24 



FIELD OBNITHOLOGY. 



face of a label ; the rest are commonly written on the back. Labels should be of light card- 

 board, or very stiif 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 prefeiTed by some, and 

 certainly look very well when neatly appointed ; but I 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 tag " used by merchants is excellent, particu- 

 larly 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 before these lines were originally penned ; they represent the size 

 and shape that I find most convenient for general purposes; while the " legend " illustrates 

 every one of the twelve items above specified. 



§ Explorations in Dakota. 



Dr. Elliott Coues, U. S. A. t::' 



i No. 2655. Buteo borealis (Gm.) V. 9 juv. 

 ■g Fort Randall, Missouri River. 



23.00 X 53.00 X 17.50. — Eyes yeUowish-graj' ; bill horn-blue, 

 darker at tip ; cere wax-yellow ; tarsi dull yellowish ; claws 

 bluish-black. Stomach contained portions of a rabbit ; also, a 

 large tapeworm. 



Reverse. 



Directions for Measurement may be inserted here, as this matter pertains rightfully to 

 the recording of specimens. The fullowing instructions apply not only to length and extent, 

 but to the principal other dimensions, which may be taken at any time. For large birds, a. 

 tape-line showing inches and fourths will do ; for smaller ones, a foot-rule graduated for inches 

 and eighths, or better, decimals to hundredths, must be used; and for all nice measurements 

 the di\dders are indispensable. " Length : " Distance between the tip of the bill and end of 

 the longest tail-feather. Lay the bird on its back on the ruler on a table ; take hold of the bill 

 with one hand and of both legs with the other ; pull with reasonable force to get the curve all 

 out of the neck ; hold the bird thus with the tip of the bill flush with one end of the ruler, and 

 see where the end of the tail points. Put the tape-line in place of the ruler, in the same way, 

 for larger birds. " Extent: " Distance between the tips of the outspread wings. They must 

 be fully outstretched, with the bird on its back, cross\vise on the ruler, its bill pointing to your 

 breast. Take hold of right and left metacarpus with the thumb and forefinger of your left and 

 right hand respectively, stretch with reasonable force, getting one wing-tip flush with one end 

 of the ruler, and see how much the other wing-tip reaches. With large birds pull away as 

 hard as you please, and use the table, floor, or side of the room ; mark the points and apply 

 tape-line. ^^ Length of wing:" Distance from the carpal angle formed at the bend of the 

 wing to the end of the longest primary. Get it with compasses for small birds. In birds with 

 a convex Aving, do not lay the tape-line over the curve, but under the wing in a straight Hne. 

 This measurement is the one caUed, for short, " the wing." ^^ Length of tail: ^' Distance 



