CHAPTER IX. 

 HOW TO COLLECT AND PRESERVE BIRDS AND EGGS. 



It is hardly worth while to make a collection of 

 mounted birds. This requires too much time and too 

 much room; but, especially, skins are better and more 

 convenient for study than mounted birds- Skins may be 

 kept in a cabinet with tightly fitting drawers, with 

 plenty of camphor, or insect-powder. The best arm for 

 general purposes is the double-barreled, breech-loading 

 shot-gun. Three-fourths of your cartridges should con- 

 tain small charges of mustard-seed shot, and the re- 

 mainder, No. 8 and No. 4. You can indicate the kind of 

 shot in each shell by having numbers on your shot-wads. 

 Early morning and late evening are the best hours, and 

 well-watered and wooded spots among the best places 

 for collecting; although, as each bird has its own peculiar 

 haunts, the hunter should cover as wide a range, and as 

 great a variety of country, as possible. As each speci- 

 men is secured, it must be carefully cleansed and 

 smoothed. Plug' mouth, nostrils, vent, and shot-holes 

 with cotton, and thrust the bird head first into a paper 

 cone to keep the plumage from injury. 



A fish-basket is excellent to carry the birds home. 

 Before skinning, each bird should be measured, to de- 

 termine the total length, and the spread of wings. Note, 

 also, the color of the eyes, bill, and feet, as they may 

 fade. Enter all these memoranda in a note-book, and 

 also on the specimen label. Add also date of capture, sex, 

 locality, name of collector, etc. 



