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Drying Skins 
This method is included for interest’s sake or in case other methods are 
not possible. Fish specimens have, in the past, been dried on herbarium- 
type sheets. The following steps should be taken: 
Fish should be (a) cut in half, removing gills, brain, and intestines but leav- 
ing median fins with the left half intact; 
(b) washed and gently rubbed dry; 
(c) placed on board, with cut face downwards, pin fins 
expanded ; 
(d) exposed in sun or before fire, then flesh side exposed till 
dry; 
(e) placed between papers and pressed flat, after skin has 
been readily separated from flesh; 
(f) laid on parchment (or perhaps plastic sheet), scales 
down to prevent sticking to exuded glutinous matter. 
The sheet should be replaced in 1-2 hours. Then skin 
with fins should be mounted on sheet of paper or card- 
board and varnished, if desired. The process takes about 
24 hours. A similar method has been used in herpe- 
tology to preserve skins for study of colour pattern. 
The description of this method has been taken from 
Wheeler (1958). (See also Bertin (1954).) 
Sodium Ascorbate 
A paper by Yoshida(1962, Bull. Misaki Marine Biol. Institute, Kyoto U. 
(3): 67-68, 1 col. pi.) was received in the final stages of the present paper. 
It describes the following method of retaining the colours red, orange, yellow, 
brown, and black in preserved specimens. 
The solution below is injected into the body after the gases in the visceral cavity are 
exhausted. Fish immersed in the solution, put in a vessel kept tightly covered with a lid 
sealed with electron wax, after the vessel has been exhausted of air in it. 
5-10 ml cone, formalin 
0. 3-0.6 g sodium ascorbate 
100 ml of 1% NaCl solution or 30% seawater. 
Mounting and Casting Specimens 
Since mounting and casting specimens is more in the realm of display 
than science, this aspect will only be briefly dealt with. A mould may be 
made of plaster of Paris using the specimen. From this mould a hollow cast 
is made. To it are attached the original or artificial fins of plastic. Oil 
paints with an iridescent pearly essence lacquer are used to recreate the 
original colour. The final cast may also be made of celluloid or liquid rubber. 
Alternatively the fish may be skinned and stuffed, and the colours may be 
restored. (For details see Mackay (1958), Migdalski (1960), or Royal 
Ontario Museum (1958).) 
LABELS AND RECORDS 
The labels and records on collections are almost as valuable as the 
specimens themselves. It may seem obvious that labels and records should be 
