398 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1892. 



is well seen iii such an example as the common Pompano (Trachynotas 

 carotin its) of Plate xxrv, Fig. 2, which gives a most complete idea of this 

 interesting species. In most of these specimens the ventral tins, it will be 

 seen, have, before easting-, been brought up so as to be in contact with 

 the body of the fish. This is done with the view of giving them the 

 support of the latter and thus greatly decreasing the danger of having 

 them broken off either through subsequent handling of the cast or 

 otherwise. 



Plaster easts of fishes also admit, in some eases only, of having the 

 proper kinds of glass eyes inserted in them after the cast is made; or 

 some special structures added, as the barbels of certain species, or 

 spines of great delicacy, or hair-like appendages — these structures 

 being composed of some other material than plaster, and being painted 

 and made to naturally harmonize with the specimen as in life. This is 

 rarely, if ever, necessary in the case of those fishes east in gelatine or 

 similar plastic compounds. This feature of the work admits of no lit- 

 tle skill and knowledge on the part of the caster and painter of these 

 vertebrates. Nothing should in any event be omitted that will lend a 

 true and life like appearance of the original specimen, and very encour 

 aging progress is being made along such lines. 



Another excellent plaster east of a fish is seen in Plate xxv, taken from 

 a specimen of the Mirror carp (Gyprinus carpio), a fish with an inter 

 esting history in this country now, and which, among other characters, 

 is at once recognized by having "extraordinarily large scales which run 

 along the sides of the body in three or four rows, the rest of the body 

 being bare." 



A fine east is also shown in Plate xxv, fig. 2, it being the Buffalo fish 

 (Itiobus urns). 



It is needless almost to invite attention here once more to the fact 

 of how well these casts here represent the forms as they appear in life. 

 The red fish or bass of. the Southern States (Scicena ocellata) has also 

 been east, and a fine example of it exists in the collections of the 

 Museum. Where a fish has strong and pronounced external charac- 

 ters, such as large scales, large projecting rays to the tail or fins, and 

 marked characters of mouth or operculum, they are sure to constitute 

 one of the most favorable varieties of fish to cast in plaster, and they, 

 when skillfully painted, make someof the most striking specimens among 

 a collection of such objects. This may be appreciated by an examina 

 tion of the east of the Parrot fish {Scarus sp. ?), shown in Plate XXIV, or 

 to nearly an equal extent in the one of the Trigger fish (Balistes capri- 

 sens), a specimen of which is to be found in the Museum's collections; 

 and as for the reproduction of color markings, we see a good example 

 in the cast of the well-known Mud fish (Amia calva), to which Plate 

 xxvi, Fig. 2, of this paper is devoted. 



We have already alluded to the use of the plastic method of casting 

 for fishes, and so far as my personal investigations have been directed 



