Other Fish Products and their Uses. 259 



soluble in water ; but some is of a firmer, stronger, and 

 more useful character. 



Although the skin of some marine mammals, such as 

 those of the seal, walrus, and the white whale, or Beluga 

 (known as porpoise leather), have long been commercially 

 employed, it is only lately that attention has been more 

 generally directed to the utilization of fish skins on an 

 extended scale. Their employment hitherto has been very 

 limited. Eel skins have been used for the thongs of whips 

 and the attachments of flails, dried sole skins to clarify 

 coffee, and some shark and ray skins by workmen to 

 smooth and polish substances, and also to make a kind of 

 shagreen leather. 



At the Maritime Exhibition, held at the Westminster 

 Aquarium in 1876, Mr. G. Kent, of Christiana, Norway, 

 exhibited a variety of tanned skins, among which were : 



Whale skins tanned ; the size ranging from 12 inches 

 broad by 60 feet in length, suitable for wheel bands, for 

 driving machinery, etc. 



White fish, for upper leather, which can be prepared in 

 pieces of 12 feet by 4 feet. 



Skins of various flat-fish, dressed and prepared for 

 gloves. Fine upper leather can be made with it, often to 

 be had in sizes up to three feet square. 



Skins of soles, dressed and tanned suitable for purses, etc. 



Skins of thornbacks, suitable for cabinet-makers instead 

 of sand-paper, and very much more durable. 



Skins of eels, dressed and dyed suitable for braces and 

 other purposes. 



Mention is made of an industry carried on at Colborn, 

 in Canada, with the skins of species of Siluroids for glove- 

 making, and this is to be prosecuted on a larger scale, both 

 for the flesh for salting and the skin for currying. 



