THE YOUNG OOLOGIST. 



Vol. 1. No. 2. GAINES, N. Y., JUNE, 1884. {^"^J^r^KKTEl™"" 



INSTRUCTIONS FOR COLLEC- 

 TING BIRDS' EGGS. 



BY J. P. NORRIS. 



No. 2. 



Blowing Eggs. — Eggs are best emptied 

 of their contents, by means of a drill, made 

 for the purpose. By means of this drill a 

 hole is made in the side of the egg, and one 

 is sufficient. The size of the hole should 

 be proportionate to the egg, and the 

 amount of incubation it has undergone. 

 To start a hole with one of these drills, 

 take a fine-pointed needle and perforate 

 the shell. Then insert the drill gently 

 and work it slowly, as a too rapid motion 

 is almost sure to break the shell of fragile 

 eggs. When the hole is large enough, 

 insert a hollow straw, (in case of not 

 having a tube made for the purpose,) and 

 blow through it gently. You will then 

 perceive the contents of the eggs slowly 

 oozing out. Too violent blowing will 

 cause small and delicate eggs to break. 



Those not having a drill can blow eggs 

 in the following manner : Make two holes 

 on the savie side of the egg, near the ends 

 with a fine pointed needle, — the hole near 

 the large end of the egg being the larger of 

 the two. Then apply the mouth to the 

 smaller hole and give a gentle puff, and 

 the contents of the egg will ooze out of the 

 larger hole. 



Large eggs should be rinsed out with 

 clean water, (taking care not to get any 

 upon the shell, as it will sometimes remove 

 the color,) to prevent decompostion of any 

 matter that may not have been ejected by 

 the blowing. This precaution is not nec- 

 essary in eggs less than 1-^ inches long, 

 linless they should contain embryos, when 

 they should be thoroughly rinsed out. 

 And sometimes it is not necessary to rinse 



out larger eggs when they are perfectly 

 fresh. 



When the egg has been incubated a suffi- 

 cient time to form an ambryo, it will be 

 necessary to make a much larger hole by 

 which to empty the contents. No matter 

 how far the embryo is developed, it is 

 possible to empty the egg by making a 

 large enough hole. 



Never make holes in the ends of the egg 

 for the purpose of emptying it, as it ruins 

 its appearance, and prevents accurate 

 measurements being taken of it. When 

 the holes are on the same side, they do not 

 injure the appearance of it, as they do not 

 show when the egg is resting on that side, 

 and consequently it looks much better in 

 the cabinet and is more valuable. 



The principal accident to be avoided is 

 crushing the egg between the fingers, 

 while holding it. To avoid this hold the 

 egg very lightly between the thumb and 

 fore-finger of the left hand, and then you 

 have the right hand free to operate with. 

 It is recommended to have a basin of water 

 in front of you and to blow the eggs over 

 it, and then if you should happen to drop 

 them, the water will stop the violence of 

 the fall, and prevent them from being 

 broken. 



Most persons suppose that eggs are very 

 fragile things, and are very difficult to 

 blow. We can assure all such persons 

 that this is not the case, and that, with a 

 little experience, any one can blow them 

 neatly and without breaking them. 



Packing for Transportation. — To 

 pack eggs for transportation, each one 

 should be enveloped in a roll of raw cotton. 

 The eggs over an inch long should be laid in 

 layers in large paste-board boxes, each one 

 having been previously wrapped in a roll 

 of raw cotton. The outside box, or one 

 that contains them all, must be made of 



