ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 16-Nn. 5 



permit me to make any assertions on this 

 j)oiiit. 



1 liave often noticed tlie similarity iii sets 

 l:ii(l liy the same pair of birds. Two sets of 

 lied-sliouldered Hawk eggs taken near Totten- 

 ville, Staten Island, show this to a marked 

 extent, l)oth sets having a very peculiar 

 smeared apjiearance, evidently not due to ex- 

 pdsure to rain, as the eggs when taken were 

 fresh. ('Iiarlcx li. Ilarte. 



New York City. 



How I Embalmed My Sparrow. 



After I had ddiie laughing over Mr. Iloxie'.s 

 description of how he mounted his lirst bird 

 (in February O. & O.) I got to thinking over 

 my lirst si)ecimen, and although the directions 

 I followed were "way oJT" from Friend 

 Hoxie's, yet 1 fully believe my specimen 

 would have given his a elo.se race for first 

 place. 



"Take out the entrails, open a passage 

 to the brain, which should be scooped out 

 through the mouth," the directions l)egan. 

 This I did after much tribulation. "Intro- 

 duce into the cavities of the skull a\ul of the 

 whole body sonu; of the mixture of .salt, alum 

 and pepper (why not add Horseradish and 

 Worcester sauce ?) putting some through 

 the gullet the whole lengtli of the neck." I 

 introduced the mixture as directed, not stint- 

 ing thi! quantity. "Then hang the bird in a 

 cool, airy place — first by the feet, that the 

 body may l)e impregnated by the salts, and 

 afterwards by a thread t^irough the up])er 

 mandible, — till it appears to be sweet." 1 

 hung according to directions but must con. 

 fess that the sweetness has yet to come. 

 " Then hang It in the sun or near a fire; after 

 it has well dried clean out what remains loose 

 of the mixture and fill the cavity of the body 

 with wool, oakum or any soft subst;ancc, and 

 pack it smooth in paper." 



The above was closely followed exce]it in the 

 packing in paper. Instead of that I broke 

 one leg off an old pair of compasses and stuck 

 the sharp point through the back of the 

 wooden "case" that was to hold the speci- 

 men, right into the bird's body, pulling down 

 the feet until they touched a chunk of moss 

 I placed in the bottom of the case to act as a 

 rustic perch for the l)ird. A lump of black 

 sealing wax stuck on the head (if a pin formed 

 the single eye. 



The feathers W(mld not lie smooth so I gave 

 the whole bird (it was an English .Sparrow) a 



good, heavy coat of black paint which brought 

 the feathers into place nicely. 



The specimen was placed on the mantel 

 shelf in the nursery, and for a lung lime was 

 considered quite a work of art by us boys. 

 Finally it w.as thrown out of the window, and 

 probably eaten by the cat. 



I have the above directions before me as I 

 write and have copied them verbatim. Who 

 tlu^ author is, of this fearful and wonderful 

 method, I do not know, but I do know that 1 

 cannot conscientiously recomnu'ud the pro- 

 iM'ss. There is no jialcnt on it, so anyone tliat 

 wishes may try it for himself. 



//. //. llriiiilri/. 



Association of American Ornitholo- 

 gists. 



A number of the ornithologists of Washing- 

 ton, D. f'., and vicinity, met on Aiuil llth, 

 with a view to organizatiiui. The meeting 

 was held at F. .S. Webster's, ]:U:> Pennsylvaina 

 avenue, Washington, D. ('., and a jiartial 

 organization effected. The following ofiicers 

 were elected: President, liev. J. [I. LangiUe, 

 Kensington, Mil.; vice-president, W. 11. 

 Aspiuwall, i;!()."i Kiggs street, Washington, 

 I). C. ; treasure]-, tube tilled: sccretaiy, A. H. 

 Farnhani, Bennings, D. ('. ; board ol corre- 

 sponding secretarys, chairman, W. A. Merritte, 

 118 Maryland avenue, N. E., Washington, D.C, 

 other corresponding secretaries to be suijjilied. 

 The above name was selected and another 

 meeting api)ointe(l in two weeks, when an 

 association organ will be determined on and 

 other matters perfected. 



The mam object of the association is the 

 effective study of bird life by ways and means 

 adajited to those who are not professional 

 naturalists. Corresponding members are de- 

 sired everywhere, e.-pecially those who are 

 isolated, regarding ornithological tasles. Per- 

 sons so situated gather nnu-h that is fresh lo 

 many students of bird life, and as the associa- 

 tion's headquarters are in Washington it hopes 

 to off er advantages in the way of identification, 

 ccunparison and the accounts of eminent 

 naturalists, by reas(m of its having access 

 to the collections and library of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution. 



Those wishing to ascertain more regarding 

 the association will please write the corres- 

 ponding secretary or any of the other 

 olUcers. -1. It. Ftini/nnii. Secretary. 



