Guide to Taxidermy 



153 



ned the same way, the only difference being that to 

 mount on standards the opening cut is made on the 

 belly, from the tail to the point of the lower jaw. 

 We will describe and illustrate the panel method. 



Remember to always keep a fish wet while you 

 are working upon it. Put a wet cloth on your bench 

 and have a bowl of water and a piece of cotton with 

 which to keep moistening the fins, tail and scales. 



The fins tear easily when drying and the scales 

 fall out only too readily, so we must exercise every 

 precaution to prevent this. 



You will need no sawdust or meal when skinning 

 a fish; just water. Select the best side of your fish, 

 the one that has the least blemishes, for the front 

 and lay it on the bench with that side down. A 

 little above the middle of the side on nearly every 

 species of fish, you will notice what is called the 

 median line; on some fish it really looks as though 

 the skin were stitched together along this line. The 

 opening cut is made along this line from the gills 

 to the root of the tail. You will find that you can 

 do this most easily with the scissors, by inserting 

 one point under the skin and cutting along the line. 



A trout is the easiest and most satisfactory fish to 



