2 72 



THE MUSEUM. 



say, "come on, boys." I shall never 

 forget my last shin. It was in a large 

 swamp, a tall tree with dead branches 

 way up, a Cooper's Hawk's nest with 4 

 fresh eggs, a mortal fear that the Hawk 

 would come and pick my eyes out, and 

 no way under heaven, it appeared to 

 me, to get the eggs down. I did get 

 the eggs down. I don't think I did 

 get the nest, I don't remember that. 

 It is not so firmly impressed on my 

 memory. How I got the eggs I can't 

 tell for the life of me. I've a faint 

 recollection of trying to put one of 

 them into my mouth, whether I did or 

 not I can't tell for I don't remember. 

 And now, boys, da you want a first 

 class, cheap, really fine display case 

 for your Birds' Eggs.-* Go to the book- 

 store or furniture store and take for a 

 model, the oDiong, square revolving 

 bookcase so common these days. 

 Build it up on a stand or legs, not nec- 

 essarily revplving;build it up of a series 

 of low flat boxes each one smaller than 

 the one below it. Now you will have 

 four sides. Build a frame work rest- 

 ing on the top and bottom layer and 

 corner it or fit it with glass and you 

 have it. A complete glass show case. 

 With lock and key for your own use. 

 Forget where the key is when you 

 don't want to open it. You can make 

 these cases any size you want, and as 

 many of them as you want. All to- 

 gether or one at a time. One foot 

 high or three feet high. But it is get- 

 ting late and so I will stop. 

 Yours as ever, 



W. A. Stearns. 



Collectins Plants. 



The collector of plants requires but 

 little apparatus; a few quires or reams 

 of unsized paper, of folio size, will 



furnish all that will be needed. The 

 specimens as gathered may be placed 

 in a tin box, or, still better, in a port- 

 folio of paper, until reaching home. 

 About forty or fifty sheets of the pa- 

 per should be put into the portfolio 

 on setting out on an excursion. Put 

 the specimens of each species in a 

 separate sheet as fast as gathered from 

 the plant, taking a fresh sheet for each 

 additional species. On returning to 

 camp, place these sheets (without 

 changing or disturbing the plants) be- 

 tween the absorbent drying papers in 

 the press, and draw the straps tight 

 enough to produce the requisite pres- 

 sure. The next day the driers may be 

 changed, and those previously used 

 laid in the sun to dry; this to be con- 

 tinued until the plants are perfectly 

 dry. If paper and opportunities of 

 transportation be limited, several 

 specimens from the same localit}' may 

 be combined in the same sheet after 

 they are dry. 



Place in each sheet a slip of paper 

 having a number or name^ of locality 

 written on it corresponding with a list 

 kept in a memorandum book. Record 

 the day of the month, locality, size, 

 and character of the plant, color of 

 flower, fruit, &c. 



If the stem is too long, double it or 

 cut it into lengths. Collect, if pos- 

 sible, half a dozen specimens of each 

 kind. In the small specimens, collect 

 the entire plant, so as to show the 

 root. 



In many instances, » old newspapers 

 will be found to answer a good pur- 

 pose both in drying and in keeping 

 plants, although the unprinted paper is 

 best — the more porous and absorbent 

 the better. 



