176 PRACTICAL TAXIDERMY. 



botli hands come into requisition, and let tliem meet under tlie 

 head. Regaining the large knife, with it sever the bone of the 

 head, cutting toward you. If this is properly performed, the 

 cutting edge of the knife will touch the gills ; be careful in this, 

 that your knife does not slip and go too far into the underneath 

 skin. Yarious internal organs will now appear, holding fast to 

 the skin; these must be cut through with the knife, and the 

 effect should be that the whole of the body comes out in a piece.* 

 For larger fish, say one of 201b. or more, I recommend splitting 

 the flesh longitudinally or vertically, and getting out each sec- 

 tion separately. 



The skin now being free from the body, scrape away all the 

 small pieces of flesh that are still adhering inside the skin, 

 down the centre, and around the fins and tail. Those fin- 

 bones (inter- spinous bones) which protrude inside may be 

 cut fairly short with the scissors, and the flesh nicely scraped 

 off from each side. "What flesh is left on the tail must be care- 

 fully cut away with the aid of the knife, scissors, and shears, 

 care being taken also to free the bone to the very end, and yet 

 not to disturb the scales underneath. A considerable amount 

 of scraping, coaxing, and undercutting will have to be done here. 

 Having well freed the fins of flesh, turn your attention to the 

 head : make a cut along the side of the under jaw, then cut away 

 the gills at their top and bottom attachments and pull them out, 

 if you do not wish them ultimately to show. When this is done 

 you will become aware that there is still remaining a piece of 

 the vertebra leading up into the head ; take the large knife and 

 chop it to the underneath ; it will then lift up, exposing what 

 little brain the fish has. Cut this piece off before it enters the 

 palate ; and then, by clearing away a little flesh, you come to the 

 eye, which take hold of with your finger and pull out. You will 

 now see several small cavities filled with flesh running up to the 

 sides of the face, cheeks, &c. The scraper or undercutting knife 

 will now come into use, and small pieces of flesh must be 

 laboriously cleared out. After this tool has well loosened and 

 partly cut away the intervening flesh, the fingers may be 

 advantageously used to work with, by being pushed in at the 



* The bes inner may, however, for greater facility of handling, cut the body of a large 

 fish into sections, and remo\ e them piece Ly piece as he progresses. 



