The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1891-09-17
IMITATION FISHES
Artistic Counterfeits for the
~.- Worlds Great Fair.
An interesting collection Of 'rnsta-
craus and N4traciIians Produced In
tho Exact Image of
Life l.

Life
{ : very wonderful collection Of an-
mail, that live in the water Is ut present
being manufactured by the United
state, fish commissioner for exhibition
at the worlds fair in Chicago. Some
what less than five hundred specimens
viii Illustrate the food and other eco
nonic fishes and reptiles of this coun-
try. each one representing a species.
Two experts. said to be the most SKILL
fuI men living in this line Of work, are
cnrarcd in turning out counterfeit pre-
sentiments Of things scaly and tinny IN
the utmost variety.
The most extraordinary thing about
these products, says the Albany Argus,
isthat they not only look but feel like the
real creatures which they initiate, the
very substance being to the touch
50 like fish itself that it is difficult for
anyone who handles the objects and ex-
alnines them closely to realize that he
is not dealing with the animals them
selves. so amazingly well are they
painted that their hues are the very
tints Of nature For example, you can
take a frog in your hand, pinch him and
admire the beauty of his coloring with
out being able to distinguish him from
an actual batrachian just killed. = 1's-.
The secret of this art. which is quite
a new one. lies mainly in the COMPOST
ton employed as material. Its OASIS
is clue The operator first takes the
fish 20 BE- initiated and makes a plaster
mold from it in the ordinary fashion.
Inc r,inanC wooden inside
the media fiat piece of plank OF the
same general shape serves usually for
the purpose, the object being to give
stiffness to the finished result-and
pours into the mold the melted compO-
sition. Eight or ten hours later the
mold is opened and a perfect counter
part Of the fish, as to shape, is taken
ont.
50 admirably are all the details re-
produced that each scale is distinct.
After the counterfeit has been hung up
to dry for few days it is painted
with oil colors in manner as
near to nature as possible, a
fresh specimen not long out of
the water being used for copy. This
done. the thing is finished. In the proc
c@s Of molding stitching was given
to the fins and tail with ordinary wire
mosquito netting.
The fishes required for molding and
copying, with colors, are being sent to
Washington as fast as required rom
the variOuS stations of the fish commits
SION all over the country. Most Of
thrsu at prc5eQt are being obtailed
from Woods Ioll. It may be that the
experts viii be obliged to go tham-
selves 10 Galveston, San Francisco and
elsewhere, in order to secure fresh
srecimcns from the gulf. Pacific and
lake waters. Those forwarded hither
are wrapped in cloths as quickly as
possible after being captured and
packed in ice for shipment.
Some superb bullfrogs have Just ar
rived from southwest Missouri. They
are two feet in length. Turtles of
every edible variety win also be shown
IN the collection, including the various
terranins, the snapper, the green turtle
and others. In making models of them
thc shells and baa1s of the animals
themselves are utilized. About a dozen
kinds of snakes which are destructive
ooEShGSWiH Ice represented incidentally .
HOLSTERS. crabs and other crustacea
will likewise be shown. Some giant
cruyfehcS nearly Il foot long have come
n with the big frogs from the Ozark
region. There is no reason why they
should not be introduced very profita bly,
IN the fresh waters all over the United
States, and it is not unlikely that The
fish commission will take steps to ac-
complish this end. The crayfish closely
resembles the lobster in appearance, its
meat being more delicate III flavor, and
it would be very nice indeed if the
streams and ponds in every state could
be stocked with this huge species,
which is very prolific and can be made
at home anywhere.
An interesting burrowing varie ty of a
small sort is very plentiful on the Po-
tOmac meadows near Washington 1t
lives in holes with bottle shaped en-
Judgements at the bottom, where the
animal can usually be found by Dig
Eing. In the spring each one builds
over its burrOw q sort of chimney six or
eight inches high, composed of Jumps
of mud which it fctchcs and piles in
@eniously on top of one another in the
shape of dome closed at the top.