31 



filled. It is always better to wrap each egg in a loose coat of 

 cotton before arranging in layers, and they should be packed in 

 small wooden boxes. 



Cracked eggs should have strips of tissue paper pasted over the 

 line of fracture; or the crack may be painted over with collodion 

 while the sides are pressed together. 



The parent bird should be secured, and either skinned entire or 

 the head and wing kept to identify the species. 



The eggs of reptiles, provided with a calcareous shell, can be 

 prepared in a similar way. 



The eggs of fishes, salamanders, and frogs may be preserved in 

 spirits, and kept in small vials or bottles. A label should never 

 be omitted. 



§ YII. PEEPAEATION OF SKELETONS. 



Skulls of animals may be rapidly prepared by boiling in water 

 for a few hours. A little potash or lye added will facilitate the 

 removal of the flesh. 



Skeletons may be roughly prepared in the field by skinning the 

 animal and removing all the viscera, together with as much of the 

 flesh as possible. Whenever practicable, they should be allowed 

 to soak a few hours in water to extract the blood. The bones 

 should then be exposed to the sun or air until completely dried. 

 Previously, however, the brain of large animals should be removed 

 by separating the skull from the spine, and extracting the brain 

 through the large hole in the back of the head. The head may be 

 cleaned by boiling. In case it becomes necessary to disjoint a 

 skeleton, care should be taken to attach a common mark to all the 

 pieces, especially when more than one individual is packed in the 

 same box. 



Skulls and skeletons may frequently be picked up, already cleaned 

 by other animals or exposure to weather. By placing small animals 

 near an ant's nest, or in water occupied by tadpoles or small Crus- 

 tacea, very beautiful skeletons may often be obtained. The sea- 

 beach sometimes aS"ords rich treasures in the remains of porpoises, 

 whales, large fishes, as sharks, and other aquatic species. 



Although, to save time and opportunities in the field, it is 

 usually necessary to prepare skulls by boiling in water, as just ex- 

 plained, the process is sometimes apt to leave the bones colored, 

 or even somewhat greasy. The best method of preparing skulls 



