Guide to Taxidermi 



159 



its body before skinning the subject. If the fish is 

 already skinned you will ha^ e to make tlie form 

 from measurements. 



Lay the fish the most perfect side up, on a piece 

 of paper in the position that you wish to mount it. 

 Mark carefully around it with a pencil. Cut this 

 paper out with scissors along the line. 



Get a piece of straight-grained soft pine the 

 length of the fish from nose to root of tail and of a 

 thickness equal to that of the fish in his largest 

 part. Place the paper pattern on this block and 

 mark around it. By holding this block in a vise you 

 can whittle it into shape with a sharp draw-shave. 

 The finished specimen should have the tail laying 

 in the same plane as the back side of the body, so 

 you will curve the body slightly, being sure that 

 you curve the right side so as to show the best side 

 of your specimen in front. We have seen a body 

 made curved one way and then the fish opened on 

 the wrong side when skinned; be careful that you 

 do not get into this fix. The body must correspond 

 in every respect of form and measurement to the 

 fish as it lays on your bench. (Remember to keep 

 the fish on wet cloth). It can be smoothed up with 

 a spoke-shave and then sandpapered. The head 

 will want a hollow groove cut in it where the lower 

 jaw-bone is located and a hole to come beneath the 

 eye hole in the skin. Give the body a good coat of 



