36 SUGGESTIONS AND DIRECTIONS FOR FIELD-WORK. 



23. CARRYING BIRDS HOME SAFE. Suppose you have se- 

 cured a fine specimen, very likely without a soiled or ruffled 

 feather ; your next care will be to keep it so till you are ready 

 to skin it. But if you pocket or bag it directly, it will be a 

 sorry looking object before you get home. Each specimen 

 must be separately cared for, by wrapping in stout paper ; 

 writing paper is as good as any, if not the best. It will 

 repay you to prepare a stock of paper before starting out ; 

 your most convenient sizes are those of a half sheet of note, 

 of letter, and of cap respectively. Either take these, or fold 

 and cut newspaper to correspond ; besides, it is always well to 

 have a whole newspaper or two for large birds. Plenty of 

 paper will go in the breast pockets of the shooting coat. 

 Make a "cornucopia" the simplest thing in the world, but, 

 like tying a particular knot, hard to explain. Setting the 

 wings closely, adjusting disturbed feathers, and seeing that the 

 bill points straight forward, thrust the bird head first into one 

 of these paper cones, till it will go no further, being bound by 

 the bulge of the breast. Let the cone be large enough for the 

 open end to fold over or pinch together entirely beyond the 

 tail. Be particular not to crumple or bend the tail feathers. 

 Lay the paper cases in the game bag or great pocket so that 

 they very nearly run parallel and lie horizontal ; they will 

 carry better than if thrown in at random. Avoid overcrowding 

 the packages, as far as is reasonably practicable ; moderate 

 pressure will do no harm, as a rule, but if great it may make 

 birds bleed afresh, or cause the fluids of a wounded intestine to 

 ooze out and soak the plumage of the belly a very bad acci- 

 dent indeed. For similar obvious reasons, do not put a large 

 heavy bird on top of a lot of little ones ; I would sooner sling 

 a hawk or heron over my shoulder, or carry it by hand. If it 

 goes in the bag, see that it gets to the bottom. Avoid putting 

 birds in pockets that are close about your person ; they are 

 almost always unduly pressed, and may gain just enough addi- 

 tional warmth from your body to make them begin to decompose 

 before you can get at skinning them. Handle birds no more 

 than is necessary, especially white plumaged ones ; ten to one 



