
[9] COLLECTING BIRDS’ EGGS AND NESTS—BENDIRE. 
Nest diameter, outside, —— inches; inside, inches. 
Nest depth, oatside, —— inches; inside, —— inches. 
Nest composed of 
Situation of nest 
No. of parent 





Collector 


On a blank of this size, everything of interest can be readily noted, 
using the reverse side also, if more space for details is required. 
A small printed blank (those used in the U. S. Nat. Museum collection 
measure 24 by Ii inches, but can be made still smaller if desired) should 
also be kept with each set of eggs in addition to the above. 
This should give the following information : 
Odlogical collection of ———. 

Current No. ——. Set No. —. 
Scientific name 
Collector ——. Date 


The marks on both blanks should correspond with those on the set 
of eggs in question. 
Aside from keeping the data previously mentioned, it is well to keep 
a regular record book with an index, in which to note down anything 
of interest relating to every species observed, such as, in the case of 
migrants, the dates of their first arrival in the spring, the date when 
last seen in the fall, the localities most frequented by each species, their 
various call notes, notes of alarm, and song, the contents of the stomachs 
of such specimens as are shot, and their relative abundance, in fact every- 
thing of general interest. Field notes should be written on one side of 
the paper only. Unblown eggs, a part of whose shells have been in- 
dented, may be restored to their natural shape by first drilling a hole on 
the same side of the egy, where the injury is located, but a little distance 
away from this if possible. Then insert the blowpipe in the hole and 
force air gently in the egg; as soon as the indentation has disappeared 
and the shell has taken its natural shape, take a camel’s hair brush 
dipped in collodion and cover the injured surface of the egg with a small 
quantity, place the specimen away until the collodion has hardened, 
then finish blowing it. Eggs which have been cracked before blowing, 
or during the process, may be treated in the same manner, as well as 
broken specimens. 
The best way to collect and preserve nests is not to detaci, or lift 
them from their immediate surroundings, but to leave them in their 
natural positions, cutting off the branches, if placed in a tree or shrub, a 
coupleof inches or more above and below the nest. In this way they can 
be much better preserved in their original shape and are less tiable to 
injury. Nests of the ground-building species should have a thin section 
of the sod on which they are placed taken up and preserved with them. 
The inner cavity of each nest should be filled with a ball of soft paper, 
old newspapers answer the purpose very well, or old cotton wrapped 
in tissue paper and tiedin place. This assists materially in preserving 
