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Special Trophies 



Properly preserved and displayed, various original parts of 

 fishes make fascinating trophies. There is something about a 

 head of a fish preserved dry or in Formalin that draws immedi- 

 ate attention. A collection of tails, whether dried or cast, make 

 an unusual display. Head mounts, of course, always have been 

 popular. And bills or spears of big game fishes have been col- 

 lected by fishermen since time immemorial. One of my hobbies 

 is collecting the bills of sailfish and making letter-openers of 

 them. 



Fish Heads Preserved 



A series of heads, preserved dry, make an interesting collec- 

 tion. The heads can be mounted on plaques for wall decora- 

 tion, or they can be displayed on shelves. Heads of fishes such 

 as pike, pickerel, barracuda, and bluefish are especially inter- 

 esting because of their imposing teeth. 



Cut the head from the body close behind the edge of the 

 gill cover, taking care not to disengage the tongue. I prefer 

 to remove the gills, although they mav be left in the head. 

 Clean out the inside of the skull and cut away loose flesh and 

 bone. It is not necessarv to cut away all of the skull as in a 

 skin mount. It is a good idea, however, to break a hole through 



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