96 PRACTICAL TAXIDERMY. 



ceptions, the fall dress is of a dull color. The Baltimore 

 oriole is one of the remarkable species which appear in 

 August with a brighter, prettier plumage than in spring. 

 The plumage of the '' young of the year," or the young 

 male of many species, often resembles the adult females ; 

 in such instances, it is best to determinate the sex by 

 dissection. 



The generative organs are much larger during the 

 pairing season, than at any other period of the year. 

 The seminal glands of a warbler are as large as a pea, 

 in spring, when late in the autumn they are no larger 

 than a No. 8 shot. The ovaries of female birds lie in the 

 same relative position as the generative organs of the 

 male, and are easily recognized, though in winter a small 

 lens will be found useful in examination. The genera- 

 tive organs lie close to and in the cavity of the spine, 

 where the ribs commence. The ovaries are two in num- 

 ber, and one exceeds the other in size, particularly in the 

 laying season. 



Good shooting is, so to speak, a natural gift, though 

 with practice any one can become a fair shot. In 

 close range rifle-shooting at a stationary mark, steady 

 nerves, a keen eye, and practice, are all that are 

 necessary. In shooting at moving objects, however, cal- 

 culation is the key to success. In ordinary rifle-shooting, 

 a steady pressure on the trigger brings the best results, 

 but in using the shot-gun, much snap-shooting is neces- 

 sary. 



There are two modes of shooting a crossing bird on the 

 wing, viz., taking a snap-shot ahead of the bird, or cov- 

 ering the beak, and discharging the gun with a steady 

 pressure while following the object. The latter is the 

 best and surest method, though, in early practice, ama- 

 teurs will shoot behind the game. 



In shooting ducks and other birds of rapid flight that 

 are fairly started on the wing, you must lead according 



