BULLETIN 39, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. [8] 



Each setting, clutch, or the fall compleiueiit of eggs, usually called a 

 "set," should at once after finding them be marked, temporarily at least, 

 so that in case several sets of eggs of the same species are taken at the 

 same time, each individual set maybe readily separated from others of 

 the same kind. 



In marking eggs permanently, I consider the following a good way : 

 Eggs should be marked with a soft pencil in preference to anything else, 

 as these marks can always be washed off clean, when it is desirable to do 

 so, which can not be done when certain inks are used. A good way is to 

 place the catalogue number of the eggs on one side of the hole, and 

 the set number and number of the eggs contained in the set on oppo- 

 site sides. The date of collecting can, if desired, be placed below, aud 

 it is well to mark this on at least one egg of each set. For example, I 

 desire to mark a set of ten eggs of the Sora Eail, Porzana Carolina 

 (Linn.), taken June 14, 1890. The check list published by the American 

 Ornithologists Union, is most generally used at present, and I use its 

 numbers in this case. The Sora Eail stands number 214 on this list, 

 and I mark the eggs of the set as follows : 



No. 214 is the A. 0. U. check list number of this species. No. 86 the running number of the set 

 No. 10 indicates the number of eggs in the set. 



and the numbers below the hole, which need only be put on a single 

 specimen in each set, indicate the date. The next set would also be 214 

 if of the same species, but the running or current number in this case 

 would be 87, followed below by the number of eggs the set contained. 

 Aside from this a regular record should be kept for each set of eggs 

 taken. 



Many collectors use regular blank forms for this purpose, which are 

 carefully filed away. A good sample of such a blank is about 6 inches 

 square, printed on a good quality of paper, and these may be kept like 

 the card catalogues generally in use in libraries. 



These blanks may be printed as follows : 



Oological collection of . Current No. . 



A. O. U, cbeck list No. . Date . 



Scientific . 



Name . 



Common 



No. of eggs in set . Set mark 



Identification . Incubation - 



Locality . 



