36 



THE OOLOGIST 



Tfte ©yfogist. 



FOURTH PUBLICATION YEAR. 



JULY, 1878. 



How TO SEND Birds' Eggs bv Mail. — 

 The exteut of our patience is such, that it 

 will not continue unimpaired beyond the 

 reasonable bounds of human capacity in 

 that respect ; and when, iu spite of the no- 

 tices and instructions we have published 

 from time to time, regarding packing and 

 shipping specimens, correspondents will 

 continue to send us boxes nailed, screwed, 

 or glued iu such a manner as to render it 

 a sealed package in postal parlance, we must 

 needs give more prominence to our previous 

 advice. Correspondents who mail speci- 

 mens for the first time, should inquire con- 

 cerning the postal regulation which attach- 

 es to this particular subject, and they will 

 find it much more restrictive than we have 

 intimated ; postmasters will give the re- 

 quired information in all cases. We have 

 received a numbei' ol" packages thus treat- 

 ed of late, and the charges payable by us 

 amounted to more, iu most cases, than ex- 

 pi'essage on the same would. Aud when 

 the contents are of small importance, this 

 is made all the more irritating. The post- 

 age on packages properly fastened is one 

 cent for each two ounces or fraction ; for 

 those sealed six cents for each ounce. Thus., 

 a box of eggs that should cost but twelve 

 cents, having the cover nailed or screwed 

 down will cost nearly $1.5U for postage. 

 We would, therefore, advise our corres- 

 pondents : 1st, In fastening packages to be 



sent as third-class matter, tie down the cov- 

 er v:ith twine, with a loop knot, never us- 

 ing nails, screws, or glue. 2nd, Never 

 place writing inside the box — it is not ad- 

 missible, unless the package is prepaid with 

 letter postage. 3d, Use a strong box — 

 a wooden or tin box are best — and plenty 

 of cotton. 



The Akdeid.e. — That important paper 

 on the nests and eggs of the Herons and 

 Bitterns of North America, by W. H. Bal- 

 lon, should be in the hands of every oolo- 

 gist in the country ; no better opportunity 

 to obtain such a work on the Herons has 

 been, or will immediately be, in possession 

 of the student. It will be the most import- 

 ant paper ever published in this journal. 

 The egg of each species will be represented 

 by illustrations of natural size. 



In writing to us, correspondents should 

 not fail to give their address in full — num- 

 ber of box or street aud number, and when 

 the town is small, the county. We have 

 occasionally received letters in which the 

 writers failed to mention the state, aud once 

 in a while one comes without any address 

 whatever, save the name of the writer ; and 

 what is worse, the post-mark on the envel- 

 ope is frequently so indistinct as to cut off 

 all source of information in that direction. 



Most of our young oological friends 

 doubtless have, ere this, arranged their sea- 

 son's notes on bii'ds' nesting habits and eggs. 

 We invite them to write us concerning their 

 season's successes, and to send such items 

 as they consider worthy of publication. It 

 is not necessary that facts of interest be 

 clothed in technical language as mauy young 

 writers suppose ; a plain expression will not 

 deteriorate, in the least, the importance of 

 any observation. We desire to keep the 

 collectors throughout the country posted as 

 to local discoveries, and to this end need , 

 the cooperation of each reader. 



