Guide to Taxidermy 



33 



pecimen^ etc., after having given the dates of all 

 he specimens of a day's collecting, you can add any 

 tems of interest connected with the specimens or 

 thers seen, that you care to. Your book will thus 

 e very useful and valuable to yourself and may be 

 seful to others in the future. It will recall to 

 our mind, in after years, many interesting facts 

 [lat you have forgotten. 



Labelling a Specimen 



Every scientific skin or mounted specimen should 

 ave its label attached; otherwise it is worthless as 

 iich. This label should not, as is too often the 

 ase, simply give the birds or animal's name ; in 

 act, in most cases, that is the least important thing 

 n a label. It should have its consecutive number 

 ) correspond to your note book; its place of cap- 

 ire and date (these two are very important for a 

 ird's plumage varies a great deal with the season 

 f the year and also according to the locality in 

 'hich it is taken. You or some one else may want 

 ) study the plumage of a certain bird and, unless 

 ou know the exact place and date the specimen 

 ■as taken, it is worthless for study.) It should 

 Iso give the length, expanse and length of wing of 

 le specimen if it is a bird. An example of a cor- 

 net label is given in sketch. 



