THE ART OP PEESEKVmU BIKUS. 31 



bird's life migM at first sight be mistaken for the testicles 

 of the male, but, upon looking closely the ovary (2) can 

 be perceived, very small j upon applying a magnifying-glass 

 it appears granular. 



With these remarks and diagrams, I think any one with 

 ordinary ability will, with, a little practice, be able to de- 

 termine this very important character in the scientific 

 study of birds. 



Gontents of Stomach, etc. — The contents of the stomach 

 must next be examined, which is done by opening the giz- 

 zard and crop. A little practice wUl enable the collector 

 to state correctly what it contains, although the glass is 

 sometimes necessary, as in the case of small birds. This 

 is then recorded upon the slip of paper, which is put on 

 file, to be copied into a book, in the following manner, — . 

 leaving a page, or, if the book is not wide enough, two 

 pages, for each species, — first placing the scientific name at 

 the head, as seen on the following page. 



A book prepared in this manner, carefully indexed and 

 paged, win, when it is filled with the measurements of 

 birds, be of immense value for comparative measurements, 

 besides giving the collector a complete history of each of 

 his specimens. 



Exceptions to the usual Method of Skinning. — All birds 

 are to be prepared in the preceding manner, with the fol- 

 lowing exceptions. 



AU Woodpeckers with a large head and small neck — of 

 which the Pile.ated Woodpecker {Hylotomm pileatus, Baird) 

 is an example — should be skinned in the same manner as 

 far as the neck, which should be severed, as it is impos- 

 sible to turn the skin over the head ; cut through the skin 

 on the back of the head, making a longitudinal insertion 

 of an inch or more, and draw the head through this. It 

 should be carefully sewn up after the skin is turned back. 

 Such specunens, when laid out to dry, should have the 



