36 S RURAL BIRD LIFE. 



receiving none into his cabinet round which hangs the 

 least shadow of suspicion and doubt. Observe the 

 parent bird both if possible before taking the eggs. 

 This will bring you into habits of exactness and correct- 

 ness, and I may also say enlighten you considerably in 

 the various little secrets of the birds themselves. 



The nests of the smaller birds are also equally as 

 interesting as the eggs. They should be taken if possible 

 before the birds have commenced to sit, and, where 

 practicable, the branch or twig on which they rest should 

 always be removed. As nests are liable to harbour 

 insects, it is a good plan to apply a solution of corrosive 

 sublimate dissolved in alcohol. The same plan of refer- 

 ence can be adopted, with the exception that small 

 labels should be firmly attached with string, on which 

 are placed the numbers. I need not inform you that 

 nests must receive no rough usage, and should be kept 

 carefully, otherwise their beautiful symmetry vanishes, 

 and they present an appearance totally foreign to their 

 once matchless beauty. 



The ornithological student will find that the preser- 

 vation of birds is a far more difficult and tedious process 

 than preserving eggs. Practice and perseverance, how- 

 ever, will ensure his ultimate success. Before noticing 

 the actual process of skinning a bird, it may not be out 

 of place to give a few hints on the mode of collecting 

 them. 



The seasons birds should be obtained are when they 

 are in the finest plumage, in the autumn and winter 

 months, and just prior to their nesting season. The 

 collector should use dust shot for all the smaller birds ; 

 nothing larger than No. 8 for birds up to the size of a 

 Plover ; and so on, increasing the size of the shot for 

 the larger species. Should the bird be still alive when 



