[7] COLLECTING BIRDS' EGGS AND NESTS BENDIRE. 



This is positively necessary to insure good clean specimens. I found 

 an old fiat piece of sponge, say about 2 inches thick by from 4 to 6 

 inches wide and long, placed in a tin basin partly filled with water to 

 soften and saturate it, very handy during the operation of blowing eggs. 

 The sponge forms a convenient and elastic cushion for the eggs to rest 

 on, while I injected with water to rinse the inside thoroughly, and 

 should one drop out of the egg-holder the chance of breakage is small. 

 The coarse kind of bathing sponge is best, lasts for years, and can 

 easily be kept clean and sweet. 



For packing unblown eggs while out in the field I find small boxes 

 (cigar boxes will answer the purpose very well), fitted with different 

 sized subdivisions, very convenient. Each of these small partitions may 

 be lined with open cylinders made of blanket or heavy cloth. They may 

 be from 2 to 4 inches long, according to the depth of the box, and from 

 1 to 2 inches in diameter, according to the sizes of the eggs one may ex- 

 pect to find. The bottom of the box should be extra well lined with 

 either sheet cotton, cloth, or blanket cut the required size to fit this 

 closely all around, on which the frame forming the subdivisions is then 

 placed. A piece of heavy cloth or blanket, cut to fit, is placed on the 

 open top of the box, or it may be glued to the lid. The sides of the differ- 

 ent partitions are lined by the cylinders already mentioned, each form- 

 ing thus a little compartment of its own, avoiding all pressure from the 

 contents of the others, and each of these should be provided with some 

 extra cotton. One or two eggs may then be placed in each cylinder, 

 with cotton on top and between them, to keep them from moving around, 

 and if the eggs are of small size sets of four may be placed together, 

 but in such a case each egg must be wrapped in cotton separately. 

 Under no circumstances should the eggs be put in loose, with the shells 

 touching each other. Placed in this way, some are sure to be either 

 cracked or broken. If the eggs are of fair size more than two should 

 never be put in the same compartment, as their combined weight might 

 crush the lower ones. With ordinary care and packed as above Irail 

 and unblown eggs will nevertheless stand considerable jolting. 



Many rare and valuable specimens are also lost through improper 

 packing when sent by mail or express; by observing the following 

 rules, such losses may be to a great extent avoided. Egg-shells, even 

 after having been blown, should (during transit, at least) never touch 

 each other. Each egg should be wrapped separately in cotton, and 

 they should not be packed too close. In sending eggs through the 

 mail, they should be packed in stout wooden boxes, the box being first 

 lined with cotton all around and the eggs placed in afterwards, rather 

 loosely, each egg wrapped in cotton by itself. Tin boxes are not as 

 good as wooden ones. Cigar boxes answer well, provided they are 

 partitioned off through the middle, to prevent the lid being crushed in 

 on top of the eggs, which often happens where this precaution is not 

 taken. 



