25 



FISH. 



In this, more perhaps than in any other class of animals, 

 may the assistance of members of the Mercantile Marine be 

 expected. Anybody can catch fish ; anybody can, with little 

 care, skin and slightly stuff them, and, with less trouble still, 

 can preserve them in spirit or even in salt. The species are 

 excessively numerous ; the numbers of some kinds prodigious ; 

 the forms of many are very remarkable ; and the beauty of 

 others unsurpassed. Yet fish are rarely brought home by 

 British collectors. Probably not fifty or even twenty species 

 could be found at any one time in all the Natural History 

 dealers' stores in the three kingdoms, while of birds, insects 

 and shells thousands may certainly be obtained. Need more 

 be said to commend this interesting class to the attention of 

 those to whom this paper is addressed ? Even the markets 

 and those who supply them with fish may most usefully be 

 put under contribution. 



Fish as well as reptiles are best preserved in spirit, and of 

 this more anon ; but when the specimens are too large to be 

 preserved they may be skinned. In order to prevent as much 

 as possible the scales from being rubbed during this process, 

 it is advisable to use some light thin substance, as old linen 

 or cotton rags, bladder, sheet india-rubber, or even paper, to 

 wrap the fish in, to save rubbing and chafing with the hands. 

 This can be removed by damping when the skin is freed from 

 the carcase. The incision for skinning may either be made 

 down the centre of the abdomen, as in quadrupeds and birds, 

 or it may be made midway along one side of the fish, from the 

 pec:oral fins nearly or quite to the tail. With broad-scaled 

 or delicate fish this method has advantages ; the skin of the 

 side being stronger than that on the belly, it does not so 

 readily tear when being sown up by the stuffer ; in the case of 

 delisate fish, and with broad-scaled ones, the loss of a few 

 scales on one side is of less importance (those on the other 

 being perfect) than on the median line of the belly. 



