[11] DIRECTIONS FOE COLLECTING BIRDS— EIDGWAY. 



ble for smaller birds, much smaller hooks should be used (No. 2 or 3 

 "Limerick "), and instead of one there should be two — one at each end 

 of the twine, which should not be more than about a foot long. The 

 second hook can be stuck into the top of the table on which the bird is 



Fig. 7.— Bone-cntters. 



being skinned and the line hung over the edge, the bird being skinned 

 thus hanging conveniently in front of the operator, while its position 

 can be changed to suit each particular stage of the operation by simply 

 changing the position of the farther hook. 



Fig. 8. — Spring forceps. 



For stuffing the birds, after they have been skinned and poisoned, 

 raw cotton or cotton batting of the best quality (long fibered) is neces- 

 sary, and this should be used for all specimens of small and medium 

 size. For larger specimens tow, oakum, or "excelsior" shavings are 

 better and more economical, especially the last, than which, if of a fine 

 quality, nothing can be better. In the absence of these materials any 



Fig. 9. — Long stuffing forceps. 



dry, elastic vegetable substance may be used, but never any animal sub- 

 stance, such as hair, wool, or feathers, which would invite the attacks 

 of insects. 



Preservatives. — Altogether the best material for the preservation of 

 skins of birds or other animals is powdered arseuious acid (common 

 arsenic), for which there is no satisfactory substitute. It may be used 

 either pure or mixed with finely powdered alum in the proportion of 

 two to one. The mixture of arsenic and alum is preferable to the pure 

 arsenic for several reasons, chief of which are that poisoning of the 



