78 TAXIDERMY AND ZOOLOGICAL COLLECTING. 



except the jaws. The skeleton is wholly of cartilage instead of 

 bone, and is easily cut through. 



The extremely flat, circular-bodied ray, also with a cartilagi- 

 nous skeleton, must be opened on the underside by two cross 

 cuts at right angles to each other, one extending from mouth 

 to tail, and the other from side to side. The fin rays are very 

 long stems of cartilage, set so closely together as to form a solid 

 sheet of cartilage extending from the thoracic skeleton out to 

 the extremities of the fins, which taper out to nothing. The 

 thoracic skeleton gives shape to the body of the ray, particu- 

 larly the back, and it must be left in place, with the skin of the 

 back attached to it. Cut through the fin rays where they join 

 the body, and this will enable you to skin down each side of the 

 fish until you get so near the outer edge there is no longer any 

 flesh. Stop at that point, cut the flesh away from the fin rays, 

 and cut away as much of the fin rays themselves as you please. 



Clear out all the flesh and preserve the skin in a very strong 

 solution of salt and water (what is known to chemists as a " sat- 

 urated solution " ), or in alcohol if you have it to spare. 



PREPARING ROUGH SKELETONS. In about seven cases out of 

 ten, it is a far easier and more simple matter to rough out, clean, 

 and mount the complete skeleton of a fish than the uninitiated 

 would naturally suppose. A few fishes, such as the shad, have 

 more bones than the law allows, and the preparation of a com- 

 plete skeleton thus becomes a practical impossibility. Fortu- 

 nately, however, most fishes are more reasonable in the matter 

 of bones, and to these w T e direct our efforts. 



First and foremost, study the bony structure of a typical scale 

 fish, learn what its principal parts are, and how they are artic- 

 ulated. Learn how the ribs lie, and how a row of slender, rib- 

 like bones called appendices, or epipleural spines, are attached 

 to the true ribs, and at their outer extremities touch the inside <>f 

 fJie skin along the lateral line of the fish. If you will take a 

 good-sized perch as your first subject, you will not be troubled 

 with any osteological extras, and the process will be as follows : 



Lay the perch upon its side, and with a sharp scalpel cut 

 away the skin from the whole of the exposed side. Remove 

 all the viscera. By careful examination, ascertain the exact lo- 

 cation of the ribs, and particularly the row of epipleural spines 



