184 How To Make Fish Mounts 



by date and step by step. This research on museum develop- 

 ment can be accomplished with satisfaction on bird and mam- 

 mal mounting. But what about fish? 



In contrast to developments in bird and mammal taxidermy, 

 tracing the history of fish mounting is a frustrating and fruitless 

 task. Why is the recorded word on the progress of the subject 

 so rare? Simply because the preservation and mounting of a 

 fish skin was always discouraging, never satisfactory. There 

 was no progress to record! 



The date of an early attempt at fish mounting comes from an 

 unexpected source, from Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act V, 

 which appeared in 1596, gives us a clue: 



I do remember an apothecary,— 

 And hereabouts he dwells, which late I noted 

 In tatter'd weeds, with overwhelming brows, 

 Culling of simples; meagre were his looks; 

 Sharp misery had worn him to the bones: 

 And in his needy shop a tortoise hung, 

 An alligator stuff'd and other skins 

 Of ill-shaped fishes. 



The extract not only gives a date for the early presence of 

 fish taxidermy but also accentuates the fact that centuries have 

 passed and still many of our best museums continue to display 

 "ill-shaped fishes." Not much progress! 



I have been fortunate in being able to visit the best museums 

 of natural history in the United States, Canada, England, 

 France, Belgium, New Zealand, Hawaii, India, South America, 

 and Africa. To my knowledge there is not one which has a 

 hall of fishes that compares in standard to the great halls of 

 birds, mammals, or vertebrate paleontology in many museums 

 today. 



There are several reasons why this is so. The preparation 

 of fishes for museum exhibition was difficult. Mammals can be 

 modeled to perfection; their skins are preserved indefinitely 

 by tanning, and coloration is no problem since it is naturally 

 retained. The feathers of mounted birds cover skin damage 

 and built-up anatomical blunders; at least most of the museum 



