THE OOLOGISl 



need not be left in the egg but a short 

 while, — say, for eggs of robin-size, not 

 over 40 minutes. With small eggs it 

 is well to keep the treated eggs float- 

 ing in water while the caustic is doing 

 its work. As for the very small eggs> 

 It is wonderful in how short a time 

 and with what weak strength of the 

 soda it is possible to remove even a 

 tough embryo. For example: by us- 

 ing a medicine dropper, having its tip 

 very finely drawn out, I once blew, for 

 our good friend Dille, the only set of 

 eight eggs of the Long-tailed Chicka- 

 dee of which I have ever heard. Dil- 

 le wanted them badly, .but they con- 

 tained very tough embryos. To my 

 own incredible surprise every one of 

 these eight eggs was safely and clean- 

 ly blown by the use of a two-percent 

 solution of caustic; through holes the 

 diameter of a fair-sized pin. I couldn't 

 do it again, nor would I attempt it 

 again, — for anybody else on earth. — 

 including myself. The secret lay in 

 the leaving of solutions in the floating 

 eggs for not over 20 minutes at a time; 

 and the constant use of a light, in the 

 blowing; to be utterly sure that no 

 vestige of cartilage was left in any 

 egg. 



In the preparation of hard-set eggs 

 of one inch, or more, in diameter, the 

 blow-hole perforated patches of slit- 

 ted paper prescribed by that skilful 

 physician, Doctor Coues, will be found 

 a complete safeguard against the 

 breakage of a blow-hole by the use of 

 the embryo hook. Almost every read- 

 er of the Oologist knows how mad- 

 dening it is to be trying to remove that 

 last provoking humerus or femur, by 

 aid of lamp and embryo hook, only to 

 have some nervous or careless twist 

 of the hook wrench out a piece of the 

 shell from some highly valuable egg. 

 To prevent this one has but to paste 

 on a series of (not less than five) of 

 these pieces of paper. They are to be 

 perforated in the center to correspond 



with the blow-hole of the egg. (A har- 

 ness-maker's punch is just the thing). 

 The edge of each piece is then slit- 

 tedso that it may conform in the past- 

 ing, to the curvature of the egg. Each 

 piece is then laid on, with utmost 

 care, one seeing to it that each center 

 perforation accurately registers. The 

 entire affair is then to be laid away 

 for thorough drying. Previously, how- 

 ever, the drill-hole should be made, 

 the size thereof to be about one-third 

 as large as the operator may think 

 necessary. Sage hen eggs with fully 

 developed embryos, may be safely 

 blown through holes the size of a large 

 wheat straw. The liquid is then to be 

 carefully drawn from the egg; the 

 greatest care being exercised to re- 

 move every bit of the yolk of the egg. 

 (If this be not done, the action of the 

 caustic leaves in the egg a tough, gel- 

 atinous mass, which it is almost im- 

 possible to remove in any other way 

 than with a sledge hammer). The egg 

 is now to be filled with your caustic 

 solution, (about one-third as strong, 

 if you please, as you may consider 

 necessary). Shake the egg thorough- 

 ly. Wipe clean. Put away for from 

 thirty to forty minutes, not more. 

 (When the soluble parts of the em- 

 bryos have been removed, a very weak 

 solution may be left in the egg for sev- 

 eral hours; in case the embryo prove 

 refractory, or the previously used so- 

 lution has been too weak. But, this 

 long soaking is dangerous.) 



W^hile working at the embryo one 

 should keep the paper-covered surface 

 of the egg just as dry as he possibly 

 can. As the work progresses the loss 

 of a few pieces can do no harm: (they 

 will finally all come off, any how) ; 

 yet it is best to leave them all as 

 long as possible; or until every well- 

 formed bone has been patiently coax- 

 ed out of the egg. (This latter process 

 is best wrought by standing on ones 

 head.) This feat may be approxi- 



