38 
80 C. OF AM. TAXIDERMISTS, ANNUAL RErOKT. 
A NEW AND EASY METHOD OF MOUNTING 
FISH MEDALLIONS. 
BY WM. T. IIORNADAY. 
Judging from specimens generally, it would seem that taxider- 
mists, the world over, either do not know how to nioiint tish 
sjiecimens with the same degree of excellence as mammals and 
birds, or else they are universally slighted by intention. Certain 
it is, that in neaily eveiy large zoological museum, the stnlfed fishes 
are the least attractive, and the least like life of all the vertebrates. 
In many instances the Reptiles are not far behind in unsightliness, 
although as a rule they are a little more life-like than the fishes. 
In only one natural history museum out of twenty-seven have I 
found a collection of stuffed fishes which surpassed in number 
and quality of specimens the collection of birds and mammals, 
and formed the most attractive feature of the entire museum. 
That fish collection is to be seen in the Government Museum, 
at Madras, India, and I have reason to believe it is at present the 
finest of its kind in existance. The collection consists of a very 
general assortment of specimens from the Indian Ocean, and 
particularly from the Coromandel Coast, and besides a large 
number of small specimens it also contains as many large sharks, 
Rhynobatidoe and rays as the authorities have been able to obtain 
without duplicating the species. 
The specimens were all mounted while fresh from the ocean, 
which, of course, has been a great advantage to the taxidermist. 
I was somewhat surprised to learn that the taxidermist in question 
was an Indian native, named P. Anthonj’' Pillay, because East 
Indian natives of all classes are almost without exception very 
bad taxidermists. Upon being introduced to Mr. Pillay, an old 
Mohammedan gentleman with a long white beard, dressed in the 
style of his class, he very obligingly explained to me his method 
of mounting fish of all kinds. 
In the first place, none of his specimens are mounted on 
standards, hut either lie flat in table cases, or, if too large for that, 
hang against the Avail. Tlie common scaly fishes always lie 
upon one side, usually the right, Avith tail curved upward. 
