104 FISH-TAXIDERMY. [PART I. 



perfection. So-called preserved specimens are 

 almost invariably stuck straight up in the mid- 

 dle of their cases fins and tail stretched to the 

 utmost possible limits eyes, the largest that can 

 be forced into the sockets, and guiltless of any 

 attempt at speculation body often stuffed out like 

 a " rolly-polly " pudding, and the colour generally 

 toned down to a rich deep mahogany : all this too 

 very frequently without the slightest accessories 

 of weed or stones to relieve the barren dreariness 

 of the case. 



Conceive a portrait-painter representing his 

 subject as standing, without fore or back-ground, 

 "straight to the front," staring before him on 

 vacancy with distended eyelids, his legs as wide 

 apart as possible, his arms extended at right 

 angles to his body, and the whole coloured h la 

 Mulatto. Such a portrait would be deservedly 

 treated as a caricature: yet it would probably 

 convey about as faithful an idea of the man, as 

 the other of the fish. It may not be easy to give 

 much expression to the eye, but surely our Taxi- 

 dermists, by devoting a little more attention to 

 this branch of their art, might succeed in generally 

 investing their fish with more life, truth, and cha- 

 racter. 



