10 



THE OOLOGIST. 



Question Column. 



H, Steenstrup, Chicago, and others. 

 How do Collectors get their set mark? 

 Ans. There are many systems follow- 

 ed by Collectors in marking eggs. 

 The most common is as follows — A 

 Collector secures his first set of Song 

 Sparrows in 1904 and he marks it this 

 way; — } — ; 1 because it is his first set of 

 that species for the season; 4 because 

 there were four eggs in the set His next 

 set would be 2-3, 2-4 or 2-5 according 

 to the number of eggs in the set. Now 

 this does very well for one year but 

 .suppose he goes over the same system 

 next year and places his 1905 sets be- 

 side the 1904 takes in his Cabinet. 

 Now we will suppose some one tips 

 over two or three trays containing sets 

 collected in as many different years. 

 If the sets happen to be of the same 

 size and order all three will be marked 

 1-4. 



He then has three dates for 12 eggs 

 all marked 581i. 



Will he ever be sure that he has sep- 

 arated them right? Hardly. 



Again suppose he packs six or more 

 of the sets to ship in exchange. (I have 

 had as high as 20 sets of one kind). 

 In this case the party who gets his 

 eggs can never be certain that he has 

 placed each set with its proper data. 



Many advanced Collectors now 

 mark this way, 

 For 1904—04 1-4, 04 2-4 etc. 

 For 1905—05 1-5, 05 2-5, 05 8-5 etc. 



This is much better but it makes 

 necessary a few more marks on the 

 eggs and the fewer marks the better 

 as every mark carries some risk of 

 puncturing the egg as well as marring 

 its appearance. 



I consider the following method the 

 best of all. 



Get your Data blanks in the Check- 

 book form and keep a record of all 

 sets mark on the stul)s. Then begin 

 with your first take of a certain species 



Marking all the eggs simply with the 

 A. O. U. No. and the letter —a—. 



Mark your next set of this species 

 — b, the next — d — etc, up to Z. 



This will take care of 26 sets of one 

 species, now begin on Capitals thus 

 A, B, C, etc. 



Then if you collect a very large 

 series as sometimes happens when 

 you find a colony you can begin on 

 the 53d. set thus a a, b b, etc. to z z. 

 After that, 1 a, 1 b etc. then 2 a etc. to 

 2z. 



This system makes less confusion, 

 requires fewer marks on the eggs and 

 admits of more expansion than any I 

 know of. 



In marking a set of eggs always put 

 the marks in the relative position to 

 the blow hole on all the eggs of one 

 set. If you mark the first egg to the 

 right of the hole try to mark all of 

 that set in the same position. 



This often helps in sorting sets from 

 different Collectors where some often 

 happen to be marked alike. 



The Editor. 



Don't be afraid to ask questions. 



The Editor will devote this Depart- 

 ment to as full an answer as space 

 permits 



Franklin's Gull. 



Few, indeed, of those who are famil- 

 iar with the eggs of Franklin's Gull 

 have any vidid knowledge of that er- 

 ratic gregarious bird, whose summer 

 home is in the middle northern area 

 of North America, from Southern 

 Minnesota northward. There are two 

 known breeding places within our 

 border — one in Minnesota, and one in 

 North Dakota, where the birds some- 

 times breed; but some seasons not. In 

 Autumn they swarm, in thousands 

 about the larger Dakota and Minne- 

 sota lakes and marshes. 



P. B. Feabodv. 



