Amateur Fish Museums 171 



it should lay the groundwork for further exhibits. The many 

 monthly outdoor magazines contain pictures of all types of 

 fishes which can be cut out and pasted on large cardboards. In- 

 dividual cardboards can read like this: big-game fishes, open 



OCEAN FISHES, SHORE FISHES, COMMERCIAL FOOD FISHES. Do not 



clutter up the poster-board exhibits (or any other for that 

 matter) with long typewritten pages of reading matter. It is 

 much better to letter the name under the fish with a colored 

 crayon, then to one side add information that is easy to read 

 from a distance: 



THESE FISHES LIVE ONLY IN THE OPEN 

 OCEAN AND EAT ONLY OTHER FISHES 



or 



BOTTOM FISHES 

 EAT WORMS, SMALL CRABS, AND OTHER SMALL SEA ANIMALS 



With preserved fishes to supply the professional look and a 

 poster-picture display for treatment of other types of fishes, a 

 fish section or an entire room or tent given to fishes can be more 

 than a fine contribution to an amateur museum; it can be de- 

 veloped, with a guiding hand, into a most important teaching 

 tool. 



I have spent over twenty summers at boys camps as a camper, 

 counselor, staff member, and nature instructor. The zoo and the 

 nature museum are always the most popular projects in camp. 

 During visiting hours on Sunday afternoons, the boys proudly 

 show their parents the zoo and the museum. The exhibits 

 which receive the most attention are the "question" tvpe which 

 can be changed every week. For example, the preserved catfish 

 has a sign under it, "What are a catfish's whiskers used for?" 

 The label under the eel reads, "Did you know that this eel came 

 all the way from the deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean?" 

 Under both captions is added "See the curators for answers." 

 The curators are two or three members of the nature class who 

 walk around, a bit proudly, with a small sign lettered on each 

 peaked cap which reads curator. 



