50 



THE OOLOGIST. 



This of course is done, to attract the 

 attention of the disturhnr and to decoy 

 him away from its iie>t. 



The action and general features of 

 this species resemble very cl'-SHly those 

 of the Spotted Sandpiper. 



It is a very handsome and clean bird 

 in appearance. 



It usually takes its departure for more 

 favorable localities about August 15th 

 or later. 



While searching for nests of this spec- 

 ies I was once the perpetrator of a very 

 cruel deed, the circumstancns of which 

 I am almost ashamed te relate, but feel 

 it my duty to do so in order to demon- 

 strate to my fellow-collectors the little 

 good that is to be derived from ill-treat- 

 ment inflicted upon the harmless and 

 helpless creatures of flight. 



It was during the early days of my 

 collecting career, when I considered 

 eggs of this bird to be quite rare and I 

 was intent upon securing a set at all 

 hazards. One afternoon about the mid- 

 dle of May, while walking along a small 

 stream running through my father's 

 pasture I inadvertently came upon a 

 nest containing Ave almost full-fledged 

 yoang birds. The mother bird, which 

 was feeding its young, soon espied me 

 and tumbling out of the nest she went 

 fluttering down the stream in her usual 

 characteristic manner, an act which 

 commanded very little of my attention. 

 Having often heard that if the young 

 birds were put to death that another 

 brood would be reared, and being ut- 

 terly chagrined with my And I deter- 

 mined to experiment along this line, 

 believing that a nice het uf eggs was 

 lying in store for me. 



Gathering up the five fledgelings I 

 walked a short distance ofl' from the 

 nest and began mv cruel experiment by 

 snatching their heads off. Four birds 

 being decapitated 1 became somewhat 

 disheartened, and for some reason or 

 other the fifth specimen managed to fly 

 from my hands, scrambling off to the 



thick undergrowth and was not seen 

 thereafter. I went home that after- 

 noon not contented with and proud of 

 my action as one might suppose, but 

 most decidedly to the contrary. It was 

 an action that I will always regret and 

 trust that other collectors, seeing the 

 unfruitful results that accrue from such 

 a cruel undertaking, will discounten- 

 ance and avoid like demeanor. 



My much-desired set of eggs of this 

 bird was very evidently not realized 

 during that season. 



W. Lindsay Foxhall, 

 Tarboro, N. Car. 



How to Mount a Bird Correctly. 



In writing this article. I do not at- 

 tempt to state the course which every 

 collector of birds should follow, but as 

 I have found this mode of operation a 

 sure one in my own case. I think that 

 beginners can profitably adopt it. 



PMrst. after the bird has been killed, 

 plug all shot holes, likewise the mouth 

 and nostrils with pieces of cotton. 

 Then wrap it in a paper cone to keep 

 the feathers in place until you are ready 

 to begin skinning. 



Begin work, by placing the bird on 

 the operating board, so that its head 

 will point toward your left hand. 



With the handle of your scalpel run 

 a furrow through the feathers on the 

 under side of tbe bird and then smooth 

 them back on either side with the fin- 

 gers. 



Now with the scissars carefully cut 

 the skin from the sternum to the anus. 



This having been done, push, but do 

 not pull the skin from the flesh as far 

 as the knee joints. Separate the leg 

 from the thigh bone. Scrape away the 

 flesh from both of the leg bones and 

 proceed to skin as far as the wings. 

 Repeat this operation and we have ar- 

 rived at the back. 



Here we must be careful not to 

 stretch the skin of the neck, else we 



