Saniom lDtc0 on latural Ibtort). 



Vol. 1. 



PROVIDENCE, AUGUST, 1884. No. VIII. 



Entered at the Providence Post-Office as Second-Class Matter. 



^^aiitmni !f oies on IJntunil 'f ision^. 



A Monthly Devoted to the Distrihution of Use- 

 ful Knowledge Concerning the Various De- 

 partments OF Zoology, Mineralogy, and 

 UOTANY. 50 Cents a Year. 

 Address all communications to 



SOUTHWICK & JENCKS, 

 358 Westminster St., Providence, K. I., U.S. A. 



SPECIAL NOTICE. 



SuPSCRiPTiONS hereafter will begin with 

 the current number, or the March number if 

 desired. 



Mr. Frederic A. Lucas, secretary- of 

 the Society of American Taxidermists, 

 kindly volunteers his services to aid our 

 taxidermist department. Mr. Lucas has 

 made a specialty of mounting reptiles, the 

 turtles being favorites. 



The Handbook of the St. Nicholas Agas- 

 siz Association, by Mr. H. H. Ballard has 

 recently appeared. It gives the history of 

 that organization, and full instructions to 

 aid its members in their work. A few 

 statements under " How to collect and pre- 

 serve birds " will be liable to give the ama- 

 teur trouble. The author would have done 

 well to have left out where the best places 

 to find birds are, for each bird chooses situ- 

 ations suited to its habits, and to collect a 

 large variety as varied country' as possible 

 should be visited. 



We would advise not using any hook, as 

 with a little experience it can be readily 

 dispensed with, and a saving of time 

 gained. AVith its use large birds may be 

 handled more easil}', but in the case of 

 small birds the fingers soon learn how to 

 clasp the bod}' so that the feathers will give 

 no trouble bj" sticking to the meat. 



" If the head is too large, . . an in- 

 cision must be made under the throat which 

 can afterward be sewed." This is all wrong ; 

 mA'er cut a bird under the throat, but in- 

 stead open it on the hack of head. 



The further statement after poisoning of, 



" turn it (the skin) right side out and allow 

 it to become perfectly dry." After this he 

 would have the plumage smoothed out and 

 the bird made into a skin. TJds is impossi- 

 hle. The bird must be made into a skin while 

 moist, when dry nothing can be done with it. 

 Our bird catalogue gives a much better 

 method for making bird skins, and if any 

 of our statements are not clear, or if there 

 are any points about taxidermy which our 

 readers would like explained we invite them 

 to write for an explanation. We are also 

 willing to assist members of the Agassiz 

 Association on this subject. The editors 

 of Random Notes also wish instructive 

 articles on taxidermy from any who are in- 

 terested in the art. 



The Third Annual Report of the So- 

 ciety of American Taxidermists is now in 

 the binder's hands and will soon be ready 

 for delivery to the members. It forms a 

 book of 128 pages with two heliotype 

 plates, and contains a full account of the 

 New York meeting of 1883, with all the ad- 

 dresses and papers then read. The So- 

 ciet}' is making steady progress and is con- 

 tinually adding to the number of its mem- 

 bers. A meeting will soon be held for the 

 election of new members, and for the pur- 

 pose of discussing the date for the next 

 exhibition. 



Valuable Notes from Vermont. 



Several months ago Mr. C. W. Graham 

 mentioned incidentally in a letter to us, the 

 capture of a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Mil 

 villus forficatus. In response to a query 

 for particulars he writes: ''Am sorrj' 1 

 can't give a real nice story about the Scis 

 sor-tail. Can't find the memorandum made 

 of it anywhere. All I can tell now is I rar 

 across the fairy while hunting cedar birds 

 and followed it, thinking it was a partia 

 albino cuckoo. When we took it in, i 

 proved a genuine Scissor-tail, and now re 

 poses in Dartmouth College. Can't tell the 

 date for the life of me. If I had time I'd" 

 make a varn worth reading, but as it is I 



