134 



THE OOLOGIST 



^C77 



easier and probably more satisfactory 

 as it can be done without getting a 

 drop of water on tlie bird's plumage. 

 Whereas the other methods I have 

 known, this has always been more or 

 less the case and incurred extra work 

 to bring back the fluffiness to the 

 feathers; if it can be done at that. 



Instead of wrapping the feet in wet 

 cotton, use a can or a glass of water, 

 and set the bird on top letting its feet 

 hang in the water, down far enough 

 to reach the lowest feathers on the 

 legs. When this is done the tail will 

 be over the outside edge on one side 

 and the head and breast on the other. 

 The legs usually require the longest 

 relaxing so I usually put them in the 

 water in the afternoon and in the 

 evening take it out and remove the 

 cotton from inside the skin then and 

 pour water through the opening, and 

 hold the bird downward so that it 

 runs out of the mouth and at the same 

 time turning the bird in all positions 

 so that the water will get all over the 

 inside. Then take wet cotton and put 

 it inside especially in the neck and on 

 the leg bones as the position of these 

 will be the most changed in shaping 

 the specimens up afterward. Then set 

 it with its feet in the water again, its 

 head sloping down and then the tail 

 will be up in the air. So that the 

 water in the cotton will gradually soak 

 downward towards the head and neck 

 so it will relax that well. And then 

 put some wet cotton in the eyeholes 

 so that the eyelids will thoroughly re- 

 lax. Let it stay that way over night 

 and the next morning after removing 

 the wet cotton and cutting away any 

 fat or meat, that may have been left 

 to dry at the base of the tail, and with 

 large birds, thoroughly scraping the 

 fat, etc., off the inside of the skin, it 

 is ready to mount. Also work the 

 joints of the legs and the toes back 

 and forth and with large birds like 



Hawks and Owls, drill a hole up the 

 back of the foot with an awl to run 

 the wire up through. 



In making stands the use of green 

 smalts makes a very neat thing and is 

 done by simply painting the ground 

 green and sprinkling the green smalts 

 over it. If the stand is given a coat 

 of white lead or any other paint first 

 the paint will not soak into the board 

 so quick and the smalt will hold bet- 

 ter. For shore birds and waterfowl 

 a nest stand can be made by cutting 

 a stand irregular in shape and thin at 

 the edges and high in the center; tliis 

 is then given a coat of glue and cov- 

 ered with the white- sand from the 

 beach. After it is dry by adding a few 

 large pebbles or small shells, quite an 

 attractive stand can be made. To fas- 

 ten a hardwood branch to the base of 

 a stand use screws as sometimes a 

 nail can be driven through. On stands 

 for small birds, to fasten moss, etc., 

 gun arable will hold well. In fasten- 

 ing pine cones, acorns, etc., a thin 

 brad will hold better than anything 

 else. This is driven in the back where 

 it is unseen. 



Milton J. Hofmann. 



AMERICAN OSPREY. 



A fine specimen of the Osprey or 

 fish hawk was taken near Holy Cross, 

 Marion County, Kentucky, on the 25th 

 day of May, 1916. It measured twenty 

 three inches in length. The party 

 who had it mounted thought it was a 

 Bald Eagle, but it was easily identi- 

 fied, by its feet which are entirely 

 different from any other raptores. 

 This is my first record for the Osprey, 

 and it was not taken near water I 

 think that its occurence at this season 

 of the year is rather unusual. 



Ben J. Blincoe. 

 Bardstown, Ky. 



