64 



THE OOLOGIST. 



to wounds. The birds should be skinned, j 

 if possible, as soon as the collector reaches 

 home. Care and patience are necessary in i 

 this operation, for a poorly prepared bird- j 

 skin, aside from possible mutilation in shoot- 

 ing, will command but little attention, nor ; 

 unless of considerable rarity, will it be vir- 

 tually of any value. 



In forming a collection of skins, quite a 

 number of amateur naturalists expend much 

 time and labor in hunting for rare speci- 

 mens, the want of success in obtaining these 

 often compelling an abandonment of the 

 project, whereas, by shooting and prepar- 

 ing such specimens as opportunity offers, 

 a foundation may easily and quickly be laid 

 for an extensive cabinet ; for the student 

 can, from the commonest species, learn the 

 distinctive charactei-istics of the genus, fam- 

 ily and order to which they belong ; and 

 for anatomical and osteological examina- 

 tions, they are equally as good as the rarer 

 species. Here the question of the utility 

 of bird-skins is brought forcibly into view, 

 coupled later on with more or less diversion 

 and entertainment. Specimens of the same 

 species procured in different localities, at 

 different seasons of the year, furnish .ma- 

 terial for extensive inquiiy, especially in the 

 case of many of our little known birds which 

 undergo a change of plumage at different 

 ages and in different localities. Those whose 

 opportunities afford a comparison of certain 

 Cirds with varieties of the same species, of 

 both sexes, in all the stages of plumage, en- 

 joy an advantage that should not be neg- 

 lected ; a collection gathered for siich an 

 object cannot fail to possess more than or- 

 dinary value. 



The arrangement of a collection of bird- 

 skins, both for study and exhibition, is a 

 matter of choice to the collector. Some ar- 

 range them in flat cases, made to fold up 

 when not in use, into a compact cabinet ; 

 others place them in drawers, the smaller 

 ones at the top ; others still keep them in 

 boxes, the different species of each family 

 by themselves in the same box, and so on. 

 The cabinet furnished with drawers of va- 

 rious depths is generally conceded to be the 



best form of receptacle, as the specimens, 

 collectively and individually, are easily ac- 

 cessible. Then as fast as obtained, the 

 skios can be placed in the drawers with the 

 species of the same family without trouble. 

 Labelling the birds themselves, and also 

 the drawers containing them, is advisable ; 

 indeed, it is necessary to label the skins, for 

 the items relating to the date and locality 

 of their collection, collector, measurements, 

 plumage (season), etc., are in studying 

 them, quite indispensable. The drawers 

 may be labelled with the groups in general 

 they contain. 



It is always a good idea to measure not 

 only the body and wings, before skinning, 

 but to take also the measurements of the 

 rejected body. A band of paper or twine 

 passed over the body at the shouldei's, be- 

 fore skinning, will give its circumferance, 

 and in filling the skin preparatory to plac- 

 ing it in the cabinet, this band will be of 

 use in determining the proper fullness, tho' 

 from this, it will not be inferred that the 

 body should be, or need be, solidly filled, 

 for it is unnecessary. From the commence- 

 ment to the end, a record should be kept of 

 field movements, with observations on the 

 scarcity of certain birds at different times, 

 and the prevalence of others, the probable 

 causes for the same, and any items of im- 

 portance that occur to the collector. 



Heavy storms will frequently bring to 

 light little known birds in immense num- 

 bers. Probably never before was as large 

 a flock of Night Hawks seen in Oneida 

 County as passed over the city of Utica on 

 the 12th of September. The afternoon was 

 dark and cloudy, and a heavy gale appeared 

 about three o'clock from the west. Long 

 before it had fairly reached the city, the 

 birds began to come. At first one and two 

 appeared at a time ; then they came by 

 fives and sixes ; the number increased until 

 hundreds could be seen flying before the 

 gale. They kept pouring past for upwards 

 of an hour, when they ceased as suddenly 

 as they had appeared. 



