TAXIDERMY AND ZOOLOGICAL COLLECTING. 



ing or pressure, nor should old skins either, for that matter. If 

 you go far afield, and expect to collect hundreds of skins, you 



should go provided with a light and 

 strong cheat, either made to open at 

 0110 side and contain a series of shal- 

 low drawers to receive skins, or else, 

 which is the next best thing, and very 

 easily made, a box containing a series 

 of shallow till? of varying depth, 

 standing one upon another from bot- 

 tom to top. Each drawer or till 

 should be made just deep enough to 

 hold skins of a certain size, but no 

 more, or else in travelling the skins 

 will tumble about. Remember it is 

 useless to try to make large collec- 

 tions of good skins in the field unless 

 you can take care of your finished 

 specimens. This is for specimens 

 freshly prepared and not yet dry. 

 After skins become thoroughly dry, 

 they can be packed " in bulk," in a 

 chest or trunk, by putting the largest 

 at the bottom, and filling the cavities 

 with the small skins which cannot 

 stand so much pressure. Bird skins 

 should always be packed in cotton 

 when they are to be shipped, giving 

 to each a soft, comfortable resting- 

 place, and the box must be filled full, 

 so that there will be no tossing about. 

 DETERMINATION OF SEX IN BIRDS. 

 To a collector who is working under 

 difficulties this often seems like the 



very " last straw upon a camel's back ; " but it must be attended 

 to in every case wherein the sex of the bird is not clearly and 

 unmistakably indicated by the plumage. If you can, get an ex- 

 perienced ornithologist to show you how to determine the sex 

 in difficult subjects (e.g., young birds, or birds midway between 



FIG. IT. A Perfect Bird Skin. 



