Their Eggs a?id N'ests'. 19 



date is about sure to be insutticient or untrust- 

 wortll3^ 



Perhaps the boy-collector too may not tliink a few 

 sentences about blowing and drying and mounting his 

 egg-treasures either tiresome or unnecessary. As a 

 rule, let the egg intended to be kept be blown and 

 dried as soon as possible. There are several reasons 

 for this piece of advice. The light shells travel more 

 safely than the full Qgg ; the Qgg shells do not suffer 

 detriment from lying overlooked, with their contents 

 rotting within, as often happens with the collector of 

 uncareful and unprecise habits ; they are put into a 

 state of comparative readiness for prompt and complete 

 preparation and arrangement ; and though last not 

 least, a good, useful, methodical habit is encouraged in 

 the collector himself. 



There are several ways of blowing an egg and going 

 through the preparatory stages of fitting it to take its 

 place in a collection. There are also instruments for 

 extracting the contents of the shell so as to obviate 

 the necessity of making more than one hole. I don't 

 think they are likely to be of much use to a mere boy.^ 

 I am sure they would be a great deal of trouble, and 

 I don't think that the end gained would repay the 



1 If, however, the boy has or acquires them, the following note is 

 useful : — " The simplest and best way of blowing eggs is to drill a 

 hole in one side (not at the ends), then taking the egg, hole down- 

 wards, between the finger and thumb of the left hand, place the 

 blowpipe point just outside the hole, and blow into the egg ; this 

 will force out the contents. When this is done, blow a little clean 

 water into the egg, and shake it well ; then remove the water in the 

 same way as above, and allow the egg to dry hole downwards on 

 blotting paper; it will then be quite clean." Tliis note was ap- 

 pended to the first Edition. 



