Oct. 1885.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



155 



found inside of sliins. If you cannot afford tbcm 

 use your large wire cutters. 



Fig. 14. Round-nosed Plycr. 



Fig. 1.5. Flat-nosod Plyer, For bending wire. 

 Tlie sizes run from 3 to 9 inclies, .'5-incli being 

 medium and 7-inch large. The flinch is only re- 

 (|uired for the heaviest work. 



Fig. 16. Long-nosed Plyers. I use a 4-inch 

 lilyer of'this style to hold small birds when skin- 

 ning. 



Fig. 17. Side Wire Cutters. Better than the 

 end cutters for some work. They open wider, 

 and with the point wire can be cut in places that 

 cannot be reached with the end cutters. Sizes 4, 



and 6 inch. These are only fit to use on small 

 wire, not larger than No. 17. 



Fig. 18. Hall Double-lever Wire Cutters. Sizes 

 ") and 7-inch. Very strong cutters. 



Fig. 19. Extra-heavy Cutters. No. 4 about 

 right for ordinary heavy work. 



In using any cutter, cut .square, do not twist 

 on the wire, .as a broken jaw will surely tollow. 



1 seldom break mine, but I have seen parties wlio 

 would break a pair every day in the week. There 

 is no excuse for it. 



Fig. 30. Probe. To carry when collecting 

 to force cotton into the beak and throat of birds. 



Fig. 31. Screw Driver. About three sizes. 

 Small, medium and large. This cut illustrates a 

 style used by jewelers, which I prefer. 



Fig. 23. Bit-brace and Bit. The bits can be 

 had all sizes, from 1-16 of an inch up to 1 inch. 

 I would advise one of each size from the smallest 

 up to one that will make a hole about as large as 

 the diameter of a common lead pencil. You can 

 then bore holes for all sizes of wire. 



Fig. 33. Curved Needle ; also straight. They 

 are regidar surgeon's needles. The curved one 

 for sewing up bird skins and the other for ani- 

 mals. (Mammals.) 



Fig. 34. Spring Forceps. Very fine points for 

 smoothing feathers. Formerly feathers were 

 smoothed by using a knitting needle and the 

 thuml). But these forceps are a great improve- 

 ment for picking up feathers, when making up 

 pieces, and other things. Length, 5 inches. 



Fig. 35. Spring Forceps. Same style as 34, 

 but with blunter points. I use them sometimes 

 in stufling very small birds instead of spring 

 stuffcrs, also tor putting putty in the eye holes 

 before putting in eyes. 



Fig. 26. Long Needles— 8 to 13 inches. To be 

 used in connection with pin vise. 



Fig. 37. Ilook and Chain. U.scd b}' many for 

 hanging n\) body when partially skinned. 



Fig. 28. Bench Vise. No work bench is com- 

 plete without it. 



Fig. 39. Anvil — on which to straighten heavy 

 wires. 



Fig. 30. Coji. This is a fine single thread. To 

 use it, if po.ssible obtain an old-fashioned shuttle. 

 The next best way is to make a skewer s,ay about 

 eight inches long, one end the size of a pencil 

 and the other about one-eighth of an inch, run 

 this carefully through the cop, commencing at 

 the butt or end that has the paper cop, fasten the 

 large end in a small wooden base, then take a 

 piece of wire twelve inches long, fa.stcn one end 

 in same base as cop, about two inches from it ; 

 now run the wire up parallel with the cop, about 

 two inches higher than the skewer, bend it and 

 make a loop in the end, having the loop directly 

 over the top of the skewer. Now pass the thread 

 up through the loop and you can unwind it from 

 any direction without strain on the thread. This 

 thread is used in winding down the feathers. 



Practical Entomology. 



BY WKIOnX AND n.\TES, 73 nANO\'T:T{-ST., BOSTON. 



It is our purpose to set forth, in as plain lan- 

 guage as possible, the method which we have 

 found the easiest and most profitable. To explain 

 the ininutiae of the business would require vol- 

 umes, but we will try to explain how the actual 

 work should be done to produce the best results. 



In order to have a good collection, it is very 

 necessary to be a good collector, and in order to 

 secure this end it is necessary to have good appar- 

 atus to collect with. The outfit consists of : 



1st. Nets. Of these, three are necessary. A 

 frame can be made of a piece of brass wire, bent 

 in a circle, with the ends at right angles to the 

 hoop, and driven into the end of the handle. But 

 it is oflen convenient to have a net which can be 

 taken apart and carried in the pocket; such a one 

 can be made by fiistening a nut, or core, in which 

 a hole with .screw threads has been drilled, into a 

 piece of brass tube, the other end of which forms 

 a socket for the introduction of a handle. Then 

 cut a square hole through the head of a large 

 headed screw, just at the shoulder, and fit it to 

 the core. The hoop is a piece of light, flat steel 

 with a spring temper. When used the ends of the 

 hoop are passed through the square hole, the 

 handle screwed up and the net is complete. The 

 handle should be of some light wood, four or five 

 feet long, tapering toward the end where it fits 

 the frame. One net should be of fine netting 

 (white or green) deep enough to fold completely 

 over the hoop (about twenty inches), conical in 

 shape and bound around the top with a striji of 

 cotton cloth to pass the hoop through. 



