Birds. 7421 



to another, or from one place to another, no instructions are given for 

 repairing fractures when they unfortunately occur. Now, notwith- 

 standing all the care that may be taken, and in spite of every precau- 

 tion, accidents will at times happen, and such fragile objects as eggs 

 will sustain fractures, which, if not attended to or repaired must at all 

 times endanger their safety on being handled, and may lead to their 

 utter destruction ; and as there are eggs which, if destroyed, it would 

 be next to, if not wholly, impossible to replace, it is of importance that 

 such an occurrence should be guarded against by all possible means. 

 Patches of paper applied externally over a fracture have an unsightly 

 appearance, and, moreover, conceal a portion of the markings which 

 characterize the egg, except in the case of such as are of one uniform 

 colour ; this method of repairing a fractured shell is therefore 

 objectionable. The plan I hit upon when I began to collect, and 

 which I find to answer the purpose well, is this : When an egg I espe- 

 cially wish to preserve has become badly fractured I pour in at the 

 aperture through which the contents were withdrawn a small quantity 

 of a moderately strong solution of gum arabic ; this, by turning the 

 egg about for a few seconds, is made to pass over the entire inner sur- 

 face of the shell, so as to leave thereon a thin coating of adhesive 

 matter ; if more than suffices for that purpose has been introduced the 

 overplus is returned through the aperture ; a quantity of finely- pow- 

 dered chalk is then poured in, and the egg turned about as before, 

 when the chalk unites with the gum and forms a crust upon the shell, 

 which becomes, when dry, as hard and firm as the shell itself, uniting 

 the fractured portions and rendering the specimen almost as safe to 

 handle as it was before it became injured, while by this process 

 no unsightly apearances are caused on the outside. Should the 

 fractures extend only over a portion of the shell, it will not, of 

 course, be necessary to form a crust upon the entire surface, but only 

 upon, and immediately around, the injured part. If the crust first 

 formed should not be considered sufficiently strong, it may, after 

 allowing it time to dry, be strengthened by repeating the process de- 

 scribed above. 



If portions of the shell have become detached, the pieces must first 

 be secured in their pi'oper places by the outward application of 

 gummed paper, w^hich, after the formation of the internal crust, may be 

 removed, but not until it has become dry and firm, and even then care 

 must be taken to damp the paper but very slightly, for if too much 

 moisture be applied it will find its way through the cracks in the shell, 

 and by relaxing the crust undo all you have done. 



