Guide to Taxidermy 



181 



shoulder with a strap, are the best receptacles. 

 Each egg must be snugly wrapped in cotton and 

 carefully put away in the box. 



Single eggs are worthless ; they must be collected 

 in whole, original sets and usually the nest should 

 be taken along with them. One of the worst prac- 

 tices that ever prevailed was the taking of a single 

 egg from a nest. Nine out of ten of our wild birds 

 will immediately leave a nest if a single egg is 

 taken. 



Eggs must be blown with but a single hole, anfd 

 that in the side, otherwise they are of no value. 

 Drills made expressly for this purpose may be ob- 

 tained of your dealer in supplies. They have fine 

 machine-cut burs on the head, which when the drill 

 is rotated between the fingers, rapidly cuts a round 

 hole in the side of an egg. An egg shell is very 

 fragile and the drill must be handled with the 

 greatest of care. Sometimes it is best to start the 

 hole with the point of a small pin. The contents 

 of the egg are easily removed by forcing air 

 through this hole with a blowpipe. The end of the 

 pipe must never be inserted in the egg. Simply 

 blow the air through it, with the mouth, into the 



