Page:Care and Management of Rabbits.djvu/223

Rh a difficult operation, in fact, much easier than dressing a chicken.

The proper way to kill a rabbit is to hold it by the hind legs and strike it a sharp blow on the back of the head behind the ears with a stout stick or club. Then bleed it immediately by inserting a sharp paring knife in its throat. As soon as this has been done, hang it up by the heels and commence to remove the skin.

First, make a cut around the hind feet at the first joint, then cut the skin across the vent to the other hind leg. You now have an opening, after the legs have been freed from the skin, through which you can take the body of the rabbit. This is done by taking the skin off cased; that is, over the head. No more cuts are made in the skin, for, if it is winter, you will want to save it as it is valuable.

You will find that the skin will slip off easily like a glove. As soon as the skin has been removed, slit the abdomen from a point about midway between the hind legs up to