HOW TO DETERMINE THE SEX 

 OE A BIED. 



The body having been removed from the skin, make a long incision 

 down one side with a pair of scissors, and gently force the cut edges 

 apart ; then with the handle of a scalpel forc3 the intestines gently 

 away so as to expose the wall, or rather the roof, of the cavity m 

 which they rest. If there is much blood, wash it away with a little 

 water, to which, if possible, should be added a little salt. All this 

 must be done very gently : the water should he poured in, and then 

 soaked up by a piece of sponge ; or if this is not to be had in the 

 field, drain off the water by overturning the body. Never use the 

 sponge to rub with. As soon as the roof of the body-cavity is 

 thoroughly exposed, the sexual organs may be sought for, but, except 

 in the breeding-season, the search must be conducted with much care. 



Attention must first be directed to an examination of the organs 

 lying at the upper end of the kidneys, which are the dark red masses 

 forming the roof of the cavity. 



In the male will be found two egg-shaped, white, or sometimes 

 black bodies lying side by side, just over the arch formed by the 

 convergence of two large blood-vessels, which can be seen running up 

 from the tail end of the kidneys — these are the testes (fig. 4, t.). In 

 the breeding-season there can never be any doubt about these ; but 

 in young birds, and in old ones also after the breeding-season, the 

 testes can often hardly be made out. In such cases the greatest care 

 must be taken lest two other small yellowish bodies, known as the 

 "adrenals" or " suprarenals " (fig. 4, s.r.), lying a little higher up — 

 at the extreme edge of the front border of the kidney — be mistaken 

 for the testes. 



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