THE SKINNING OF FISHES 215 



and the one below that — also a paired fin, and called the 

 ventral fin — cannot be freed from the flesh until more room is 

 given by further releasing the skin of the ventral half of the body 

 for some considerable distance. This having been done, the 

 ventral fin is cut away, and the last fin, that near the tail — the 

 anal, — is freed by slipping the point of the scissors underneath, 

 and cutting it away from its attachment. Working from this 

 toward the tail, release the skin all round, and the whole of 

 the ventral half of the skin of the body will be detached from 

 the flesh. 



The skin along the dorsal half of the body is now to 

 be dealt with, and is a rather easier matter, because it is 

 usually thicker there. Commencing at the head as before, 

 skin back the upper portion of the pectoral arch and free the 

 skin of the dorsal fin ; now slip the points of the scissors or 

 shears underneath, and sever the bones inside to detach that 

 fin from the back. Continue to free the skip until, coming 

 to the next, or sub-dorsal fin, the bones of this may be severed 

 inside in like manner, and, cutting on to the tail, relieve the 

 skin at that point. 



In cutting away the fins from the inside, there is no need 

 to trim them carefully at that stage ; a little flesh, more or less, 

 left on is much easier to deal with than to remedy holes cut 

 through the skin in the anxiety to trim too closely at first 



The skin of the fish being entirely freed on one side 

 of the body, and also along the back, the skinning-out ot 

 the other side is done by first working along the back from 

 the sub-dorsal fin toward the tail, keeping the cutting-edge of 

 the knife pressed down on the flesh, and scraping away the skin 

 with the back of the knife. Do the same on the lower half of 

 the fish from the anal fin to the tail, and in large fishes this 

 process may be materially assisted by using the fingers, or 

 the handle of a scalpel or some similar instrument, to separate 



