174 



PRACTICAL TAXIDERIVIT. 



this witL. tMn paper (cap paper) or muslin, wliicli readily adheres 



by the natural mucus peculiar 



to fish. This process, it will 



be seen, keeps the scales fast in 



their seats during the operation 



of skinning, and gives also a 



" set," as it were, to the skin. The 



fins and tail must not, however, 



be allowed to dry until the fish is 



finished. To avoid this and the 



consequent splitting of these 



members, keep them constantly 



damped by wet cloths or tow 



wrapped around them. 



Lay the worst side uppermost, 

 and then cut the skin from head 

 to tail in a straight line. A mark 

 called the subdorsal or lateral 

 line is an excellent guide for 

 this. With a strong pair of scis- 

 sors, — or rather shears — cut 

 through the scapular arch (the 

 large bone beneath the gills (see 

 Fig. 34, A). Slip the knife 

 under the edges of the cut skin, 

 and lift the skin the whole of 

 the way up at about an inch in 

 on both sides of the cut. Having 

 carefully separated this from the 

 flesh, take the broad knife in 

 your hand, and, holding the skin 

 lightly in the middle, with & 

 scraping motion of the knife on 

 the skin free it from the flesh. 

 If the knife is held in a proper 

 manner, slanting inward towards 

 you, this will be done very easily. 

 Take care, however, when ap- 

 proaching the fins not to cut outward too much, or you will rip 



