AND MOUNTING GAME FISHES AND SMALL REPTILES

CHAPTER IV

PREPARING AND MOUNTING GAME FISHES AND SMALL REPTILES

For the purpose of mounting, fishes and reptiles must be fresh, and the
fresher the better. In beginning this chapter it may be well to state a
simple way to keep fish for a short period before skinning and mounting,
as sportsmen afield will not always be able immediately to prepare
specimens taken.

First, while the fish is perfectly fresh, remove the viscera. If the
fish is to be mounted upon a panel for wall decoration, make the
incision along middle of poorest looking side, full length from gill to
tail fin.

If the specimen is to stand upon a pedestal of polished wood, with
supporting rods from the belly, make the incision along center of belly
full length. To prevent decay, stir three or four drops of forty per
cent solution of formalin into a quart of water.

Squeeze a cloth from this, leaving it pretty moist, and wrap the fish in
it, giving the wet cloth close contact with the skin. Do not apply
formalin inside any skin to be used for mounting. Never eat the flesh of
a fish thus kept.

Before skinning the fish, make careful outlines over him, both side and
top views. When skin is removed make outlines of skinned carcass.

Handle a fish very carefully when skinning and cleaning, moving the
specimen about or bending as little as possible during the entire
operation. Lay the head to your left. Open the skin with scissors and
make one long clean cut.

Lift edges of the skin and peel from flesh with a sharp knife or
scalpel. Cut off base of fins, when encountered, with scissors or bone
snips. Trim out most of skull with knife and bone snips, removing eyes
from inside. Be sure to scrape all flesh from cheek inside of gill
cover.

Remove flesh and fat from inside of skin with scraper, working from tail
toward head. Scrape out with point of small knife blade the flesh that
runs out thin over tail-fin bones.

This completes the skinning operation. The cleaned skin may be poisoned
to advantage with either dry or solution arsenic, brushed in well.

If the specimen is opened on the side for panel mounting and we wish to
follow a very simple method in mounting, one that is quite as practical
as it is simple, we must take a different step than outline sketches
before skinning. This is to make a complete body and head cast of the
best side in plaster of paris. This does not include the fins. T