March, 1886. ] 
AND OOLOGIST. 43 




We will next consider mounting of heads. A 
very simple way to form a frame work is to use a 
board, say two inches thick. See fig.7,A. Fasten 
the skull by using screws at B. Saw from D to 
E to get elevation of nose, from C to F for thick- 
ness of neck, and from F to E to get pitch of 
head. Carefully measure skin so as to see that 
neck board is not left too long. Next cut a base 
board, G. Fasten the neck board at E, F; build 
around the neck board with excelsior, cover it 
and the skull with clay, moulding it correctly, 
The skin can be drawn over this and tacked to 
the under part of the base board. 
We next consider flat skins. For these it will 
be necessary to make our dummy completely, 
legs and all; if there is no skull one must be made 
on the dummy, and moulded with clay. All 
must be complete. Great care should be exer- 
cised that the form is not made too large. The 
skin can be stretched some little, but only to make 
up what it lost by shrinking or accident. When 
the dummy is ready, soften the skin by soaking 
in cold water; watch it carefully so as not to 
have it remain in too long; drain it; treat it asa 
cover to the dummy. If the hair is off in places, 
by patience you can take hair from other parts 
and adjust them by sticking. This can be so 
nicely done as not to be detected, and is practical. 
For very large animals, such as buffalo, sec- 
tions of 4 inch board, should be sawed, shape of 
fig 5, and fastened to the body board, and cross 
slats fastened. This can be covered and will 
make the body light. M’Vickary in stuffing a 
whale in Boston a few years since, had the entire 
form built of wood, covering the ribs with thin 
sheathing. 
The Connecticut Warbler. 

(Oporornis agillis). 

BY C. M, JONES, EASTFORD, CONN. 

I made my first acquaintance with this bird in 
the autumn of 1886. It was on the 30th day of 
September that I was making my way through a 
large boggy meadow where the grass had not been 
cut and stood fully two feet high, hoping every 
moment to start up something that might be an 
addition to my collection. I was just approach- 
ing the edge where the ground began to rise 
slightly and a different kind of grass grew, when 
up started a bird from the ground and flew a few 
rods into a growth of bushes and small trees. I 
saw her light in one of the trees, where she ran 
along on the nearly horizontal branch very much 
as I have seen the Golden-crowned Thrush do. I 
supposed it was that species and thought I would 
save the specimen for the autumnal plumage, so 
advancing a few paces within reach I fired. But 
on picking up the bird I saw that it was quite 
another species, and took it to be a Mourning 
Warbler until I noticed the white ring around 
the eye. 
Again on the morning of October 5th, I went 
out for a short ramble, and while walking along 
by the edge of a swampy thicket I saw a bird rise 
from the ground and dart into the bushes. I was 
quite near and could see as she paused for a mo- 
ment, that it was the same species as that which I 
had captured a few days before. I was too near 
to fire, and while backing off she disappeared and 
no amount of searching enabled me to discover 
her again. Going on further to a little swamp of 
about a couple of acres where mosses and skunk 
cabbage and various kinds of reeds grew I waded 
through it near one side and back again near the 
other without starting anything till I stepped out 
onto dry ground, a hay field, when I saw another 
bird rise from the grass and hurry into a clump of 
low bushes. Such movements were becoming fa- 
miliar. I waited a long time, and could see the 
bushes move as the bird kept hopping about 
among them, but not a glimpse of the bird her- 
self, though I felt sure that she kept an eye on me 
all the time. At length all motion ceased and I 
finally beat the bushes through, but she had evi- 
dently retreated to a safer place. Somewhat dis- 
appointed I started for home, but concluded to 
take in, on my way, the place where I had seen 
the other bird. As I came near she started up 
again and was in the bushes in a twinkling. <As 
she paused for a moment on a branch, though very 
near, I dropped my gun quite below the mark 
