156 



THE OSPEEY. 



dentally g-ot eiitang'led among- the slender and 

 sinuous stems of the clematis, and the thicker 

 branches of a sweet-brier. Upon looking- at it 

 moie attentiveh'. however, a round opening- ap- 

 peared on the side, just larg-e enough to admit 

 the entrance of its little architect;" it was what 

 Swainson thought "'he might call a roofed 

 nest." 



His "immense collections," the fruit of his 

 own industry in the field as well as of purchase, 

 were arranged as compactl_v and conveniently 

 as could be devised by him. His method has 

 been described in his Natural History of Birds 

 as well as in his Taxidermy. 



A century ag-o and more, "the custom" in 

 England was, and continued till Swainson 's 

 time among- some, "to place each specimen in a 

 case by itself, proportioned to its size." This 

 method, about 1820, according- to Swainson "gave 

 place to another much more eleg"ant and com- 

 pact. For land birds, large and small branches 

 of trees are fixed into glazed cases, upon which 

 the birds are grouped: little or no space is thus 

 lost; and, if disposed with taste, they have a 

 .striking^ and beautiful effect. The water birds, 

 in like manner, are grouped upon artificial rocks 

 made of brown paper sprinkled with sand, &c. ; 

 yet still the subjects, from being permanently 

 affixed, cannot be minutely examined, and 

 those characters distinctly seen which are 

 essential to its scientific description." This 

 objection Swainson "endeavoured to obviate" 

 \)y the following plan: — For land birds of a small 

 size, [he] had cases made about 2 feet 5 inches 

 high, 20 inches broad, and 9'-^ inches deep, the 

 front being composed of a single pane of glass: 

 one principal stem is made to send forth smaller 

 branches, upon which the birds are permanently 

 fixed, as in the common method; but the stem is 

 strongly wedged into a square piece of lead, suf- 

 ficiently weighty to support the whole; this lead 

 is kept steady in the case by three of its sides 

 being confined by slips of wood, or by the 

 more secure expedient of being perforated for 

 the reception of screws, which fasten it to the 

 bottom of the case. When these screws are re- 

 moved, the whole contents may be drawn out by 

 a brass ring fixed in the lead, and the observer 

 can thus handle and examine every specimen. 

 For larg-e birds, or those between the size of a 

 Thrush and a Magpie, a different plan may be 

 pursued. The cases are of two sizes; one being 

 2 feet 4 inches high, by 4 feet 2 inches broad, 

 with three panes of glass; the other 4 feet 8 

 inches high, of the same breadth, with nine 

 panes; the depth of both is 13 inches: the 

 smallest, placed lengthways, serves as a pedi- 

 ment for the other: both are fitted tip with 

 strong branches, firmly secured by screws to the 

 back and sides of the case.! Each bird is 



mounted upon a short strong stick, one end of 

 which is made round, and is thrust into a cor- 

 responding hole in some of the branches: they 

 should then Vje so firmly secured, that the bird is 

 supported without any other assistance; but 

 if it be large, or unusually heavy, a little glue 

 maj- be added. Now, the advantages of this 

 plan are great; for while the general beauty 

 and variety of the whole is preserved, the natu- 

 ralist is able to detach any one particular 

 species for the purposes of examination, and to 

 replace it, without the slightest injury to any 

 others that may be placed upon the same 

 branch." 



Amidst such surroundings, he had his library 

 and collections. His collections were condensed 

 in a comparatively small room. 



But Swainson early discovered that mounted 

 skins were not the most useful for the ornitho- 

 logical student. He fully realized that "the 

 preservation of birds in skins^ or, more pro- 

 perly, in an unmounted state, is, above all 

 others, the best for scientific purposes. Unless 

 a bird is mounted more carefully than is usually 

 done, some part, either of the bill, nostrils, toes, 

 or claw's, will be injured or distorted: it is, in 

 fact, very rare to see exotic birds, after they 

 have come from the hands of the bird-stuffer, in 

 a thoroughly perfect state. Mounted speci- 

 mens, even with the most ingenious contri- 

 vances, occupy a vast deal of room; and their 

 preparation, at all times, is attended with much 

 expense. Now, all these objections are removed 

 by preserving them, as it is termed, in skins: 

 when laid upon fine cotton, and arrang-ed in 

 cabinet drawers, thev have a very pleasing ap- 

 pearance; they can be at all times handled, and 

 minutely examined, without the least trouble; 

 moreover, they lay in such a compact space, 

 that, in a cabinet 5 '4 feet high, 3 feet 3 inches 

 broad, and 1 foot 7 inches deep, containing 36 

 drawers," Swainson had "a collection of near 

 600 specimens. Birds that have been purchased 

 at sales, or otherwise, and that are already 

 mounted," he disposed "in cases upon moveable 

 stands, as before described. Until proper cabi- 

 nets are provided, bird skins", Swainson advised, 

 mig-ht be "preserved with great additional se- 

 curity', by wrapping them singly in sheets of 

 soft paper, and examining- each once or twice a 

 year." 



This method of preserving skins is thought by 

 many ornithologists to have originated within 

 the present haif century, but here we have the 

 evidence that Swainson (and others) had long 

 before adopted it and that public museums and 

 others were tardy in adopting a plan long ago 

 instituted. 



( 7b be Continued.) 



