VOL. X. 



The Oologist. 



ALBION, N. Y., JAN., 1893. 



NO. 1 



A Field Naturalist's Outfit 



As many of the veailurs of this inter- 

 estiug niagaziue devote a good part of 

 their time to colleetiDg bird's skius as 

 well as eggs. I've uo doubt what I 

 may here say may be of considerable 

 interest to many of my readers. 



During ten years experience in the 

 field, as a collector, I"ve handled a 

 large number of specimtms, and used in 

 the same length of tinie several different 

 outfits; but I can truthful Ij^ say I have 

 never received so much benefit from 

 any of them as the one I now possess. 

 But before describing nij'outtit I would 

 like to say a few words to the collector 

 in a general way- 

 First of all you will want to secure 

 the specimens on which to use the tools 

 I shall hereafter describe, Should the 

 collector reside in a part of the country 

 where big game, as well as small, 

 abounds lie will no dc)nl)t like to secure 

 a few specimens of such animals as 

 Deer, Bear, Panther, etc., and if he 

 .should have the luck to meet up with 

 such animals ami only liave a small 

 "collecting gun,' such as is recom- 

 mended by tlic ;j,ciicral writer, the 

 chances are thi- "big bird' (V) makes 

 his escape and leaves you to mourn a 

 trophy worthy luoiitlis of labor to pre- 

 serve. It is ti'ue some collectors, so 

 situaled, carry along a rifle as well as a 

 collecting gun, i)ut a rifle is very de- 

 structive to small gjiuie rendering them 

 totally unlit for mounting, and on the 

 other hand the general "collecting gun" 

 is too small for aiiyihing larger tiian a 

 robin. The question then is, what is 

 the best gun I can get for collecting 

 both large and small specimens, with- 

 out being loaded down with two guns 

 or having to carry along a heavy three- 



barrel combined shot gun and rille^as 

 I've seen some collectors do? 



This was a (luestion which had 

 bothered me for a long time, till about 

 a year ago I found just what I wanted 

 in a single shot combined shot gun and 

 ritle. I had known of such an arm in 

 the Ma^'nard, but it was rather too ex- 

 pensive for me. 



• Looking over a gun catalogue one 

 day, I came across the following de- 

 scription, i. e., "Merwin, Hulbert & 

 Co's Rifles, with Interchangeable Shot 

 Barrels." Now I have it! And the 

 piice, Great Scott! only $13.75, At 

 once I sat down and wrote an order 

 for the above gun and in a short time I 

 had it in hand. Ah! what a little 

 beauty. The rifle barrel is 28 inches 

 in length, using the regular 38 calibre 

 Winchester Model 1873 cartridge, 

 which carries 40 grains of powder and 

 180 grains of lead. The shot barrel is 

 30 inches in length, using the regular 

 16 gauge paper or brass shot shells. 

 For penetration or accuracy it equals 

 anything I've ever shot. With shells 

 properly loaded I've killed, with the 

 shot barrel, birds and aninnils from the 

 Hummer up to the Red Lynx and Gray 

 Fox . The rifle barrel has great pene- 

 tration when used with regular Win- 

 chesler factory ammunition, which I 

 Avould always recommend, and when 

 properly used never fails to bring down 

 the Deer and Bear. When out collect- 

 ing I carry in my shooting coat — of 

 many and large pockets — ammunition 

 for l)oth rifle and shot i)arrels. I near- 

 ly always start out with the shot barrel 

 in the frame and the rifle barrel in a 

 canvas case slung by a strap over my 

 shoulder. I can quickly and easily 

 change, by the .screw attachment hold- 

 ing the barrel to the stock, from the 



