18 BRITISH BIRDS, THEIR FGGS AND NESTS. 
practically invisible in a great number of instances, at least until 
looked for—it appears to be altogether entire and perfect. 
Any tolerably strong pin will do for the purpose with small 
eges. For the larger and harder shells something more efficient 
will be required. A hard steel instrument fashioned like a “ glo- 
~ ver’s needle”—that is with the penetrating end furnished with 
three edges all lost in the point—is as good as any thing that 
could be devised, and by having two or three of different sizes, 
every case of necessity would be provided for. The sharp-pointed 
pen-blade may be employed, but great care is necessary lest, 
when the perforation is just effected, the instrument slip a little 
further in than was intended, and an ugly fragment of shell be 
wrenched out. 
When the egg is thoroughly blown, it is advisable to draw up 
a little clean water into it by the process of immersing the vent 
hole and sucking or drawing in the air from the shell with the 
mouth through the other—just reversing the late process of 
in short. The shell, when half-full, should be well 
shaken, and the water then expelled as the legitimate contents 
“blowing” 
had been: a very gentle puff will suffice for this. Repeat the 
process two or three times, or until the water comes out as clear 
_as it went in; then dry the egg as well as you can by blowing 
through it at intervals, after it has been so held that the moisture 
on the inside may all trickle down towards the vent-hole; after 
which it may be set up for some hours in an airy, but not 
sunny, place to dry thoroughly. Some collectors varnish their 
eggs. A little of the white of the egg itself is all-sufficient, 
and that should not be applied unless the egg is perfectly clean, 
which is by no means the case with the eggs of many ground- 
buildmg birds when taken from the nest. I have taken Dab- 
chicks’ eggs also so completely muddied all over, that it was 
