48 REGISTRATION AND LABELLING. 



juv. {juvenis, young). ^^ Nupt." signifies breeding plumage; 

 ^'■hornot." means a bird of the year. 9. Measurements of 

 length, and of. extent of wings ; the former can only be ob- 

 tained approximately, and the latter not at all, from a prepared 

 specimen. 10. Color of the eyes, and of the bill, feet, or other 

 naked or soft parts, the tints of which may change in drying. 

 11. Miscellaneous particulars, such as contents of stomach, 

 special circumsftinces of capture, vernacular name, etc. 12. 

 Scientific name of the bird. This is really the least important 

 item of all, though generally thought to take precedence. But 

 a bird labels itself, so to speak ; and nature's label may be 

 deciphered at any time. In fact, I would enjoin upon the col- 

 lector not to write out the supposed name of the bird in the 

 field, unless the species is so well known as to be absolutely 

 unquestionable. Proper identification, in any case to which 

 the slightest doubt may attach, can only be made after critical 

 study in the closet with ample facilities for examination and 

 comparison. The first eight items, and the twelfth, usually 

 constitute the face of a label ; the rest are commonly written 

 on the back. Labels should be of light card-board, or very 

 stiff writing paper ; they may be dressed attractively, as fancy 

 suggests ; the general items of a large number of specimens 

 are best printed ; the special ones must of course be written. 

 Shape is immaterial ; small " cards" or " tickets " are preferred 

 by some, and certainly look very well when neatly appointed ; 

 but 1 think on the whole, that a shape answering the idea of a 

 "slip" rather than a "ticket" is most eligible. A slip about 

 three inches long and two-thirds of an inch wide will do very 

 well for anything, from a hawk to a humming-bird. Something 

 like the "shipping tags" used by merchants is excellent, par- 

 ticularly for larger objects. It seems most natural to attach 

 the string to the left-hand end. The slip should be tied so as 

 to swing just clear of the bird's legs, but not loose enough to 

 dangle several inches, for in that case the labels are continually 

 tangling with each other when the birds are laid away in 

 drawers. The following diagrams show the face and back 

 of the last label I happened to write ; they represent the 



