. Add a tablespoonful
of carbolic acid to the gallon while hot. Stir well. Let the solution
cool thoroughly before submerging skins in it.

Skins should always be put through the double dry salting before going
into "pickle." Keep in covered earthen jars.

For making up into rugs, send animal skins to a good tanner, first
skinning out the ears and paring out lips and nose.

To make an open-mouthed rug head, use the natural skull when possible.
Set the jaws open solidly with plaster of paris and at the same time lay
a plaster core between lower jaw for the artificial tongue. Set the
skull upon a cut-out base-board as shown in Fig. 38.

[Illustration: Fig. 38.]

Drive nails half in all around back and side edges of this base-board
and wrap on filling of excelsior for jaws and flare of neck. Drive the
nails down tight after wrapping is completed.

Mount the head before stretching the skin. Relax the head with water and
poison same as deer scalp.

Use plaster and glue-water compo. as in raw deer scalp. If a snarling
expression is desired, model the wrinkles on the muzzle with an edged
wooden tool. Tuck the lip lining well under the filling, so they will
hold in place when the plaster is set. Finish details of face same as in
other mounting.

Finish the tongue and gums by melting colored wax and cotton upon core
and bone with hot iron, modeling and carving to shape when cool. After
the head is mounted and set, stretch the skin. Moisten the flesh side to
soften it up well.

Nail down the rear end upon floor to its widest spread, with hind legs
pointing back on a slight slant. Draw the skin forward and spread
forelegs and front end to widest extent and nail down in accurate line
with hind part. Now work from side to side, nailing skin out to its
widest extent and in symmetrical lines. Always stretch a rug-skin hair
side down. A slight wash of arsenic-water may be applied after the skin
is stretched and while yet moist, care being used not to mess the hair
with the solution.

When dry, the skin is ready to line. Lay the felt lining upon the floor
and the skin upon it and cut around the skin, allowing three or four
inches for pinked edge.

With a pinking iron cut scalloped edge and enough of a narrow strip to
gather fully all around just inside the outer edge. Lay skin on lining
and mark its edge with tailor's chalk. Sew the gathered edge just inside
this chalk mark so that the stitch will be covered by the skin.