82 How To Make Fish Mounts 



rinsed frequently in fresh water. I advise the use of rubber 

 gloves in skinning a fish which has been preserved in Formalin. 

 The skinner's eyes may smart a bit if the fish is not soaked 

 enough in clean water. There is an advantage to Formalin- 

 preserved specimens because the skin will never stretch out of 

 shape during skinning. 



The skin, fins, and tail must be kept moist during the process 

 of skinning or else scales will be lost and fins will crack. I pre- 

 fer to keep the fish on water-soaked cloths while working. 

 Select the show side of the fish and then turn it over; obviously, 

 the cut has to be made on the opposite side. For the initial 

 incision run the knife or scalpel along the mid-side of the body 

 from the edge of the gill cover to the tail fin ( Fig. 79 ) . 



Lift the gill cover, insert the scissors into the incision, and 

 point toward the head. Cut through the bony structure which 

 is the piece of anatomy on which the rear edge of the gill cover 

 naturally rests. This step may be done later as indicated in 

 Fig. 84.' 



Separate the skin from the body along the incision (Fig. 80). 

 Push the knife here and there; use your fingers and thumb as 

 much as possible in the process. Some tvpes of fish skin, how- 

 ever have to be cut from the body during the entire process of 

 skinning; the skin cannot be pulled away with the fingers. Care 

 should be used not to cut through the skin. If it is damaged do 

 not panic; it can be repaired in the finished mount. Do not give 

 rough treatment to any fish skin. A mount with many missing 

 scales is not very attractive. 



Continue separating the skin from the body until the pectoral 

 fin is reached; snip it at its base. As the skinning proceeds to 

 the other fins, cut them from the body also ( Fig. 82 ) . Exercise 

 caution here because it is easy to insert the tips of the scissors 

 too far and damage the skin. Often, skinning may be facilitated 

 by slicing through and removing a segment of the body (Fig. 

 81). Carefully skin down to the tail and cut through the body 

 about an inch or two awav from the base of the tail. Now, cut 

 through the body close to the head and snip the backbone with 

 a strong pair of scissors. I prefer to use a pair of tin snips. 



