wire inserted
as before, and be filled entirely with plaster of Paris, which must be
mixed in readiness, and poured in the skin to fill out every part. The
cut edges of the skin are now brought together, and the whole fish
turned over to show its proper side and rapidly patted into shape,
before the plaster has time to set.

Beautiful models of the thicker-skinned fishes maybe made by this
method, but rapidity of execution is a sine qua non.

As the student progresses he will find that it will not be necessary
in all cases to cut through the scapular arch of the under side to
clear out the head. As a proof, I may mention that I have just
finished an 18 lb. fish, the head of which was skinned out by this
process.

Small pieces of cabinet cork (about one-eighth inch thick) will be
found very useful for spreading the fins of small fishes. [Footnote:
Notes on repairing fins will be found in Chapter XII.]

In the event of the scales rising from the use of wet plaster or any
other cause, "wrapping" cotton, i.e, "darning" cotton, or shoemakers'
hemp, must be bound over them to keep them in place.

Since the foregoing was written I have considerably modified and
improved on my former method. Having tried wet "pipe" or modelling
clay, with which to stuff the skin, I found that although at first the
working and general shape were excellent, yet that, after a few days,
the skin shrank and puckered in so abominable a fashion as to render
all the labour bestowed upon it of no avail. This was most
unfortunately tried upon a twenty pound pike, and so utterly misshapen
did it become as to necessitate the relaxing of the specimen--the
removal of the clay--and the ultimate shaping up again, by the dry
plaster process. [Footnote: Several correspondents have written as to
the relaxing of fish skins. This is a very easy process, nothing more
being done to the skin than plunging it in water until sufficiently
softened.]

This substitution of dry plaster of Paris (price about 4s. per cwt.)
for sand is one of the very best things ever tried. Having skinned
your fish in the manner before directed, crowd the head with peat and
the face, and parts of the skin inside, and around the fins and tail,
with putty. Lay the fish-skin, cut uppermost as before, and ladle in
dry plaster, beginning at the tail end; as this fills in, sew up,
being careful to shorten the skin, making it deep, and not long and
narrow at that part; being particular also