Museums of Natural History 185 



birds of today look respectable. Most of the museum fish speci- 

 mens are mounted skins, which are almost invariably mon- 

 strosities. A mounted fish skin eventually splits and oozes 

 grease; the fins crack; and the head shrinks to distortion, and 

 attempts to rebuild it with wax are unsatisfactory. Some 

 museums use models. Most of these models are rigid and have 

 no character; their fins are flat and without expression, cut from 

 Celluloid or other material. And nearly all of the fishes are 

 painted by persons who have never seen the specimens alive. 



Criteria for Museum Fish Mounts 



Today there is no excuse for poor fish mounting and poor fish 

 exhibition. True colors of fishes are easily recorded with to- 

 day's variety of wonderful color films. The greatest boon to the 

 art of fish displays was the advent of plastics and other synthetic 

 materials. Any fish can be molded in plaster and cast accurately 

 in durable artificial materials. Transportation of working ma- 

 terials to the field of operations and return of plaster molds is 

 no longer an obstacle. 



But, let's start from the beginning. I would like to speak to 

 museum curators, preparators, and commercial taxidermists 

 like a "Dutch uncle." Before delving into the mechanics of 

 producing accurate, durable, lifelike reproductions of fishes in 

 synthetics, it is important to know what a live fish really looks 

 like. This is not a ridiculous statement, for I'm surprised to see 

 that when detail of fish anatomy is involved, even some trained 

 scientists fail to observe intelligently. I would like to suggest a 

 few pointers for scientists and technicians to keep in mind when 

 pleasing, accurate reproductions are desired. 



1. Body. The most common fault found in fish mounts, and 

 one that preparators and commercial taxidermists insist on 

 promulgating, is the contorted body. These gentlemen think 

 that to twist a fish's body dorso-ventrally— from top-side to 

 bottom-side— depicts "action." No such thing. The fish is no 

 longer a delight to look at; it has its back broken and its curva- 



