Tie a cord to the skinned part of the body and pull on this with your right hand, while with your left hand you pull the skin off from the body, which is easily done if the snake is not too large in the center of the body; in that case it must be opened in the largest part of the body. Make the opening on under side of body, lengthwise of the snake, and long enough to allow you to remove the skin all around the body, then cut the body in two. Skin out both ends, unjointing the body close to the skull, turn the skin right side out and sew up the opening, taking short stitches. Now mix some plaster paris and water, leaving it thin enough to run; place a funnel in the mouth and pour the plaster in until the body is full. Lay the snake on a level board and coil it before the plaster gets dry, placing the head in the position in which you want it to remain. Take out the eyes and put in the glass ones; then wet the whole skin with the solution of corrosive sublimate. This should be repeated once a day for three or four days.