BULLETIN 39, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. [8] 
Each setting, clutch, or the full complement of eggs, usually called a 
‘‘set,” should at once after finding them be marked, temporarily at least, 
so that in case several sets ofeggs of the same species are taken at the 
same time, each individual set may be readily separated from others of 
the same kind. 
In marking eggs permanently, I consider the following a good way: 
Eggs should be marked with a soft pencil in preference to anything else, 
as these marks can always be washed off clean, when it is desirable to do 
so, which can not be done when certain inks are used. A good way is to 
place the catalogue number of the eggs on oneside of the hole, and 
the set number and number of the eggs contained in the set on oppo- 
site sides. The date of collecting can, if desired, be placed below, and 
it is well to mark this on at least one egg of each set. For example, I 
desire to mark a set of ten eggs of the Sora Rail, Porzana carolina 
(Linn.), taken June 14,1890. The check list published by the American 
Ornithologists Union, is most generally used at present, and I use its 
numbers in this case. The Sora Rail stands number 214 on this list, 
and I mark the eggs of the set as follows: 

No. 214 is the A. O. U. check list number of this species. No. 86 the running number of the set 
No. 10 indicates the number of eggs in the set. 
and the numbers below the hole, which need only be put on a single 
specimen in each set, indicate the date. The next set would also be 214 
if of the same species, but the running or current number in this case 
would be 87, followed below by the number of eggs the set contained. 
Aside from this a regular record should be kept for each set of eggs 
taken. 
Many collectors use regular blank forms for this purpose, which are 
carefully filed away. A good sample of such a blank is about 6 inches 
square, printed on a good quality of paper, and these may be kept like 
the card catalogues generally in use in libraries. 
These blanks may be printed as follows : 
Current No. —. 

Odlogical collection of 



A. O. U. check list No. ——. Date 
Maine 5 Scientific 
¢ Common ——. 
No. of eggs in set ——. Set mark 
Identification Incubation ———, 

Locality ——-—- ———. 
alt li Te 
——_ 
