THE REPRODUCTION OF FISHES IN PLASTER 235 



fish now appears, all the rest being in the mould. Nothing 

 should be disturbed, but that side should be gently brushed 

 and wetted, and the surface of the mould now visible should 

 have keys cut in as usual, and must be oiled— ^/^2J must not be 

 forgotten. Replace the walls, which, if propped, need not go 

 close down upon the modelling-table ; make up the crevices 

 with putty, and pour on plaster as usual, and when dry, which 

 will be in about a quarter of an hour, the halves will come 

 apart by gentle tapping and pulling, and the fish can be easily 

 removed from the mould, care being taken not to rip the fins 

 where they may be slightly held by the pins. Let it be noted 

 that, if the fins have been upheld and protrude from the under- 

 neath or first half mould, some provision must be made, such 

 as supporting the mould on pieces of " quartering " (wood 3" 

 by 2^"), to prevent it from lying upon and crushing the fin. 



When the fish is out of the mould and washed, the next 

 process is to take a separate cast of the pectoral and ventral 

 fins, and this is done by laying the fish again upon the board 

 and placing a piece of board or glass under each fin, building a 

 little wall of putty around, and pouring plaster on in the usual 

 manner. Usually, both sides of the fins, and both sides of each 

 right and left paired fin, must be cast ; but in some cases it 

 will be sufficient to take moulds of both sides of the fins on 

 that side of the fish determined upon to be the show side. 



This system of lifting the fins upright when casting the 

 trunk, and subsequently casting the fins, is only necessary 

 when the fish is lent, may-be, for casting, or when the perfect 

 skeleton is afterwards required ; but if neither of these causes 

 is in operation, the best plan — after having taken a cast with 

 the pectoral and ventral fins flat and the others spread, or else 

 as a dead fish with nearly all the fins closed — is, undoubtedly, 

 to remove the pectoral and ventral fins at their bases with a 

 sharp pair of scissors, and place them beside the fish when 



