=Directions for Dissecting Muscles.=—The muscles that are brought into great play in movements of the bird’s limbs are dark carmine in color, while those which are not brought greatly into use are pale or white in color. The tendons are made up of white fibrous connective tissue, are very dense, and pearly white in color. In securing a bird for dissection of muscles it is best to select one in rather poor flesh, as the fat is annoying. The bird may be chloroformed or killed in a bell jar by aid of illuminating gas. After the bird is dead pluck all the feathers and immerse it in a 10 per cent. solution of formaldehyde or of 80 per cent. alcohol. It is best to puncture the abdominal wall so that the fluid may at once fill the abdominal cavity and more readily gain access to the chest cavity; and to puncture the skin at various points so that the liquid may more quickly become disseminated among the muscular structures. Post-mortem changes quickly take place if these precautions are not taken. The liquid surrounding the carcass should be at least twice the quantity of the bulk of the carcass. The first dissection should be to lay bare the dermal muscles. The dermal muscles are of two kinds, true dermal and dermo-osseous. The dermal muscles have their origin and insertion in the skin, and control the movements of the different groups of feathers. The dermo-osseous have their origin on some part of the skeleton, and insert to the integuments. The dermal muscles vary with the characteristics of the bird, we do not find all the known dermal muscles in any one specimen. A cock of the Cornish breed will show these muscles best developed. Birds possess an enormous system of minute muscles divided up into an infinite number of fasciculi, to act harmoniously upon the feather quills and to agitate collectively the plumage. By the aid of a low-power lens the action of the feather muscles in the large quill butts of the wing or the tail may be studied.