COLLECTING FISHES. 79 



attached at the upper ends of the former. With a broad, flat 

 bone-scraper, or your knife-blade if you have nothing- better, 

 beg-in at the lateral line of the fish, and work toward the top 

 of the back, taking- the flesh away in chunks as you go. In a 

 very short time the vertebrae and the interhtemal spines are ex- 

 posed, and with a narrower bone-scraper the flesh is easily re- 

 moved from them. 



Now turn the fish around, and with great care cut and scrape 

 the flesh away from the ribs and the epipleural spines. Do not 

 on any account detach the latter from the former, but at this 

 stage leave them attached to each other by a thin strip of flesh 

 for their better protection. 



Do not separate the ventral fins by cutting through the pubic 

 arch, but with your small, curve-ended bone-scraper remove the 

 flesh from the angular recesses of these bones, and leave the an- 

 te vior end of the pubic arch attached to the coracoid. Next, 

 pick out the flesh from around the base of the pectoral fin, re- 

 move the eye from its socket, and whatever flesh the skull con- 

 tains. Thus does the bony structure of one entire side stand 

 revealed. The gills are of course to remain in place, as the 

 skeleton would not be complete without them. 



There is but one thing- more to add. In treating- the other 

 side of the fish in a precisely similar manner, care must be 

 taken to not disturb the attachment of the intemeural and in- 

 terhaemal spines which join the dorsal and anal fin rays to the 

 processes of the vertebral column. 



Having thus denuded the fish of its flesh, lay the skeleton in 

 a pan of water, and with a moderately soft tooth-brush, or nail- 

 brush, brush it carefully to wash away all blood and mucus. If 

 the bones are full of blood (which is very rarely the case), the 

 skeleton must be soaked in clear water for an hour or two, or 

 longer if necessary, to soak out the blood, so that it will not dry 

 in the bones and permanently disfigure them. 



Hough skeletons of fishes may be preserved in alcohol, but 

 for many reasons it is much the best to dry them. Poison them 

 with dry arsenic ; do not put upon them either salt, arsenical so"/'. 

 or alum, hang- each one up by the head, and see that it dries in 

 good shape. The pectoral fins should lie well down upon the 

 ribs for mutual protection. 



