Nov., 1908 



223 



ARRANGEMENT OF AN OOI.OGICAL COIvIvECTlON 

 BY HERBERT MASSEY, M. B. O. U. 



WITH TWO PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR 



I HAVE read with interest "Some Hints on the Preparation of an Oological Col- 

 lection," by Robert B. Rockwell in your issue of March-April, 1908, and 

 think that a word or two as to how collections are arranged in this country may 

 be of interest to your readers. 



I am not going to enter into a controversy regarding the merits or demerits of 

 "Egg Collecting," but I will say this (and it is a view that is so often overlooked), 

 that the egg-collector does far less harm than the skin-collector: for if a first set is 

 taken the birds will assuredly lay again, but if the birds are shot there is the end. 

 A collector who has a long series of any particular species (and you must have very 



SERIES OK EGGS OF THE TREE PIPIT (anTHUS ARBOREUS) , 

 SHOWING ARRANGEMENT IN GI<ASS-TOPPED TRAYS 



long series of many species), is classed as an egg-hog; but a collector who goes out 

 and sends home some thousand skins to his museum is thought to be a very fine fellow 

 indeed. A series or collection of eggs, well arranged and set out is much more a 

 thing of beauty than a drawer full of rolled up skins; and a private collection or a 

 museum should be pleasing to the eye as well as instructive, and give pleasure to 

 the ordinary lover of nature, as well as to the student. 



As regards the housing of a collection it is difficult to speak, as most people 

 have different ideas of cabinets, size of drawers, etc., etc. My cabinets are made 

 of oak, and the drawers of the very best white deal (for lightness), stained fronts, 

 with runners of hard wood. The eggs are arranged systematically based on How- 

 ard Saunders' list, with a few exceptions; this way sometimes leads to loss of space 

 where the eggs of birds in the same family vary greatly in size, but this is a small 

 loss compared to the gain in having a systematic arrangement. 



