38 BIKDS'-NESTING. 



the grooves should lie parallel to one another, and 

 that their edges should be smooth. The smaller the 

 drill, the more acute should be the angle it forms at 

 the point. The drills may be fitted with handles or 

 not, according to fancy, — those with handles being 

 less likely than the others to cramp the fingers of 

 the performer, an inconvenience which often causes 

 breakages. Collectors not having such drills will 

 find a common nail or a three-cornered needle a use- 

 ful substitute, but either of these must be used with 

 extreme care. 



Holding the egg gently but steadily in the fingers, 

 apply the point of the drill perpendicularly to the 

 surface, unless it be preferred to prick with a needle 

 first. A twirling motion of the instrument, by filing 

 away the shell gradually, enlarges the opening, which 

 should be no larger than is required to accommodate 

 the blow-pipe loosely, leaving room for the egg's 

 contents to escape around it. In very small eggs, 

 like those of the warblers, when fresh, this hole need 

 not be larger than a pin would make, and thus it 

 will be scarcely visible. 



The hole having been drilled, hold the egg in the 

 left hand, hole downward, nearly (sometimes fully) 

 insert the small end of the blow-pipe, and blow 

 equably and continuously, until all the contents are 

 expelled. The pressure of air must be, though 



