BULLETIN 39, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. [14] 



straw, or wire, or held ia small spring forceps, with the acid, and then 

 a small quantity of the acid should be applied to the skin along the 

 median line of the abdomen, the feathers having of course been pre- 

 viously parted. In both these operations great care should be taken 

 to prevent the acid from coming in contact with the feathers.* Some 

 persons use for this purpose a hypodermic syringe, but this instrument 

 is quite unnecessary, besides being cumbersome and expensive. 



When the bird has been properly cleaned and plugged it should be 

 carefully dropped, head downward, into a paper cone of suitable size, 

 the end of which should then be folded over the tail — care being taken 

 not to bend or break the latter,t and also to avoid doubling the head, 

 which is likely to be done unless the bill is kept exactly in the middle 

 of the cone and guarded from too forcible contact with the paper dur- 

 ing its insertion. 



The bird thus enveloped should be carefully placed in the collecting 

 basket, which should never be closely packed with specimens, as the 

 pressure thus caused will not only force the blood through to the plum- 

 age, but in hot weather will also hasten decomposition. The larger 

 specimens should be placed at the bottom, the smallest on top ; and if 

 the box or basket is only partly empty the space should be loosely 

 filled with grass, leaves, or i^iaper, to prevent the specimens shifting 

 about. 



How to hill wounded birds,-~'A wounded bird should never be killed 

 by thumping or pounding the skull. If the specimen is of small or 

 medium size much the easiest and best way is to take it between the 

 thumb and fingers, underneath the wing, and squeeze it tightly, thus 

 causing its death almost instantly by suftbcation. If of large size this 

 can not be done, and the collector sometimes has a difficult problem to 

 solve, particularly in the case of the larger birds of prey, whose sharp 

 talons are to be avoided, it being very often extremely difficult to 

 release one's self from their powerful grip, which, besides being exceed- 

 ingly painful, may lead to serious results. A bite from the beak of such 

 birds, even the most powerful, is comparatively a trifling matter, and 

 in the case of the larger hawks and owls may safely be quite ignored. 

 These birds when wounded usually throw themselves on their backs, 

 with open feet presented for defense. In such cases the legs of the 

 bird should be quickly seized and held firmly, which can easily be done 

 by a careful and alert person. Then, while the feet are held, a sharp- 

 l)ointed knife or scalpel should be quickly plunged into the anterior 

 portion of the breast, so as to strike the heart or its vicinity, and the 

 bird held head downward to allow the blood to drain from the mouth. 

 All these methods are more or less cruel, and therefore naturally dis- 



* An experienced collector informs me that by this method he has kept birds for 

 three or four days on the hot coasts of Central America. 



t Crumpled or bent feathers may have much of their elasticity and original 8haj»e 

 restored by dipping in hot water. Steaming will answer the same purpose. 



