36 BIRDS' NESTS 



Many nests contain feathers, wool, and hair, and 

 these, of course, are more liable to the attacks of 

 insects than such nests as are made exclusively of 

 vegetable fibres. I have found a solution of corrosive 

 sublimate dissolved in alcohol or spirits of wine to be 

 the best preventative, the nests being dipped in this. 

 Care must be taken that the solution reaches every 

 part of such densely felted and warmly lined nests 

 as those of the Willow Wren and the Long-tailed 

 Titmouse, for instance, otherwise in a few months 

 they will be entirely destroyed. After the nests have 

 been thoroughly well soaked and preserved the ques- 

 tion of their final disposal in the collection has to be 

 solved. There are several excellent ways of keeping 

 nests. They should, however, never be crowded into 

 boxes, in fact never be permitted to touch each other, 

 or speedy ruin will come to them. Perhaps the best 

 method is to place each nest in a separate cardboard 

 box with a glass top. These boxes are then arranged 

 in drawers in the cabinet. Each nest may then be 

 easily inspected, and what is of more importance 

 each is kept absolutely isolated from its neighbour. 

 Another method, which I have seen adopted by col- 

 lectors both in India and China, is neatly to enclose 

 each nest with strong paper, leaving the top of the 

 nest exposed, the bag being fitted as closely as pos- 

 sible without interfering with the normal shape of the 

 nest. This method has economy of space to recom- 

 mend it, for with a little judicious selection and 



