=Instructions to Travelers.= The best means of procuring living animals,
is by applying to the natives of the different countries, who are
accustomed to their habits, and the situation in which they are likely
to be found, and to take them in traps and snares. They are also more
likely to be able to find their retreats, so that they may take these
animals in a young state, and also birds in their nests.
By thus securing animals while young, they are much more likely to reach
home in a living state. Every exertion should be used to render them
familiar, when, being habituated to the appearance of man, they will be
more able to resist the effects of a tedious sea voyage than those which
have been taken when wild, and are under a continued degree of
excitement. Every care should be taken to soothe and caress them; and
there is no animal whose manners cannot be softened by gentle treatment.
During fine weather, they should be allowed to take exercise on the
deck, as nothing is so injurious to their health and growth as being
long pent up in a small cage. While thus confined, it will be obvious
that they require a much smaller portion of food than when they can have
sufficient room to exercise themselves. Many of these animals are lost
from over-feeding. Their diet should be given with great regularity, but
always in such quantity as they can easily digest.
Next to food, cleanliness is of the utmost importance, and of this
requires too much of the attention of those who are bringing them home,
it will be easy to procure the assistance of some of the crew. And
unless this is strictly attended to, there is little chance of
preserving their health.
When animals’ skins are imported, it is also necessary to bring the head
and feet. Those of the mammalia, which can be put into a barrel or
bottle, should be preserved entire in spirits.
In the event of not being able to transport the carcase, the next best
thing is to bring the skeleton along with the skin. It will not be
necessary to mount these. All that is required is to boil the bones,
take off the flesh, and dry them. Afterwards all the bones belonging to
the same skeleton should be put in a bag by themselves, taking care to
fill up the bag with dried moss, or any other substance which will
prevent friction. The more effectually to secure this, the small and
tender bones ought to be wrapped in paper. It is of the utmost
consequence that not a bone should be lost.
In shooting birds, it is of much importance not to use the shot too
large; indeed, it ought to be proportioned, as nearly as possible, to
the size of the bird to be shot at. When the bird is killed, the blood
must be carefully wiped away, and a little cotton must be put into the
bill to prevent the blood flowing from it to injure the feathers. The
wound should also be stuffed with cotton.
Birds should be skinned as soon as possible, as the feathers are apt to
fall off if kept too long. The os coccygis must be kept attached to the
skin. If several individuals of the same species be killed, one should,
if possible, be preserved entire in spirits, with the whole muscles of
the body. If the bird has a fleshy crest, it ought to be preserved in
spirits.
It is of the utmost consequence to procure the male, female and young,
and these at different ages besides, as many species are subject to
great variety, in their progress from the young to the adult state. This
is more particularly the case with Eagles and Hawks, many of which have
been described as different species in their immature state. The eggs
and nest should also be procured.
=Reptiles.= The chief thing to be attended to in skinning reptiles is
not to injure the scales; and in the lizard kind, care must be taken not
to break the tail. But for all the smaller and middle sized species, the
best mode is to preserve them in spirits; and of the larger kind which
are skinned, the skeletons ought to be kept. The flesh should be taken
away with knives and scalpels as well as possible, and the bones
thoroughly dried, and packed in a box with cotton or grass, and they can
be articulated after they are brought home. When the skeletons are too
large, they may be separated into convenient parts for packing.
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