. 10. If it is to be displayed with open mouth, fill the
mouth with cotton or cloth to exclude the plaster. Cover the whole head
with plaster.

[Illustration: FRONT VIEW. (Fig. 10)]

After the plaster sets, with a saw and knife cut the mold into two parts
lengthwise, being careful not to cut into the head. Use the saw first
and when the plaster is cut down close to the skin use the knife
carefully. Do not attempt to remove the head before cutting the mold in
two.

Remove flesh and cartilage from the head, line with aluminum leaf, and
proceed as previously instructed. Of course none of the tongue is to be
removed if the mouth is to be left open, in which case do not remove the
bony parts of the gills. Before placing the cleaned skin in the mold,
tie the two parts of the mold together. Cut a neck board to fit and set
it in plaster. Finish as previously advised.

CHAPTER XXII.

MOUNTING REPTILES, FROGS AND TOADS.

The largest reptile of the United States, the alligator, is mounted by
methods applied to medium sized animals. Leg, head and tail rods are
stapled to a stout back board and after building up the legs from tow
the larger part of the body is filled by stuffing with coarse tow or
fine excelsior. Let the skin rest back down while engaged in this,
sewing up the skin as it proceeds, with stout twine and a sail needle.
You may even need to use the awl to pierce the armor like skin.

For any natural position the leg irons need not be heavy as this animal
usually keeps its body and tail in contact with the ground. The leg rods
are clinched or bolted beneath the pedestal as in other quadrupeds and
in addition some long screws are turned into the back board from below
and the tail held down by wire fastened to its central support and
clinched beneath the pedestal.

All but the smallest lizards are mounted in the same way as the small
fur-bearers. There is apparently no known mode of "stuffing" a snake so
as to resemble its natural state.

The skin must be placed on a carefully modelled manikin with a plastic
layer between. For small snakes tow is wound on a wire and shaped with
thread, and excelsior is used in the same way for the large ones.

The larger manikins are to be posed and paper coated in most cases
before receiving the skin. Frogs and toads are also very difficult to
mount in natural positions, but are nicely represented in painted casts.

Frogs, however, possess the distinction of not havin