108 



THE OOLOGIST 



two sets of Rough Wing Swallow, the 

 set I described and another I found 

 June 1st which contained four eggs. 

 Arthur Blocher, 

 Amboy, Illinois. 



A SUGGESTION 



Mr. Barnes, I liave a suggestion to 

 make and I wish you would read it 

 and then print it in The Oologist as 

 soon as possible and see what other 

 oologists think about it. 



Us "fellows" who have taken Th(; 

 Oologist for a number of years have 

 accumulated quite a number of them 

 and as we wish to save every copy, I 

 suggested you make a loose lear note- 

 book large enough to hold twenty-four 

 numbers or a two years' subscription 

 Make a good cloth cover, colored black, 

 and then across the top in large gold 

 letters have "THE OOLOGIST" and 

 underneath have the year or year.i 

 1922-1923 also make them back for our 

 back numbers like 19201921 and 191S- 

 1919 and so forth. Fix two snaps in- 

 side so all we have to do will be to 

 punch two small holes in the " uoiu 

 gist" and fasten them in. 



Our Oologists will be held in thert' 

 and will not get lost from lying around 

 in a pile or heap, they will be kept 

 neat and clean and any time we want 

 to go back to look over our copies or 

 for refernces or anything all we will 

 have to do is to look at the year on 

 the books. I also think a nice pile of 

 these books will look good. Of course, 

 we would want, you to change enough 

 to make a fair profit but they ought 

 not to be expensive. 1 know I would 

 buy for all my back copies and copies 

 ahead. I think this is a splendid idea 

 and would like to see it go through. 

 Arthur Blocher, 



Amboy, Illinois. 



Let some of our subscribers do this. 

 R. M. B. 



SUGGESTIONS FOR THE TREAT- 

 MENT OF MUCH INCUBATED EGGS 



Rare eggs coming to me much muti- 

 lated, or reported as having been 

 ruined in the attempt to prepare Lhem 

 well, I am led to offer a few sugges- 

 tions: 



With caustic potash, the smaller the 

 egg, the greater the dilution to be 

 used; and the shorter the time in- 

 volved in the use 



With eggs of swallow-size, I use an 

 extreme dilution; changed in five 

 riiinutcj . This is usually effective in 

 remcvln~ embryos of at least one-half 

 development through holes of very 

 jmiall size. 



While afield in North Dakota, the 

 past season, I prepared, while eating 

 my luncheon, a beautiful set of Wilson 

 Phalarope through small holes, though 

 the tough embryos had been utterly 

 obstinate. I used a moderate caustic 

 dilution, changing it every five 

 minutes. 



Where, however, maceration with 

 caustic is impossible, there is a meth- 

 od available with very rare or unusual- 

 ly beautiful eggs th^t I have employed 

 with success, finding specimens thus 

 prepared quite intact and perrect, af- 

 ter the lapse of years. 



With a fine needle pric out, by very 

 small intervals, a section of egg-shell 

 covering about one-half or more of one 

 surface. With the embryo hook re- 

 volve the embryo until the head ap- 

 pears. Use the hook then, in gently 

 wriggling the embryo out of the shell. 



The placenta is now the chief diffi- 

 culty. With small eggs, one is qu'te 

 sure to pierce the walls of the egg. I 

 find that a strong jet of water, repeat- 

 edly and patiently applied, will gen- 

 erally loosen it so that it may be 

 drawn out. Rinse well, using prefer- 

 ably, a strong solution of carbolic acid, 

 for the final rinsing. Dry over blot- 



