1 12 



THE MUSEUM. 



have the entire data on it) and tuck it 

 into the skin, carefully sew up same. 



Should the skin be a very larg'e one; 

 a body of excelsior should be made. 

 Wires should be employed to support 

 the legs. 



In shape, the skin should now rou<j;h- 

 ly resemble the freshly killed mammal. 



Lay the skin on its ventral surface, 

 securely tie the label to its left leg. 

 (In case this label should ever be lost 

 the one inside the skin may be referred 

 to.) Extend the arms of the skin for- 

 ward by the sides of the head, palms 

 of hands downward. Pins stuck in 

 the drying-board along the sides of 

 the arms will keep them in place. 

 Bend the tail so that it will lie flat on 

 the board. Fasten it down with pins. 

 Extend the legs backward, with the 

 feet near the tail. Pin in position."-' 



Cut the head off at the junction of 

 the first vertebra and skull. Remove 

 the brain through the large foramen. 

 Remove the large muscles, the tongue 

 and the eyes, but don't dare to cut or 

 break the least bit of bone. Tie a 

 label (one made of sheet tin is best) 

 bearing the catalogue number of the 

 skin, to the skull. Let the skull re- 

 main for several days in clean water, 

 to remove the blood. Then dry the 

 skull. The skull may be at any time 

 more completely cleaned and carefully 

 labeled with India ink. For exchange 

 skins, the skulls should be only roughly 

 cleaned. 



The first specimen that you put up 

 may not look so well as you may wish. 

 But patience and practice will work 

 wonders. 



Nesting of the White-tailed Kite. 



In the latter part of May, i <S94 a 

 friend named. Bennett and myself start- 

 ed off on a week's hunting trip for eggs. 



We took the train at San Francisco 

 and went some himdred and forty odd 

 mile; south to San Bonito County 

 which is a regular paradise for egg col- 

 lectors. 



We arrived at our destination about 

 noon and after a good lunch started 

 out. We followed the Pajaro (pro- 

 nounced Paharow) river up for about 

 two miles, when we came to a pretty 

 little fiat covered with immense live 

 oak trees and a few dead willows. 



In the first willow we came too we 

 took a fine set of Nuttall's Woodpeck- 

 er 1-5 and no sooner had them packed, 

 when I caught sight of a Kite hovering 

 over the largest tree in the fiat. Ben- 

 nett and myself made a break for the 

 tree, but as I had on a heavy pair of 

 borrowed boots, which were three sizes 

 too large for me he got there first, my- 

 self pulling up a close second. 



After walking around the tree a 

 number of times I saw what I took to 

 be an old California Jay's nest, but as 

 it was the only one in the tree I went 

 up. The climb was a terror. Talk 

 about your big sycamores, why they 

 weren't in it for a minute, but at last 

 I managed to get u}). 



When I got within three feet of the 

 nest the Kite flew off and I was re- 

 ward for my climb with a beautiful set 

 of four eggs. 



The eggs were the prettiest ones I 

 ever saw, no two were alike. One 

 was marked all over with reddish 

 brown, the next was only marked with 

 a heavy red blotch on the side on a 

 pure white back ground, the next was 

 marked the heaviest on the large end, 

 and the next the heaviest on the small 

 end. 



The nest was built of small sticks 

 and grass, and lined with green leaves 

 and was about 18 inches in diameter. 



Both birds hung around the tree for 

 two or three days, but as we had to 

 move we did not observe them any 

 further. 



Mr. Taylor took a set of five from 

 the same birds about May i, 1894 ^rid 

 the whole set was very heavily marked. 

 Harold Ward. 



