REMOVING BLOOD AND GREASE. Id 



in position so as to form semi- cylindrical grooves. Tin or zinc can 

 be used in making drying-boards for large birds. 



Ducks, Herons, Geese and all other^ long-necked birds should, 

 when placed to dry, rest upon the breast with the head and neck 

 placed upon the back. The feet of the long-legged Waders should 

 be placed underneath the breast. 



All skins prepared for the cabinet should have a label attached 

 to the legs, giving the species, sex, locality, date of collection, &c. 

 In most cases the body should be examined to make sure of the 

 sex of the specimen. The testes of the male and the ovaries of the 

 female lie in the same position in the small of the back, close to 

 the kidneys, and may easily be reached by cutting through the 

 wall of the abdomen on one side and pushing the intestines out of 

 the way. The testes of the male are a pair of yellowish bodies 

 lying close together. The ovary is a flattened mass of small 

 spheres. In the breeding season both these organs are subject to 

 such enlargement that they become very conspicuous, and differ so 

 much in appearance that they cannot be mistaken. At other sea- 

 sons of the year they can only be recognized upon close examina- 

 ination. The male is denoted by the sign of Mars, the female by 

 the sign of Venus, or the right leg is crossed over the left to indi- 

 cate the male, and the left over the right to denote the female. 



Removing Blood and Grease from Skins: — Collectors should at all 

 WxQ.&%\>& very particular X.O remove blood stains from the feathers 

 immediately after the bird is skinned. This can be done by wash- 

 ing with hot; water and drying with plaster of paris, moving the 

 feathers constantly to keep the plaster from setting. If the stain 

 has not entirely disappeared, wash the place freely with spirits of 

 turpentine and dry with plaster as before. When blood is hard 

 dried upon feathers it is almost impossible to efface it. I have re- 

 moved old stains from feathers with very satisfactory results in the 

 following manner. Take a quantity of water and alcohol — about 

 half of each ; wash the stained parts with this and then apply a 

 thin paste of corn-starch to the feathers and allow it to remain there 

 until dry. It is a difficult task to remove grease either from the 

 inside or outside of a bird skin and under all circumstances requires 



