VOL. I. 



SHARON, WIS.^AUGUST, 1888. 



NO. 8. 



Instructions for the Oologist. 



By J. P. Norris ill Y. O. 



Introduction. — It has been the en- 

 deavor or the writer to render these In- 

 structions as concise and simple as the 

 nature of the subject would permit. How 

 far he has succeeded the reader must de- 

 termine. 



No mention has been made of the elab- 

 orate methods of blowing eggs, adopted 

 by English collectors, as it requires many 

 delicate instruments to empty them in 

 those ways, which could not be easily 

 obtained in this country, and which also 

 requires a degree of care and time for 

 their use, which the writer feels confident 

 would not be bestowed by our readers. 

 Besides, we maintain that eggs can be 

 neatly blown by the simple methods de- 

 tailed in this series of pajaers, and that 

 the science of Oology will be as much 

 furthered by specimens so prepared, as 

 by those uj3on which many hours have 

 been wasted. 



Without further preface, we will at 

 once take up the subject, and first we 

 wish to make a few 



Preliminary Remarks. — Collectin g 

 birds' eggs for scientific purposes, re- 

 quires far more discrimination than col- 

 lecting specimens in any other branch of 

 Natural History. Animals, birds, insects, 

 shells, plants, &c, carry their own identi- 

 fication with them; and knowing the 

 locality, a person well versed in the par- 

 ticular science in question, can at once 

 pronounce what they are. But with 

 birds' eggs it is very different. Without 

 they are properly identified and authen- 

 ticated, they are of no value for scienti- 

 fic purposes whatever. Therefore Iden- 

 tification and Authentication should be 

 the chief aim of the egg-collector, al- 

 though the other details should not be 

 neglected. 



There are many of the commonest spe- 

 cies of birds whose eggs are so nearly 

 alike, that unless they are very carefully 



identified, serious mistakes will occur. 

 This is particularly the case with the eggs 

 of wood-peckers, two species frequently 

 have their nests in the same tree, and, 

 without great care is used in their col- 

 lection, the eggs of one species will be 

 confounded with those of the other. 

 With ducks' eggs also, great care must 

 be exercised. Two or three species of 

 ducks frequently have their nests within 

 a few yards of each other, so that they 

 will require very positive identification. 



Neatness in blowing and marking the 

 eggs, renders them more fit for the cab- 

 inet, and is not to be neglected, but the 

 chief points to be attended to, as being 

 the only ones by which science can be 

 benefited, are Identification and Authen- 

 tication. . 



Identification. — Whenever the col- 

 lector does not positively recognize the 

 parent bird of a nest of eggs, the parent 

 should be procured and preserved with 

 the eggs. But if he is positively certain 

 of the identity of the parent, there is no 

 necessity for obtaining it. 



When, however, he is unable to pro- 

 cure the parent, either from not being 

 able to shoot the bird, owing to its shy- 

 ness, then he should make a careful ob- 

 servation of the materials of which the 

 nest is composed — supposing that he 

 cannot bring it away with him owing to 

 its size or unportability — and the nature 

 of the spot where it was found. This 

 should all be carefully noted on a regis- 

 ter kept for the purpose, (a description 

 of which will be given hereafter, ) oppo- 

 site to the number marked on the eggs. 



If the collector is fortunate enough to 

 shoot, snare or trap the parent bird or 

 birds, they should be carefully skinned 

 and labeled with a reference to the eggs 

 of which they are the parents — thus: 

 "Parent of eggs marked No. — ." 



In case the collector does not under- 

 stand how' to skin birds, then he can pre- 

 serve a wing (taken off at the shoulder 

 joint) and the head, which latter should 







