FISHERY RESOURCES OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 311 



from the animal soon after its death. Fine salt in sufficient quantity 

 should then be rubbed thoroughly into the raw side of the skin. It is 

 then rolled compactly and placed in a dry place to cure; occasional 

 examination should be made to see if it is curing properly. When 

 thoroughly cured the skin is ready for tanning. 



To tan, it is first soaked in a tub of clear fresh water from two to si.x days — 

 depending on the size of the skin,— a 3-meter skin requires about five days. 

 It is then placed in a rather weak solution of lime and water which should be 

 increased in strength daily for about ten days. The wet skin is now placed on a 

 smooth beam, raw side out, and all the fat or flesh rubbed or shaved off. It 

 is then placed in a thick mixture of bran and water and allowed to soak for one 

 day — this is to neutralize the alkali of the lime. During all of the above processes 

 through the solutions it is better if the skin be agitated occasionally so that 

 all parts receive sufficient treatment. The hide is then washed and immersed 

 in a tank of tanning extract. Any of the native tans may be used, or oak bark, 

 gambia, or sumac liquid of 4 per cent strength, and stronger liquid is added 

 each day until the strength has reached 20 per cent at the end of eighteen days. 

 The length of time will vary according to the size of the skin, strength of the 

 solution, or the color desired. The hide is then hung up to dry and harden. 

 It is then shaved and cleaned again so as to leave it of the desired thickness. 

 If black, red, brown, or green shades of color are desired the skin is put into 

 a bath of wood and aniline dyes, for about three-quarters of an hour. It is 

 then stretched out and nailed to a board or %vide frame for drying. When dry 

 it is rubbed briskly over an iron or wooden beam to make it flexible." The 

 skin is then ready for use. The price paid for prepared skins is from 2 to 4 

 pesos per 20 lineal centimeters. 



So far as I have been able to learn no serious attempt has been made 

 to prepare the Philippine crocodile skin for leather. It is an experiment 

 well worth trying, as the cayman is notoriously abundant in many streams 

 of the Philippines. 



WATER-SNAKE SKINS. 

 (Lapemis hardwickii Gray, Chersydrus granulatus Schneider, and other species.) 



There are great numbers of water snakes in the Philippines. I have 

 seen more than one hundred brought in with one haul of an ordinary 

 fish sein on the Malate beach. It is quite probable that a good industry 

 could be built up in tanning the skins of these snakes for leather. Many 

 of them are finely marked and would make attractive belts, card cases, 

 and ornamental objects. Considerable quantities of snake-skin leather 

 are used in Prance. The following is the method of preparation : 



The skins are removed from the animals and soaked for ten days in a strong 

 solution of sulphate of zinc. They are then fleshed, scraped, washed by hand, and 

 placed in a bath containing 100 parts water, 10 parts borax, 100 parts boracic 

 acid, 25 parts tartaric acid, and 25 parts saturated solution of precipitated 

 alumina. They remain in this bath one day and are then transferred to bath 

 No. 2 containing 1000 parts water, 25 parts phosphate of zinc, 25 parts 

 b«nzoate of aluminium, 50 parts glycerine, 20 parts alcohol. The skins are 



^"Report V. 8. Fish Comm. (1902), 350. 



