2. TAKING SPECIMENS IN THE FIELD 



preferred; and a 12 bore with an adaptor for -410 ammunition is another 

 useful combination. 



Ammunition. Very fine shot such as dust shot, which makes tiny perfora- 

 tions but does no major damage to the specimen, should be used. Dust shot 

 is obtainable from gunsmiths but is usually not in stock and requires a special 

 order. Allowance should be made for possible delays in obtaining it. No. 6 

 shot should be used on birds larger than crows, and no. 4 for really large 

 birds. 



Haversack. This should be as capacious as possible and divided into 

 compartments to keep the birds separate from hard objects. Rubber-lined 

 haversacks should not be used in humid conditions since these speed decay. 



Tags. There is little time to label specimens properly and it is more con- 

 venient to tie a numbered tag to the bird immediately it is shot and to enter 

 this number against any data that are noted. 



Netting and trapping 



As an alternative to shooting, birds may be caught in nets or traps. With 

 the advent of extensive ringing of birds for migration studies various types of 

 traps have been used, and a pamphlet on the subject is available from the 

 British Trust for Ornithology (see appendix 2). In general, trapping is only 

 useful as a collecting method if the collector intends to remain in one place 

 for a long period. In some areas the local population will have their own 

 traditional methods of bird catching. Narcotised baits are now being 

 increasingly used by authorities for dealing with species regarded as pests. 

 Such baits usually stupefy the birds or render them unconscious for a period, 

 and where they are available they may be of use to the collector. Since their 

 effect may vary according to species and size they should be used with caution 

 if selective collecting is desirable. 



Mist-nets are the most convenient form of trapping for use in the field. 

 These are fine nets that are erected on vertical rods, and catch the birds that 

 fly into them. They have the advantage that the specimens produced are 

 undamaged by shot, they allow the selection of specimens and the release of 

 unwanted birds, and they trap forest and swamp species which may otherwise 

 skulk and elude the collector. They have the disadvantage that time is 

 required for erection and taking down of the nets and they will easily catch 

 in any vegetation and require careful and lengthy disentangling, they only 

 catch certain species, and are of little use in windy or wet conditions. The 

 rapid removal of birds from the net requires a certain degree of skill, and if a 

 bird is required as a specimen it is usually easier to kill it in the net prior to 

 removal (see below— "killing wounded birds"). A pamphlet on the use of 

 mist-nets is available from the British Trust for Ornithology (see appendix 2). 



Killing wounded birds 



A wounded bird must be caught and killed as soon as possible, both for 

 humane reasons and to prevent further damage to it. Under no circum- 

 stances should it be struck on the head, nor should the neck be wrung, since 

 both produce haemorrhages that complicate the subsequent preparation. 

 Birds can be killed by a compression of the body which appears to retard 

 lung, and hence heart, action, resulting in a rapid and merciful death within 



