48 



THE OOLOGIST 



sions are divisible by the various di- 

 ametered tubes to be used, tlien all 

 tubes will be more or less interchange- 

 able in part or in whole. One of the 

 two boxes we now use is shallower 

 than the other, as is also one-half of 

 each box; thus four lengths of tubes 

 are obtained and these compactly ac- 

 commodate everything we take up to 

 Goose eggs. A heavy card board lined 

 on both sides with the same eider 

 down cloth forms a fly leaf protection 

 between the two halves of the box. 

 A small box made to contain but four 

 or five of these tubes offers very quick 

 and effective packing, especially in 

 cliff work, and afterwards they may 

 be replaced in the larger box. 



That we may not carry home eggs 

 that can not be prepared in a manner 

 worthy of them, or perchance have to 

 be thrown away due to excessive in- 

 cubation, we test them using water as 

 a medium; for this in no way retards 

 the development of the embryo if the 

 egg is too far advanced to take. Many 

 eggs of which the shell density, lining, 

 heavy or ground color make it impos- 

 sible to determine the exact state of 

 incubation any other way, succumb to 

 the water test. A fresh egg sinks in 

 fresh water, and it soon becomes an 

 easy matter to determine the exact 

 stage of incubation. 



Bringing material home for prepara- 

 tion affords an additional advantage to 

 us since we use water pressure for the 

 removal of shell contents. Figure 2 

 shows a short piece of flexible tubing 

 with one end slipped over a reducer 

 which is screwed onto a cold or hot 

 water hose bib over a sink, and a blow 

 pipe fitted into the other end of the 

 tubing. If the hose bib or valve is of 

 a good compression cock type, the 

 water can be adjusted to any degree 

 of force to suit the size of egg, hole 

 or state of incubation. 



The exact method of procedure is 



difficult to describe, as practice, judg- 

 ment and discrimination are necessary 

 factors in the blowing of each egg. 

 The final rinsing is accomplished by 

 a mouth blow pipe. 



Back from a three days' trip on the 

 sloughs, we have averaged in an even- 

 ing individually, one egg every two 

 minutes; handling each egg but twice, 

 once in the unpacking, second in the 

 drilling, blowing, cleaning and placing 

 ready to mark on the drying tray, the 

 eggs ranging in size from Savannah 

 Sparrows to Red-head Ducks, with 

 holes from one thirty-second to three 

 thirty-seconds inch diameter, depend- 

 ing on the state of incubation. In the 

 case of far advanced embryo, we pre- 

 pare for the inevitable — time, patience 

 and the necessary tools. Where a 

 solvent is necessary we resort to con- 

 centrated lye. One third lye and two- 

 thirds water injected into the body of 

 the embryo by means of a large 

 needleed hypodermic syringe, taking 

 care that the solution does not come 

 in contact with the membrane lining 

 of the shell — a wait of two or three 

 hours — and the contents can generally 

 be removed. It is advisable to first 

 blow out the yolk, viscera, etc., before 

 the lye is injected; otherwise a soft 

 soap forms, which, however, may be 

 disintegrated by a strong salt solu- 

 tion. 



After years of interchange in cor- 

 respondence and specimens we know 

 that there are collectors who see no 

 virtue in the hole made in an egg 

 bearing some relation to the size of 

 the egg. We honestly believe, how- 

 ever, that the law of proportion and 

 balance would have undoubtedly im- 

 proved some material, that but for its 

 rarity only, is now granted a place in 

 our collections. Surely science would 

 sacrifice nothing, if, in the case of 

 beautifully marked specimens, the 

 least attractive side received the hole. 



