CHAPTER IX. 



HOW TO COLLECT AND PRESERVE BIRDS AND EGGS. 



IT is hardly worth while to make a collection of 

 mounted birds. This requires too much time and 

 too much room. But, especially, skins are better 

 and more convenient for study than mounted birds. 

 Skins may be kept in a cabinet with tightly fitting 

 drawers, with plenty of camphor, or insect-powder. 

 The best arm for general purposes is the double- 

 barreled, breech-loading shot-gun. Three-fourths of 

 your cartridges should contain small charges of mus- 

 tard-seed shot, and the remainder, No. 8 and No. 4. 

 You can indicate the kind of shot in each shell by 

 having numbers on your shot-wads. Early morning 

 and late evening are the best hours, and well-watered 

 and wooded spots among the best places for collect- 

 ing ; although, as each bird has its own peculiar haunts, 

 the hunter should cover as wide a range, and as great 

 a variety of country, as possible. As each specimen is 

 secured, it must be carefully cleansed and smoothed. 

 Plug mouth, nostrils, vent, and shot-holes with cotton, 

 and thrust the bird head-first into a paper cone, to 

 keep the plumage from injury. 



A fish-basket is excellent to carry the birds home. 

 Before skinning, each bird should be measured, to de- 

 termine the total length, and the spread of wings. 

 Note, also, the color of the eyes, bill, and feet, as they 

 may fade. Enter all these memoranda in a note-book, 

 and also on the specimen label. Add also date of 

 capture, sex, locality, name of collector, etc. 



