VOL. X 



The Oologist. 



ALBION, N. Y., JAN., 1893. 



NO. 1 



A Field Naturalist's Outfit 



As mauy of the readers of this inter- 

 esting magazine devote a good part of 

 their time to collecting bird's skins as 

 well as eggs. I've no doubt what I 

 may here say may be of considerable 

 interest to many of my readers. 



During ten years experience iu the 

 lield, as a collector, I"ve haudlcd a 

 large number of specimens, and used iu 

 the same length of time several different 

 outfits; but I can truthfully say I have 

 never received so much benefit from 

 any of them as the one I now possess. 

 But before describing nay outfit I would 

 like to say a few words to the collector 

 in a. general way 



First of all you will want to secure 

 the specimens on which to use the tools 

 I shall hereafter describe. Should the 

 collector reside in a part of the country 

 where big game, as well as small, 

 abounds he will no doubt like to secure 

 a few specimens of such animals as 

 Deer, Bear, Panther, etc., and if he 

 should have the luck to meet up with 

 such animals and ouly have a small 

 "collecting gun,'' such as is recom- 

 mended by the- general writer, the 

 chances are the "big bird" (?) makes 

 his escape and leaves you to mourn a 

 trophy worthy months of labor to pre- 

 serve. It is true some collectors, so 

 situated, carry along a rifle as well as a 

 collecting guu, but a rifle is Aery de- 

 structive to small game rendering them 

 totally unfit for mounting, and on the 

 other hand the general "collecting gun" 

 is too small for auylhiug lai'ger than a 

 robin. The question then is, what is 

 the best gun I can get for collecting 

 both large and small specimens, with- 

 out being loaded down with two guns 

 or having to carry along a heavy three- 



barrel combined shot gun and rifle — as 

 I've seen some collectors do? 



This was a question which had 

 bothered me for a long time, till about 

 a year ago I fouud just what I wanted 

 in a single shot combined shot gun and 

 rifle. I had known of such an arm in 

 the Maynard, but it was rather too ex- 

 pensive for me. 



Looking over a gun catalogue one 

 daj*, I came across the following de- 

 scription, i. e., "Merwin, Hulbert & 

 Go's Rifles, with Interchangeable Shot 

 Barrels." Now I have it! And the 

 piice, Great Scott! only $13.75, At 

 once I sat down and wrote an order 

 for the above gun and in a short time I 

 had it in hand. Ah! what a little 

 beauty. The rifle barrel is 28 inches 

 in length, using the regular 38 calibre 

 Winchester Model 1873 cartridge, 

 which carries 40 grains of powder and 

 180 grains of lead. The shot barrel is 

 30 inches in length, using the regular 

 16 gauge paper or brass shot shells. 

 For penetration or accuracy it equals 

 anything I've ever shot. With shells 

 proper] y loaded I've killed, with the 

 shot barrel, birds and auimals from the 

 Hummer up to the Red Lynx and Gray 

 Fox. The rifle barrel lias great pene- 

 tration when used with regular Win- 

 chester factory ammunition, which I 

 would always recommend, and Avheu 

 properly used never fails to bring down 

 the Deer and Bear. When out collect- 

 ing I carry in my shooting coat — of 

 many and large pockets — ammunition 

 for both rifle and shot barrels. I near- 

 ly always start out with the shot barrel 

 in the frame and the rifle barrel in a 

 canvas case slung by a strap over my 

 shoulder. I can quickly and easily 

 change, by the screw attachment hold- 

 ing the barrel j*> the stock, from the 



