SKINNING, PRESERVING, AND MOUNTING FISH, ETC. 175 



ttem out of tlie skin. Fig. 34 sliows the point where we have 

 arrived, B being the loosened skin and G the flesh de- 

 nuded of that skin. 



Skin out the remaining part up to the back, holding the knife 

 in the same manner ; the fish is now half way skinned, and hold- 

 ing only by the fins. Slip the scissors carefully underneath the 

 bones of each fin and cut them away from the inside. Do 

 not be afraid of leaving a little flesh attached, as this can be 

 easily cut away from the inter- spinous bones afterwards, it 

 being better to have too much flesh attached to them than to 

 find you have cut the skin through on the other side. It is a 

 matter of little importance as to which fin you cut away first ; 

 but let me assume that you begin at the under anal fin, and, 

 having cut this away carefully, you now find that it is still held 

 at a little distance above it by the orifice of the vent. A great 

 deal of care is required here to cut the attachment away so as 

 not to pierce through to the outside ; a piece of wool comes in 

 very handily to push in, to stop the flow of blood, &c. Now 

 turn your attention to the only fin on a pike's back, the second 

 or lower dorsal one, which cut away in the same careful manner 

 as before. Working down toward the tail, get the broad knife as 

 much underneath as you can, and then push the fingers under- 

 neath until they meet, and thus gradually free the flesh from the 

 skin almost up to the extreme end of the caudal fin (or tail). 

 Insert the point of the large shears underneath, and cut the 

 bone and flesh completely through at a distance of about lin. 

 from the last joint of the vertebrae at the tail; this leaves a 

 little flesh attached to be subsequently cleared out. Leaving 

 this, go now to the head of the fish, and, holding down the skin 

 of the back, which is now flat on the table, run the fingers of the 

 right hand, especially the thumb, right down the whole length of 

 the fish to the tail, in order to loosen all from the underneath to 

 the front of the fish, when the whole will be free up to the two 

 ventral fins, which you may cut away, as it were, with your 

 finger nails, leaving the attached flesh to be trimmed away 

 afterwards. The only part which now holds to the skin is that 

 near the head, as also the under one of the pectoral fins ; this 

 latter must be carefully cut away, as the skin is very thin about 

 here, and is rather awkward to get at. Now let the fingers of 



