8. RECORDING INFORMATION AND LABELLING 41 



label tied firmly to a leg of the specimen. A duplicate record of the data 

 should be kept. 



3. Labelling whole specimens. The labelling is again similar but the 

 labels of whole specimens will be immersed in liquid. Special "wet labels" 

 are used by most museums. If labels have to be prepared from material to 

 hand, care should be taken to use strong paper which is not easily reduced to 

 pulp in liquids. Paper incorporating linen fibres, or with a plastic finish 

 would be suitable. Metal tags must not be used since these corrode, and in 

 formalin solutions the metal eyelets on manufactured labels will deteriorate. 

 The label should be printed clearly in pencil or indian ink. If the latter is 

 used care must be taken to see that the ink is quite dry and the label should 

 then be soaked in water before being tied on and immersed in the preserving 

 solution. Labels must be tied to the leg of the specimen with a tight reef 

 knot. As with skeletons it is advisable to keep an additional duplicate 

 record of the data elsewhere. 



4. Labelling eggs. Data can be written on the shell itself with a fine 

 pencil or indian ink, as soon as the shell is dry. The information is usually 

 inscribed around the hole made for blowing out the contents, the writing 

 being as small as possible. A serial number is assigned to each clutch and 

 written on each egg. The amount of additional writing on the shell will 

 depend on its size and the skill of the collector. The name of the bird, 

 possibly in abbreviated form, the locality, date, collector's initials and the 

 number of eggs in the clutch expressed as c/2 or c/3 etc., may at all times be 

 entered on the shell. In addition all this information, together with data on 

 the nest and habitat, is entered on a data slip or label which is kept with the 

 clutch. The information given should be as precise and extensive as that 

 accompanying any other specimen. 



5. Labelling nests. Nests are labelled in a similar fashion to skins. The 

 label should be firmly tied to the nest itself. The thread or thin string of the 

 label can be threaded through a large darning needle, and passed through 

 part of the nest wall and tied, to ensure that it is properly attached. 



